Two new heads of institute have been hired

Institute of Architecture 

For the position of head of institute at the Institute of Architecture, we have hired Ana Betancour. 

Ana Betancour trained as an architect at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, ETSAB (Barcelona) and Bartlett, UCL (London). She now works as a professor of architecture at the Umeå School of Architecture at Umeå University, where she has also been the rector for the School of Architecture (2015-2019). She has previously been employed as professor in urban design at Chalmers University of Technology, where she was also responsible for the master's programme in architecture. She has also been a senior lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London and several other universities in England. Ana has also run several research projects and various collaborative projects between academia and external actors, and has a broad international network as a member of several boards and juries. 

– I am really looking forward to being part of AHO and being part of such a dynamic and creative environment. My background is in academia and architecture practice and I have long experience of developing and running research-based teaching and teaching-based research. There is a very strong tradition of this at AHO and I am pleased to be able to contribute to the school's continued development and long history of innovative teaching and research, says Ana.

A fundamental theme in Ana's work is how to develop models for sustainable architecture and urban planning, both through research and teaching, but also in encounters between different disciplines in academia, public institutions, or in collaboration with other actors in society, nationally and internationally. 

– We live in a time marked by major societal and ecological challenges, which places high demands on both education and research to find ways to meet these. The solid and strong competence that exists at AHO provides good conditions for interdisciplinary collaborations in order to be able to develop new knowledge and new fields of work. I am keen to continue to strengthen the studio culture, promote the research that is conducted, further develop internal and external collaborations and contribute to the development that AHO leads in the field of architecture.


Institute of Urbanism and Landscape 

Hanna Dencik Petersson has been hired as head of institute at the Institute of Urbanism and Landscape.
 
Hanna Dencik Petersson is an architect, educated at the School of Architecture and Design in Oslo. Petersson has broad professional experience, both within and across the field of architecture and has, among other things, contributed to developing the Oslo Architecture Triennial into a recognized and challenging voice within architectural communication, both in Norway and internationally. Her experience ranges from developing and leading complex professional networks, to planning, implementing and disseminating large professional initiatives. As leader, Petersson has accumulated sound knowledge related to the administration, financing and implementation of complex and comprehensive projects. 
 
– I am looking forward first and foremost to getting to know everyone who works at the institute. Then, of course, I look forward to getting acquainted with all the important academic work that is already underway and contributing to the further development of the institute. With my background in architectural communication, I will also work to ensure broad dissemination of both research and teaching and to open up the school further with respect to the city and the society that surrounds it, both academically and physically. 
 
Four years ago, AHO started a collaboration with the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) for a five-year master's degree in landscape architecture. Soon, the first cohort will have been through the entire course of study, and Petersson looks forward to building on this. 
 
– Over time, the institute has developed into an important and forward-looking institute in both urbanism and landscape architecture, in Norway and internationally. I look forward to being able to contribute to further developing this and, not least, to following up, building on and bolstering the investment that has been made with the landscape architect education. The department administers two disciplines, both of which have an important and central role in the development of society. Together with the department's strong academic resources, I look forward to opening up and pursuing both practice and professional discourse in the future, to incorporating it in a constructive conversation about how our subjects can and should respond to the challenges that lie ahead.



Photo of Ana Betancour by Olga Ihle
Photo of Hanna Dencik Petersson by Erik Evjen