CEBRA

Mikkel Frost, Carsten Primdahl, and Kolja Nielsen met while studying architecture at the Aarhus School of Architecture, where they collaborated on academic projects and developed a lasting creative partnership. All three graduated with a Master of Architecture (M.Arch) in 1996 from Aarhus School of Architecture.

Following graduation, Frost and Nielsen worked at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, while Primdahl joined Arkitema. Despite pursuing individual careers, they stayed in close contact and continued to discuss the idea of starting their own studio.

In 2001, the three co-founded CEBRA in Aarhus. The studio's early years were shaped by their shared experience, close collaboration, and a desire to establish an alternative to the conventional architecture firm.

Architect Mikkel Hallundbæk Schlesinger, who earned his M.Arch in 1999, joined CEBRA from 3XN early on and was the first hire of the studio. Schlesinger became a partner in 2017 following his commitment to the firm and his efforts in the establishment of a branch office in Abu Dhabi in 2015, leading e.g. the Al Hosn master plan project.

The Danish project, MiniCO₂ Etagehus BETON, is a five-storey, mono-material apartment building initiated by Realdania By & Byg, serving as a case study in low-emission concrete construction. Through structural optimisation, reuse, and low-cement concrete, it demonstrates how early design choices can reduce CO₂ within a conventional budget. The building will provide five rental homes and target a climate impact below 5 kg CO₂e/m2/year for materials and 7.3 including energy, well below the Danish 2024 average footprint for housing, around 9.6. It also aims for DGNB Gold certification. By reducing the concrete use and optimising the structure, ‘MiniCO₂ Etagehus BETON’ serves as a scalable model for low-emission concrete construction. The mono-material apartment building takes part in a material-focused case study designed of comparing the low-emission potentials for concrete, wood and brick buildings respectively.