The Nordic Symposium on Beauty

For centuries, architecture was rooted in the pursuit of beauty, fueling vibrant cultures and traditions across the globe. Today we find ourselves departed from this ideal, as our built environments become ever more functional but increasingly soulless and inhumane. There is something fundamentally wrong with the architecture of our time, and we believe it stems from disregarding aesthetics.

Put usefulness first, and you lose it. Put beauty first, and what you do will be useful forever.

-Roger Scruton

With The Nordic Symposium on Beauty we are reuniting in the aesthetic ideal, turning to architectural tradition for the tools to solve our contemporary design challenges. Our aim is to bridge the gap between history and modernity, seeing tradition as part of our cultural identity and human desire for the good. We invite designers, planners, craftsmen, and enthusiasts for two days of exhibitions and dialoge, teaching one another how to build with soul, beauty, and purpose – Finding back our place in the the building tradition.