Your excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
 

Buenas tardes.

It is a great pleasure for the Crown Prince and me to open the exhibition Danish Contemporary Architecture, in the unique and fascinating building that is the Soumaya Museum. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Soumaya Museum for providing the space in which to present Danish architecture to the Mexican public. 

I would also like to thank architectural firm FR-EE Fernando Romero Enterprise for supporting this exhibition. ‘Muchas gracias’.

Architecture in Denmark is much more than a linear process of constructing buildings. It is the art of understanding the physical environment and the social realities, and of translating such knowledge into architectural designs which respond to people’s needs at all stages of their life. Danish architecture reflects the strong values and identity which form our society. At the same time architecture shapes behaviours which help sustain and develop the society we aim to be.

This approach is perhaps best understood by taking a look at some of our world-class architecture. 
Here architecture often combines living and commercial spaces in such a way that it responds to all types of individual and family lifestyles and connects several layers of urban life. Besides this pragmatic and very humanistic approach, Danish architecture is also formed by the fundamental role of the natural elements – water, space, sustainability and daylight.

Danish research shows that 40 to 50 percent of buildings’ energy consumption depends on a building’s design and the materials used in building it. That is why our creative and innovative architects are constantly developing new solutions and finding new ways of doing things - keeping in mind that architecture has the mission to fit into and make the most of the environment. 

In Denmark, our ambition is to reduce energy consumption of buildings by 75 percent by 2020 compared with 2008. In fact, some buildings will soon be producing more energy than what they consume. In this way, Danish architecture aims to contribute to global change, to the promotion of sustainable cities and healthy lifestyles around the world. 

The Soumaya Museum is the perfect place to showcase Danish Contemporary Architecture. Just as Danish architects make the most of daylight, Architect Fernando Romero maximises natural light and open spaces.

I hope you will enjoy and find this exhibition inspiring.

Muchas gracias.