Building a Mega-Museum

Building a Mega-Museum

From Let's Talk Architecture by Danish Architecture Center – DAC

November 27, 2025 · 33 min

About this episode

This episode explores the journey of designing Denmark's new Natural History Museum with architect Claus Pryds.

Eighteen years, a 14-metre-deep crater, a rebuilt brick façade, and a glass dome set to redefine Copenhagen's skyline Denmark's new Natural History Museum is almost ready. In this episode, Michael Booth meets architect Claus Pryds , who was barely out of architecture school when he unexpectedly won the competition for the country's next great museum. What followed was a marathon of design, engineering and sheer perseverance that stretched across nearly two decades. Michael and Claus dive into the wild story behind the museum: the setbacks, the breakthroughs, the impossible holes in the ground — and the thrill of watching a once-in-a-lifetime project finally rise to the surface. Opening in 2027, the museum will feature new worlds dedicated to Danish nature and Greenland and rumoured to have everything from dinosaurs to a Blue Whale skeleton . Guest: Claus Pryds Host: Michael Booth Let's Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck Studios.

People in this episode

Host: Michael Booth

Guest: Claus Pryds

Topics covered

  • architecture
  • museum design
  • Copenhagen
  • natural history
  • urban development

Keywords

  • museum
  • architecture
  • Copenhagen
  • design
  • natural history
  • Claus Pryds
  • Michael Booth
  • urban development
  • exhibition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Danish Architecture Center

Books & works: Natural History Museum

Places: Copenhagen, Denmark

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