Conversations in Architecture | A Way of Wood with Dinesen
Saturday, April 5, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Learn about forestry, wood product development, and the philosophy of Dinesen with Grace Farms Architecture Advisor Toshihiro Oki, along with Hans Peter Dinesen and Mikkel Vestergaard of Dinesen. Dinesen, a wood flooring company based in Denmark, has sourced timber from family-owned woods for 300 years, spanning five generations.
Conversations in Architecture is an ongoing program series welcoming leading architects, designers, professors, and practitioners to reflect on how architecture can act as a driver of humanitarian change through sustainable design, forced labor-free buildings, creative construction, and more. This series is hosted by Toshihiro Oki.
Hans Peter Dinesen is part of the fifth generation of Dinesen, a Danish company renowned for its handcrafted wooden floors. As Brand Director, Hans Peter is at the forefront of preserving and evolving the company’s heritage while exploring new ways to work with wood, architecture, and sustainability. His projects focus on rethinking wood through diverse perspectives and collaborations with artists, architects, and designers. Mikkel Vestergaard is an industrial designer and the Head of Product Exploration at Dinesen Lab, where he leads the development of innovative applications of wood in contemporary architecture and design. Mikkel’s approach is grounded in the belief that wood is not just a material, but a living entity with limitless potential. Over his 12-year career at Dinesen and Design Studies, Mikkel has cultivated a deep expertise in material innovation and sustainability, always driven by a spirit of curiosity and experimentation. Toshihiro Oki, an architect and active member of the Design for Freedom Working Group, develops and conducts programs and tours that offer unique insights into the architectural choices that informed the River building’s distinct look and award-winning design. As a member of the Working Group, he also provides an informed perspective to not only industry professionals but to the public at large on how buildings, homes, and landscapes can be designed and built with materials less at risk of forced labor.Hans Peter Dinesen
He is the co-founder of several companies and initiatives working with and around wood, such as Design Studies, Dinesen Lab, and ORBI. ORBI is a multidisciplinary initiative based in Vrå, near Dinesen headquarters, where a former farmstead has been transformed into a space for dialogue and collaboration. ORBI brings together architects, artists, and various other professionals to explore the intersection of architecture, nature, and sustainable design through seasonal programs and creative residencies.Mikkel Vestergaard
At Dinesen Lab, Mikkel’s work focuses on finding ways to achieve Dinesen’s mission of utilizing the entire tree, ensuring that no part goes to waste—from large architectural elements to exploring uses for sawdust. Mikkel’s work embodies Dinesen’s commitment to curiosity and responsibility, consistently exploring new possibilities that address both aesthetic and environmental concerns, while highlighting the intersection between design, materials, and technology.Toshihiro Oki
He established his office in New York after working for several years at the Japanese architectural office of SANAA / Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa (Pritzker Prize 2010) to build the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City and the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion in Ohio. Since 2009, he has been working on his own independent projects. Oki is licensed to practice architecture in New York and has taught architecture studio at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture and Princeton University Graduate School of Architecture.
