Our big group had a sweet start to the tour with a stop at the Andersen Bakery for some mandel croissant and kanelsnegl. After many “come along"-s, we got to see the backstages of the DR Koncerthuset by Jean Nouvel, the Danish BBC, three recording studios with variable acoustic systems and the flying shell of the concert hall from below. The biggest interest was in the 'elephant skin', a fine concrete texture which was a result of pouring the fine aggregate into a frame wrapped in crinkled plastic. In second place was the prop room which made the majority of us very nostalgic. And, of course, the different acoustic panels of the recording studios, with the massive amount of cameras and lighting systems were incredibly interesting.

From there we walked to the Tietgenkollegiet (above), a large circular student housing scheme by Lundgaard & Tranberg, crossing pedestrian bridges and passing by the new Søndre campus and the IT University on our way. Anna and Christoffer, two well-prepared residents of the dormitory, were our guides. The building has been 80% financed by the Nordea Bank, who in 2005, sought to create the best dormitory in the world. And more than ten years after, the Tietgenkollegiet is still ranked as the best student house, and after what we saw and heard, this utopic (for us) project would still be hard to beat (at least anywhere outside Denmark). The social lifestyle is hugely important and all the common areas (kitchens, party rooms, utility rooms and workshops) are located in the inner ring of each level, facing the courtyard. The staggering of the volumes creates further external common places. The private bedrooms are instead located round the outer ring, achieving more privacy and detachment from the busy internal life of the dormitory and giving each a unique view of the city. A simple palette of materials makes the project functional, durable and amazingly cosy. We enjoyed it so much that many of us would like to be a student again (but there!).