Career profile Liv Reese Bjarrum

Liv graduated from the Master’s programme Spatial Designs and Society in October 2017.

Congratulations on your degree. What have you been doing since then?

The day after my graduation I started working for a bilateral exhibition centring on three young architectural studios, in both Denmark and Japan. The exhibition celebrates the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations and gives voice to the next generation of architects. I had been attached to the project since I started working on my thesis but after graduation I had time to work on it fulltime. The exhibition was shown in Copenhagen, Denmark and Tokyo, Japan – and I got the chance to travel to Tokyo to support the exhibition. 

Thereafter, I did two internships, one at the Danish Association of Architects and one at NORRØN, an architectural studio. At both places I helped to develop large projects in their tentative beginnings – I oversaw the formation of concepts, I fundraised, contacted relevant collaboration partners, developed guidelines for designs and other similar tasks. I have also been a research assistant at Roskilde University.Today, I’m a Business Development Coordinator for Scandinavia, in Henning Larsen Architects. 
 

What skills from your Master’s studies are especially helpful for your work?

Spatial Designs and Society has equipped me with theoretical and practical knowledge of design processes of any size. This makes it easy for me to understand the designers’ perspectives and support the design process. Additionally, it was a valuable experience to work on a group project each semester and implement it all the way from the first idea for the research theme to the final report. This gives me courage to venture into the great and challenging unknown of a massive new project with self-confidence.
 

What elements of the Master’s programme were helpful in finding a position after graduation? 

Studying my masters at Spatial Designs and Society, I became increasingly curious of architecture and its surrounding social networks. I studied architecture from both the designers’ and the users’ perspectives. At one of Denmark’s largest and best renowned architectural offices, Henning Larsen, I now use this curiosity to bridge the gap between clients, users and architects. Among many things, interview techniques learnt at SDS enable me to understand both sides of architecture in attracting new projects to the Henning Larsen office.
 

Prior to her studies in Spatial Designs and Society, Liv graduated with a BA in Art History from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.