KHR Arkitekter
Danish architecture and urban-design practice founded in 1946.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
KHR Arkitekter is a Copenhagen-based Danish architecture practice whose work spans building design, urban planning, interior design, and complex public infrastructure. The firm was established in 1946 by Gunnar Krohn and E. Hartvig Rasmussen under the name Krohn & Hartvig Rasmussen, following their success in an architectural competition for the Atlas machine factory. The founding competition helped define the practice as a technically capable design office able to work on substantial industrial and institutional commissions. Over subsequent decades, KHR developed a broad portfolio across Denmark and the wider Nordic region. During the 1960s, the practice increasingly applied contemporary European architectural ideas to public buildings in Denmark. This period produced major civic and commercial projects, including Rødovre Centrum, Hvidovre Hospital, and the University of Southern Denmark. The firm later expanded its work into transportation, education, healthcare, cultural, commercial, and religious architecture. Its portfolio includes several terminals at Copenhagen Airport, Billund Airport, Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, Copenhagen Metro stations, university campuses, hospitals, schools, sports venues, corporate headquarters, shopping centres, churches, and museums. KHR's projects demonstrate an emphasis on large-scale, operationally demanding environments. Airport and metro commissions require coordination of circulation, safety, engineering, passenger experience, and future expansion, while hospitals and educational buildings require close attention to complex user needs and long-term adaptability. The practice has also worked on urban and mixed-use settings, including Ørestad School and Library, major university facilities, town halls, shopping centres, and office buildings. International work has included the Bahrain National Museum, projects in Norway and Sweden, and the Danish pavilion at Expo 92. The firm has received recognition in Denmark and abroad. In 1992 it received the Nykredit Architecture Prize, and several KHR projects have been nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture and the Mies van der Rohe Award. The practice has also designed notable recent projects such as Sct. Hans New Forensic Psychiatry and Østerport 2, both completed in 2021, and Nyt SUND, the Faculty of Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, completed in 2023. KHR Arkitekter is described as having approximately 100 employees and six partners involved in daily management: Janina Zerbe, Henrik Richter Danielsen, Mikkel Beedholm, Lars Kragh And, Torben Juul, and Peter Nielsen. Its present identity reflects a long-running Danish architectural practice combining architecture with planning and design services rather than a consumer-facing brand. The company is active and continues to operate from Copenhagen, with a portfolio concentrated in Denmark and the Nordic region while retaining experience in selected international commissions.
History
KHR Arkitekter was founded in Denmark in 1946 by Gunnar Krohn and E. Hartvig Rasmussen. The practice originated after the two architects won an architectural competition for the Atlas machine factory, providing the basis for the firm initially known as Krohn & Hartvig Rasmussen. The founding project connected the office with industrial and technically demanding architecture from the outset. In the 1960s, the practice began focusing more strongly on contemporary European architectural styles as applied to public buildings in Denmark. Its work during and after this period established a broad institutional portfolio. Rødovre Centrum, completed in 1966, Hvidovre Hospital in 1968, and the University of Southern Denmark in 1970 were among the projects that illustrated the firm's growing involvement in commercial, healthcare, and educational architecture. KHR later expanded into transportation, cultural, corporate, religious, and civic projects. Its transportation portfolio includes work on several Copenhagen Airport terminals, Copenhagen Metro stations, Billund Airport, and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. The firm also designed or contributed to projects such as the Bahrain National Museum, the Danish pavilion at Expo 92, Fonnesbæk Church, Frederiksberg Centret, the Bang & Olufsen headquarters, the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Humanities, Forum Horsens, St. Olavs University Hospital, KMD's headquarters, Fiberline, Haukeland University Hospital, Biocenter, Hillerød Town Hall, the Church of the Holy Cross, the Metropolitan University College campus at Rådmandsmarken, and Hedorfs Kollegium. The practice received the Nykredit Architecture Prize in 1992. Several of its works have also been nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture and the Mies van der Rohe Award. These distinctions reflect recognition of the firm's work within Danish and European architectural circles. During the 2010s and 2020s, KHR continued to work across education, public infrastructure, healthcare, and urban development. Projects cited from this period include Ørestad School and Library, Amalie Skrams School and AdO Arena in Bergen, Sct. Hans New Forensic Psychiatry, Østerport 2, and Nyt SUND, the Faculty of Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. The company is described as having approximately 100 employees and six partners involved in daily management: Janina Zerbe, Henrik Richter Danielsen, Mikkel Beedholm, Lars Kragh And, Torben Juul, and Peter Nielsen. The firm's evolution has therefore been from a post-war Danish office founded through an industrial-architecture competition into a multidisciplinary practice working on major public and private commissions. Its activities include architecture, urban planning, and interior design, with a geographic emphasis on Denmark and the Nordic region and selected international work.
