NYHED September 16, 2025

Open Debate on Equal Access to Cultural Heritage: Why Is It So Incredibly Hard to Create Accessible Architecture?

On September 16, 2025, Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects will co-host the open debate event Why Is It So Incredibly Hard to Create Accessible Architecture? a conversation about how we can ensure equal access for all citizens to art and cultural heritage.

Large parts of our shared architectural heritage remain difficult to access for people with disabilities — and there are only a few Danish examples of well-developed universal design projects. At the same time, conventional accessibility measures are often perceived as aesthetically challenging, especially in protected or heritage-listed environments. The architecture field, and the entire value chain, therefore needs new examples that can demonstrate and discuss how historic and listed buildings can be opened and made accessible without compromising their cultural and historical value

A vision for new arrival experience to the New Carlsberg Glyptotek, providing equitable and sensory access for all bodies. The vision is based on a ramp solution where nothing existing is removed—only a new layer of time is added.

A Sensitive Perspective on Access and Experience
The conversation will begin with a specific example — a vision for access to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. The approach is universal design, understood not as a set of standards, but as an architectural sensitivity that embraces diversity. With this vision, we ask: Can we add new layers to our cultural heritage that reflect the values of our time while also introducing a sensory and aesthetic dimension?

Together with poet Caspar Eric and the Bevica Foundation, we have developed this vision — an imaginative yet concrete proposal for an inclusive and enriching experience for all, regardless of body or ability.