With 90+ categories and 300+ jurors, the Architizer A+Awards is the world’s definitive architectural awards program. Following the Awards Gala and Phaidon book launch on May 14, we are pleased to share the stories behind the winners of the 2015 Awards program — see all of them here.
DISSING+WEITLING Architecture won the 2015 A+Award, Jury Choice, for the Highways & Bridges Category with Cykelslangen / The Bicycle Snake. This 660-foot (200-meter) bicycle bridge in Copenhagen makes life easier for some 12,500 commuters daily.
Your name: Steen Savery Trojaborg
Firm name: DISSING+WEITLING
Location: Copenhagen
© DISSING+WEITLING architecture
When did you decide that you wanted to be an architect?
After studying at the University of Pennsylvania from 1969–’70. I did not study at the School of Architecture, and I did not know about Louis Kahn.
First architecture/design job:
A windbreak with details, details, and details.
Design hero and/or favorite building (and why):
Le Corbusier, for his sense of the cosmic.
© DISSING+WEITLING architecture
What do you find exciting about architecture and design right now?
The diversity.
© DISSING+WEITLING architecture
Tell us something that people might not know about your A+Award submission:
We never thought it would get so much attention.
Which jurors do you find most compelling and why?
Bjarke Ingels, for having changed the scene in Denmark.
© DISSING+WEITLING architecture
Outside of architecture, where do you look for inspiration?
Music and literature.
What is the most important quality in an architect?
Curiosity.
Who would be your dream client, and why?
The City of New York. It is vibrant and magic. And has a long way to go for cyclists.
See all of the 2015 A+Award Winners here and all of the Winner Q+As here — and order the book from Phaidon here.