Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Schmidt Hammer Lassen is a Danish architecture firm with offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Shanghai. The studio’s design approach is rooted in its DNA as a multicultural collective working globally while embracing a strong Scandinavian legacy. A tradition of human-centric architecture grounded in social and environmental sustainability is embedded in its practice, shaping architecture that values democracy, welfare, openness, and equality.

The studio delivers architectural services worldwide and has established a distinguished track record in high-profile international projects. Educational, cultural, commercial, and office buildings form the cornerstones of the firm’s portfolio. In addition to new-build commissions, Schmidt Hammer Lassen places particular emphasis on transformation projects that revitalise existing structures and urban environments while preserving their cultural and spatial identity. The firm’s innovative, sustainable, and democratic approach to architecture has attracted global recognition, earning more than 100 national and international awards.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen is known for designing projects that engage meaningfully with their urban environments by emphasising social and spatial context. These include Malmö Live Concert Hall and Conference Centre (2015), Christchurch Central Library in New Zealand (2018), HU University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht, the Netherlands (2018), Monroe Blocks master plan in Detroit (2022), and Commonwealth Pier mixed-use development in Boston (2024).

With more than 30 years of experience, Schmidt Hammer Lassen is one of Scandinavia’s most recognised and award-winning architectural practices. Founded in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1986, the firm is led today by partners Kristian Lars Ahlmark, Sanne Wall-Gremstrup, Chris Hardie, Elif Tinaztepe, Kasper Heiberg Frandsen, Mads Kaltoft, René Nedergaard, Nicolai Overgaard, and Anders Wesley Hansen.

In 2018, the studio became part of the global architecture firm Perkins&Will.