Written by Aarhus School of Architecture announces an open professorship in the practice of Architecture with a special focus on ecology and habitation. The professorship is intended to strengthen Aarhus School of Architecture’s connection to contemporary architectural practice and consolidate the knowledge base of ecology and habitation – two of our focus areas. Architecture, and consequently the architectural profession, is facing a process of transition that requires radical strategies for building in the future. We have chosen Insight into Nature and Architecture & Practice as two of the overlapping lenses through which we want to direct the school’s and our students’ aesthetic and creative gaze in the coming years. For this we need a strong architectural profile that can help us develop this direction further. This is a direction in which concepts such as artistic formation, tectonics, and ecological thinking will be central to the way we train the architects of the future.
If you are visionary and passionate about your work, have extensive experience from practice with a significant architectural focus, and also have experience with innovation and knowledge development, combined with strong communicative skills, we encourage you to send us your application.
Who are we?
At Aarhus School of Architecture, we aim for ambitious research and teaching that combine the different scales of architecture – ranging from landscapes to towns, buildings, and details – with aesthetics, technology, nature and culture. We are about to implement a new way of structuring our teaching through a new curriculum. It is precisely the above mentioned concepts that will constitute the backbone of the education we offer. A backbone that will also influence the direction of research in the coming years.
Aarhus School of Architecture has built up strong research environments in areas such as urban and landscape development, climate adaptation, sustainability, materials, aesthetics, tectonics and heritage. It is a school with strong digital skills, first-class workshop facilities and a clear focus on incorporating practice-oriented horizons and experiments into research as well as teaching. We have a well-founded culture of cooperation. Based on this culture, we aim to constantly strengthen education and research in the area of developing sustainable architecture. One of our ways of achieving this is to incorporate new technologies into the methods we use in our work, by seeking inspiration in the history of architecture, and by creating connections between new ecologically oriented theory formations and creative thinking and the development of ideas. The connection between physical creation and ecological thinking is therefore a main focus of our efforts to develop the school’s education and research further. The advertised professorship is connected with these efforts.
About the position
As a professor in the practice of architecture, you will contribute to developing the practice-oriented field at the school with a special focus on ecology and habitation, including housing. You will contribute to the further development and implementation of the new curriculum for the architectural education we offer, and to ensure we have the didactic, methodological, and practical skills that are necessary for the school to continue training skilled architects who have a holistic and resource-conscious approach to architecture.
The professorship will include scientific and artistic research, teaching, academic leadership and administrative tasks.
Your tasks will include the following:
- Developing and leading areas of research and research projects within the practice of architecture with a focus on ecology and habitation
- Taking part in the development and implementation of a new curriculum and of visions for architectural practice in the 21st century
- Drawing up applications for external research funding
- Supervising students and PhD students
- Performing tasks as external examiner and examinations
- Participating in relevant councils and committees at the school
- Developing and nurturing external networks relevant to the subject area of the position.
Required qualifications
We expect you to have:
- An educational background as an architect, engineer, or a similar profession
- Significant and original experience in architectural practice at an international level
- Worked extensively with ecology and habitation in your professional practice
- Relevant teaching experience and good cooperative and pedagogical skills
- A strong network and extensive experience within the focus areas of ecology and habitation
Personal skills
The following should reflect your personality:
- You are visionary and passionate in your work and capable of translat-ing your visions into concrete results
- You are outgoing and enjoy working together with others
- You see opportunities rather than limitations, and you are good at set-ting up joint goals for your team and motivating your colleagues
Affiliation
You will be affiliated with Research Lab 2: Technology, Building Cultures and Habitation, where you will share the responsibility for further developing of the school’s research within the practice of architecture, ecology and habitation.
The research lab bridges the gap between theory and practice, history and technology. One example of this is the project Material Imagination, which connects experimental digital studies of materials with the history of ideas, poetics and phenomenology. Other projects combine architectural historical studies with new perspectives on housing, tectonics, and materials – or have a more in-depth focus on digitalisation. Read more about the visions of the lab
Your teaching activities will primarily be in connection with fundamental or elective teaching activities in the form of workshops, courses and lectures across the school’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. The position also involves supervision of PhD students and contributions to continuing education. More information about the teaching programme
The position is open from 1 February 2024, or another agreed date.
