Corporate Social Responsibility

UN Global Compact

In 2008, Henning Larsen Architects joined the United Nations business network, Global Compact, which is a partnership between the UN and the international corporate world with the objective of promoting the social commitment of businesses. For an architectural company working on many international projects, it is essential to apply an international set of values.

The UN Global Compact's ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• The International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
• The United Nations Convention Against Corruption

The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption:

Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.  

Labour Standards
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.   

Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. 

CONCITO - Denmark’s first green think-tank

Concito is the first green think tank in Denmark entirely independent of political and commercial interests.

The purpose of Concito is to contribute to minimising greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the harmful effects of global warming.

Henning Larsen Architects aligns itself with the aims of the think tank and participates in its work.

The think tank has gathered a number of players across professions and industries and in this way brings new knowledge into play.

Summer School in Damascus

In 2008, Henning Larsen Architects organised a summer school in Damascus with the participation of 26 architectural students from Aalborg University, Technische Universität Berlin and Damascus University.. The summer school was made possible due to support from The Happold Trust, Aalborg University, Technische Universität Berlin, Damascus University, Auswärtiges Amt, Martha Schwartz Partners, GT Z, DAAD, Massar, The Danish Institute in Damascus as well as The Royal Danish Embassy in Damascus.

Associate Partner Anne Marie Galmstrup, Henning Larsen Architects: "Damascus is a city that has grown in size during thousands of years. The Syrians call it the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It is a unique city where history has left traces everywhere. It is an excellent place to explore because it offers so many spatial surprises and qualities - from the vibrant market atmosphere of the souk to the quiet neighbourhoods of the city."

As with many other big cities in the Middle East, the population in Damascus is increasing significantly and, in these years, the city is facing a completely new growth rate. For two years, Henning Larsen Architects has worked on a large project in the city, Massar Children's Discovery Centre. To better understand the city and its potential, Louis Becker, architect and Design Director and Anne Marie Galmstrup, architect, took steps to organise a summer school in Damascus for architectural students from Syria, Germany and Denmark.

The encounter between the two cultures already takes place in the design stage and contributes to balancing expectations and achieving a better project process.

Anne Marie Galmstrup: "The idea for the summer school derived from the Massar project that, on the one hand, is an encounter between different learning cultures and, on the other hand, is inspired by Damascus. Throughout the entire project, it has been essential for us to make the learning process part of the project. The encounter between the two cultures already takes place in the design stage and contributes to balancing expectations and achieving a better project process.

The summer school lasted two weeks and the overall theme was 'storytelling'. Through stories about Damascus, the city was explored and its future identity was examined. The students explored the city, completed different sketching projects together and worked together in groups to analyse the challenges of the city.

For Henning Larsen Architects, it has been a valuable opportunity to establish a connection with the academic environments in all three countries and to provide the students with an understanding of what it means to work internationally.

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