SAMUEL Architects is a global architectural office based in the center of Copenhagen, Denmark. The office pursues a practice which centers design on simplicity, clarity, honesty and passion. It believes that when quality of life is held at the core of every decision, the result is an architecture that goes well beyond normal standards and has the potential to stimulate a future society through des
ign. This holistic approach to design brings innovative urbanism, sustainability and quality architecture to the high-end clients SAMUEL Architects works with. Clients that include Andreas Helgstrand of Helgstrand Dressage, Johnny Laursen of Benjamin Capital and Formula Automobile, as well as Pagani and several other private clients. Active in the global market, SAMUEL Architects introduces exceptional work at multiple scales with a variety of project types that include residential, hospitality, interiors, offices, showrooms and master plans. Samuel Staalgren is the Swedish-born owner of SAMUEL Architects. In pursuit of his lifelong ambition to positively affect the world around him, Samuel founded the office to draw out the intrinsic logic, natural aesthetics and inspiration inherent in the built environment. The journey began for Samuel by studying city planning in Sweden, with his aspirations soon taking him to Los Angeles to study architecture. Samuel was then admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. He completed his Masters of Architecture while concurrently working for a local Danish architecture studio where he designed and built villas, offices, master plans, apartments, hotels, and castles, both in Denmark and internationally in China, France, Italy, Belgium, Iraq and beyond. Working within different cultures and short project deadlines necessitated clear communication to successfully merge cultural values with a new strong architectural identity. At this Samuel excelled, able to skilfully integrate design value at every stage of a project. This took Samuel to Palma de Mallorca, to work with some extraordinary clients, and led him to establish his own studio where he, amongst other projects, renovated Lady Marion Hunter’s summerhouse. At this time he began the initial sketches and set-up for Formula Automobile in Denmark, and a private villa for Tom Dinkelspiel in Saltsjöbaden, Sweden, as well as other projects in Mallorca. While living there, Samuel was diagnosed with severe cancer, and on short notice moved back to Denmark where he was fortunate to receive great medical care and recover. During this difficult period, he was hired by a local architecture firm to work on a variety of large residential projects in greater Copenhagen. His work soon caught the attention of another firm, and he was headhunted to be Director of Business Development and Lead Design Architect for large scale master plans and offices in London, Dublin, Riga, Budapest, Warszawa and other cities, where his focus was to strengthen functional and social values in master plans. With an understanding that where you live, work and play is influenced by architecture, Samuel takes great care to look at how cities and buildings impact the people they serve. The imperative for Samuel to establish SAMUEL Architects, and return to a personal practice of architecture, came when the owner of Formula Automobile, Johnny Laursen, contacted Samuel to execute the designs he had done since living in Spain. Working closely with Ferrari, Maserati and Pagani CI throughout designs and constructions, Formula Automobile’s lounge bar became the first time a dealer was approved to go outside Ferrari CI. The trust and relationships Samuel endeavors to build in every project is essential to its success. Samuel has developed an office that works through all phases of a project, from initial concept, drawings and visualizations, to finding the right partners to execute the project at the highest standards. They do not stop working once the drawings are done, but follow the construction progress closely and resolve details on-site with the builders. In doing so, SAMUEL Architects is able to integrate quality materials and sustainable building practices to produce architecture imbued with thoughtful detailing, logical function and flow that fit the client’s needs and nestle into the context in which it is built.