What we can offer you
At Aarhus School of Architecture, we offer you a creative and innovative research and teaching environment. We recently moved into Denmark’s first new-built school of architecture located in the heart of Aarhus; a building with greatly expanded workshop facilities which contribute to strengthening our practice-oriented teaching and our potential for experimenting with materials and new building technical solutions in our research.
The new building has made the school a more integrated part of the city and the surrounding area; an area which is now a laboratory for creativity and social commitment. A laboratory where tomorrow’s architecture is created in collaboration with architecture firms and the other stakeholders of the building industry, entrepreneurs, the municipality, the citizens of Aar-hus, and partners we cooperate with from all over the world.
As an employee of Aarhus School of Architecture, you will have the oppor-tunity of working with people of different age groups and from many differ-ent cultures. We work together across the institution, and we all play an important role. For which reason, our voice is heard regardless of the posi-tion we are employed in. We are of the opinion that we create the best framework for an attractive and vibrant workplace through mutual recognition and by focusing on cooperation.
We encourage all interested applicants who possess the relevant qualifications to apply for the position.
How you apply
Send us your application, including a description of your visions for re-search and teaching and for developing the subject area of the position, and your thoughts on collaborating with external knowledge environments and stakeholders.
The application should not exceed six pages (A4) in total and may be in Danish or English.
The name, address, email address, and title of the position you are applying for should be stated on the first page of the application.
You also need to upload the following documents (as PFD files):
- Diplomas at master and PhD level, or similar documents
- An updated CV
- A portfolio containing selected examples of your professional, academic and/or teaching-related practice (no more than 20 MB)
- A list of publications
Please submit your application online no later than 12 noon (CET) on October 24, 2023.
Aarhus School of Architecture is a differentiated workplace with room for diversity, and we encourage all interested applicants who possess the rele-vant qualifications to apply for the position.
Please note that the position will be advertised and filled in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order of 12 April 2019 regarding the employment of artistic and academic staff at the higher educational institutions of fine arts in the area governed by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
Shortlisting
Aarhus School of Architecture shortlists applicants. Shortlisting means that only those applicants who, based on an overall assessment, best match the needs of the school are selected for further academic assessment. This selection is based on the formal and academic requirements for applicants stated in the call. All applicants will be informed whether their application has been shortlisted for assessment.
Subsequently, a hiring committee assesses the selected applicants in relation to the specific position.
Salaries and terms of employment
Your salaries and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) with the opportunity of negotiating a sup-plement for qualifications based on your experience and qualifications.
The professorship is a permanent full-time position with an average work-ing time of 37 hours per week. The position comprises scientific/artistic research and certain administrative tasks.
As a rule, the research-to-teaching ratio is 50/50. The distribution between different tasks may vary, and you may be asked to perform other official tasks.
Concurrent employment will be accepted to a limited extent if this employ-ment is compatible with performing the work of a professor.
Non-Danish speaking applicants are expected to acquire Danish language skills at user level within a three-year horizon.
Additional information
Please direct any questions about the position to Head of Research Thomas Bo Jensen. Phone: +45 8936 0300. Email: tbj@aarch.dk.
Our vision
At Aarhus School of Architecture we believe architecture should influence the world and create sustainable frameworks for the people who inhabit it. This is why we train architects who are able to create value for the community in a changing world through new ideas and relevant solutions. We live in a world that increasingly challenges us to think creatively in order to exist, live and thrive.
We do this by working closely with other professional groups, by embracing new technologies, by daring to experiment, and by constantly acquiring new skills.
We use our artistic approach to find new ways. We come up with new answers by means of scientific studies. And, through practical application, our theoretical knowledge is transformed into professional skills.
Our ambition is to be a Scandinavian elite institution for the development of architecture. We want to train the best architects by admitting the most suited – the most talented, and most motivated students.
We assume responsibility for and engage with the society of which we are a part.
Engaging through Architecture.
