ORBI is a living association where students, teachers, and creators unite to learn through building, growing, and experimenting.
From its early explorations in architecture and craft, ORBI has evolved into a platform for seasonal schools, attracting students from creative institutions across Europe. Since its inception in 2019, over 250 students have participated in ORBI’s seasonal schools.
At its core is a belief in grounded, hands-on learning that remains open to the unknown.
- ORBI is a collaboration between Dinesen and the Royal Danish Academy, Institute of Architecture and Culture
- Initiated by architect and PhD fellow Peter Møller Rasmussen and Brand and Art Director Hans Peter Dinesen
- The seasonal schools take place at a historical estate near Dinesen’s headquarters in Vrå, Denmark
Students at ORBI Summer School
Founded through a collaboration between Dinesen and the Royal Danish Academy's Institute of Architecture and Culture, ORBI is an association for interdisciplinary study and artistic inquiry. It emerged from a 2019 summer school initiated by architect and PhD fellow Peter Møller Rasmussen and Brand & Art Director Hans Peter Dinesen.
The summer school was—and still is—an exploratory course inviting architecture students to focus on resourceful architecture through practical learning. It continues to be held in the natural landscapes surrounding Dinesen’s headquarters in Vrå, Denmark. Since then, full-scale projects have been built during the courses, all in the pursuit of learning and creating a more sustainable impact on our world.
Built during the 2020 summer school, The Fishing Hut is a wooden cabin by Gram Å in Vrå, Southern Jutland. The project centres on Hærvejen, an ancient route connecting centuries of movement, terrain, and tradition.
On the site of a former fishing hut destroyed by fire, 22 architecture students spent two weeks designing and constructing a new cabin using traditional Danish timber techniques. They combined methods such as hand-carved joints, tempera surfaces, and clay plaster through model studies, mock-ups, and hands-on work.
The Fishing Hut
Drawing of the The Fishing Hut
Urbi Et Orbi: An ORBI Residency ORBI's Summer Schools on Architecture 2021 focused on creating a residency. Unfolding at Dinesen's facilities in Vrå, Urbi et Orbi* invited students to engage with the local landscape, biology, and buildings to construct a new learning environment: an ORBI residency. The residency programme significantly expanded ORBI's founding principles, going beyond architecture and welcoming new fields and perspectives.
*Common phrase in the papal blessing of Rome since the 13th century, meaning “for the city and for the world.” In everyday usage, it carries a broader sense—“everywhere and anywhere.”
In Denmark, a forening (association) is a community of voluntary members organised around shared interests. These associations can look very different and have different foundations, but their importance to the members' cultural and social lives is similar.
ORBI is rooted in this tradition. It is a non-profit, democratic association driven by its members. This collective approach reflects Denmark's deep commitment to civic engagement and community building. Dinesen's long-standing values align with this vision.
ORBI is one way the Dinesen family continues its legacy — supporting future generations to experiment, collaborate, and shape something meaningful.
House for Collections, Jels
Long table dining
House of ORBI, Vrå
ORBI is a member-driven association that now hosts seasonal schools throughout the year:
Having hosted six summer schools, ORBI has grown into a dynamic platform for interdisciplinary exploration, supported by a community of students, teachers, architects, artists, and thinkers.
Explore seasonal schools
ORBI is more than a school. It's a gathering place for curiosity, learning, and meaningful exchange. It's where ideas take shape and legacies are built — not just in structures, but in community.
Enjoy ORBI's Summer Schools on Architecture on paper with the Dinesen Reader. We introduce the first edition of a publication series called Dinesen Reader, where contributors from various disciplines are invited to explore themes and collaborations rooted in Dinesen's world of wood.
Dinesen Reader 1: ORBI's Summer Schools on Architecture features the summer projects from 2020 up until 2024.
Dinesen Reader 1: ORBI's Summer Schools on Architecture