Research-Driven Visions for How We Might Live Next

What does the future look like when it is imagined not as science fiction, but as something grounded in research, material experimentation, and real-world concerns? That question sits at the heart of Imagining the Future – through Architecture and Design, a new exhibition opening October 30 through April 16, 2026, at the Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation in Copenhagen. Created by researchers, educators, and students from the Royal Danish Academy, the exhibition includes several projects developed in collaboration with companies and cultural institutions, pointing toward applications beyond the gallery.

Photo: Karina Tengberg

Photo: Karina Tengberg

The exhibition brings together 29 projects by architects and designers who use research and artistic development to explore how we might live, build, and think in the decades ahead. Rather than offering speculative fantasy, the works present tangible proposals that respond to urgent environmental, social, and cultural challenges.

Photo: Karina Tengberg

Photo: Karina Tengberg

Visitors encounter investigations into new materials and sustainable housing models, alongside broader reflections on how societies might better coexist with nature and with one another. Several projects address climate adaptation directly, including visions for future coastal protection, while others question how industries such as fashion might evolve if planetary well-being were treated as a primary concern rather than an afterthought.

Photo: Karina Tengberg

Photo: Karina Tengberg

The exhibition also looks backward in order to move forward. Traditional crafts such as knitting and thatching are reexamined for their potential to inform contemporary architecture, offering low-resource solutions for façades and buildings designed to adapt to rising temperatures. These projects highlight how historical knowledge can play a role in shaping resilient futures.

Photo: Karina Tengberg

More broadly, Imagining the Future underscores the role of architects and designers as cultural agents who shape collective visions of what tomorrow might look like. According to Dean Mathilde Aggebo, the exhibition is about giving form to both ideas and hope. By proposing new ways of living and dwelling, she notes, designers do more than solve problems—they create images of what a balanced society could become.

Photo: Karina Tengberg

Photo: Karina Tengberg

At a moment marked by global uncertainty and rapid change, the exhibition argues for the importance of shared, relatable futures. Alongside practical solutions, visitors will find critical reflections on the present, reinforcing the idea that design is as much about questioning current systems as it is about proposing alternatives.

Photo: Karina Tengberg

Photo: Karina Tengberg