Aarhus

5 November

15.00 - 17.00

City Salons: How Do We Build and Develop on Nature’s Terms?

The construction industry is in the midst of reinventing itself. This event invites professionals from across the sector to explore how construction can move from being a barrier to a more sustainable future to becoming an active part of the solution. Join us for an engaging discussion with industry peers as we share perspectives and examine how to turn sustainability ambitions into reality together.

Conversation Salon: Building Cities with Room for Nature

Over the course of three afternoons, Byens Netværk, MOWE and the Council for Sustainable Building invite professionals from across the construction and urban development sectors to an engaging conversation salon in Aarhus. In this final session of the series, we turn our attention to one of the most pressing challenges in the industry today: how to create cities that give space back to nature and protect biodiversity – both locally and far beyond the building site.

About this event

The construction sector is in the midst of a major transition. While we talk about the green cities of the future, current building practices continue to put nature and biodiversity under massive pressure – especially off-site, where resource extraction and supply chains leave their mark. If we are serious about a more considerate practice, we must reduce this pressure on biodiversity, on-site as well as off-site. But how?

This salon creates space for big visions, reality checks and deep-dive “nerdery”. The ambition is that participants leave the room with renewed energy, rolled-up sleeves and concrete inspiration for action in their own projects and organisations.

Who is it for?

The event is aimed at professionals in and around the built environment, including:

Architects, landscape architects and planners
Developers, investors and property owners
Engineers, sustainability specialists and ESG professionals
Contractors, manufacturers and suppliers
Public officials and others working with urban development and climate adaptation

If you are involved in shaping the cities of tomorrow and want to understand how nature and biodiversity can become central design parameters rather than afterthoughts, this salon is for you.

Key questions and themes

Together we will explore questions such as:

How do we develop a construction sector that helps rebuild nature instead of degrading it?
How can nature be given space in dense cities where every square metre is contested?
How do we account for off-site biodiversity and our indirect global impacts when we build?
Can investments in nature be turned into a sound business case?

Panel

The salon brings together voices from across the value chain:

Stephanie Carr, Sustainability Manager, Nordic Wood Industries
Gitte Gylling Hammershøj Olesen, Technical Director Sustainability, COWI
Morten Fassov, Head of ESG, Danica Ejendomme

Programme

The afternoon is structured to combine inspiration, reflection and open dialogue:

15:00 – Arrival and welcome by MOWE, Byens Netværk and the Council for Sustainable Building
15:15 – Keynote by Rikke Juul Gram, partner and Creative Director at Schønherr
15:40 – Collective reflections at the tables based on conversation cards
16:00 – Open panel debate
16:45 – Community singing and networking

Why join?

Gain new perspectives on how cities can actively contribute to restoring nature and biodiversity.
Hear how leading practitioners work with sustainability, ESG and nature-positive strategies in real projects.
Engage in meaningful conversations with peers and expand your professional network.
Leave with concrete ideas you can bring into your own organisation and projects.

Places are limited, and you can already secure your seat to be part of the ongoing conversation about how we transform the built environment for the benefit of both people and planet.