Meet Maine

What brought you to Henning Larsen?

I was an architecture student in Lund and dreamt of an internship in Copenhagen. The time as an intern was extremely valuable. I learned a lot that school could never teach me, and I got to know incredible people. What struck me as fantastic was that we were really working as a team, even as an intern my opinion was listened to. I worked a lot and made good friends.

As soon as I finished my thesis, I came back to Henning Larsen, and I have been here since. That was 12 years ago now. 

What do you enjoy most about working at Henning Larsen?

I enjoy the creative and positive spirit and the endless possibilities to work with things that I am interested in. Working at Henning Larsen is always challenging, but in a positive way; it never gets boring. And I always have good people around me to share thoughts, ideas, or doubts with. 

What motivates you in your work?

We are in times of great global challenges that disrupt the whole industry. The only thing we know for sure is that we cannot do business as usual. My passion within my field is to re-think and challenge how we shape the world around us and inspire people by visualizing that the future can be more sustainable, playful and beautiful when we dare to do things in new ways. I believe we are in a paradigm shift in architecture right now, and it is inspiring to feel that my colleagues and I can influence the outcome of that.

Which projects are you particularly proud of and why? 

I am proud of the project I am currently working on: a vision and masterplan for an international car manufacturer. The goal is to transform the area from a typical industrial site to a place that can attract talent from all over the world to join the company’s green transition. This project includes so many interesting topics! We get to re-imagine work-life; How can we compete with the home office in a post-pandemic time? How can we pioneer mobility and make this into a playground for innovation? And, how can we make sure that we care for the environment, putting our client at the forefront of the green transition.

Another project I feel proud of is the urban strategy and vision I was leading for the town of Peterhead in Scotland. The town was struggling with social challenges, particularly among children and the younger generation. With a small budget, we managed to map the potentials of the town and spark new hope for the future as we created a roadmap for a safer and nicer town for all, but for children and youth in particular.

Looking back on your time with Henning Larsen, how have you grown in your role and developed your skills?

From the start, I was working on all kinds of projects and phases in architecture. Rather soon however, I found myself most comfortable in the urban scale and in early phases. I love the optimism in the concept stage of a project; there is a bit of a “let’s change the world”-spirit that gives me energy that I try to transfer to the teams and the projects.

The last few years my role has gotten more extroverted; reaching out to clients and working with business development. Today, I am an Associate Design Director with a particular focus on supporting and making our new Swedish office thrive.