- 2023
Nyt SUND completed
[1]Nyt SUND, the Faculty of Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, was completed.
- 2021
Sct. Hans New Forensic Psychiatry and Østerport 2
[1]Two cited contemporary projects, Sct. Hans New Forensic Psychiatry and Østerport 2, were completed.
- 2014
Amalie Skrams School and AdO Arena
[1]The firm's portfolio included Amalie Skrams School and AdO Arena in Bergen.
- 2012
Ørestad School and Library completed
[1]KHR completed Ørestad School and Library, combining educational and public-library functions.
- 2007
Biocenter completed
[1]The practice completed the Biocenter project.
- 2000
University of Copenhagen Faculty of Humanities
[1]KHR delivered a Faculty of Humanities project for the University of Copenhagen.
- 1999
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport project
[1]The practice completed work associated with Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.
- 1997
Billund Airport project
[1]KHR Arkitekter completed work associated with Billund Airport.
- 1996
Copenhagen Metro stations and Frederiksberg Centret
[1]The portfolio included Copenhagen Metro stations and Frederiksberg Centret.
- 1992
Nykredit Architecture Prize awarded
[1]KHR Arkitekter received the Nykredit Architecture Prize.
Products and positioning
A long-established Danish architecture practice positioned around technically complex public, institutional, transportation, educational, healthcare, cultural, and commercial projects.
Transportation architecture
Airport and aviation facilities
KHR Arkitekter has worked on several terminals at Copenhagen Airport as well as projects at Billund Airport and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. These commissions place the practice in a technically complex field involving passenger circulation, security, operational logistics, engineering coordination, and the integration of large public buildings with transport systems.
Healthcare architecture
Healthcare and forensic psychiatry facilities
Healthcare work cited for the practice includes Hvidovre Hospital, St. Olavs University Hospital, Haukeland University Hospital, Biocenter, and Sct. Hans New Forensic Psychiatry. Such projects require planning for specialized clinical functions, staff workflows, patient safety, technical infrastructure, and long-term institutional use.
Educational architecture
Educational and university buildings
The firm's educational portfolio includes projects for the University of Southern Denmark, the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Humanities, Ørestad School and Library, Amalie Skrams School, and the Metropolitan University College campus at Rådmandsmarken. The work covers schools, higher-education facilities, libraries, and campus environments.
Public and cultural architecture
Cultural, civic, and religious buildings
KHR has designed or contributed to civic and cultural projects including the Bahrain National Museum, Hillerød Town Hall, Forum Horsens, Fonnesbæk Church, the Church of the Holy Cross, and the Danish pavilion at Expo 92. These projects demonstrate the practice's work with public identity, community access, cultural programming, and ceremonial spaces.
Commercial architecture
Commercial, office, and mixed-use buildings
Commercial and workplace projects include Rødovre Centrum, Frederiksberg Centret, Østerport 2, the Bang & Olufsen headquarters, KMD's headquarters, and Fiberline. The portfolio covers shopping environments, office buildings, corporate workplaces, and facilities requiring coordination between brand identity, employee needs, public access, and building performance.
Planning and design services
Urban planning and interior design
In addition to building architecture, KHR Arkitekter provides urban-planning and interior-design services. These capabilities support the practice's work on campuses, transport districts, public environments, commercial developments, and complex buildings in which spatial organization continues from the urban scale into the interior.
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