1969

In 1969 the five architecture students Lars Due, Michael Harrebek, Ole Nielsson, Erling Stadager and Helge Tindal start up an architectural collective. The five students have very different personalities, but an awareness of each other's strengths and weaknesses gives them precisely the kind of dynamics that have subsequently characterised the practice.

1970

Arkitektgruppen Aarhus is officially founded with the commissioning of its first major design project, Køge Town Hall. The success of the practice, and its continuing agenda-setting position today, is in large measure due to the open and inquiring nature of the five young original partners – something which helps them to establish contact with experienced architects and people in the construction sector. The five partners win so many competitions that they are declared "The Golden Boys" by the local media!

1974

In 1974 the practice wins an architectural competition for dense/low-rise housing for the Danish Building Research Institute. The practice subsequently acquires a name for work in housing: housing becomes naturally associated with the name Arkitektgruppen Aarhus.
Due to intense construction activity in Sealand, the practice opens a new office in Køge in 1979, which subsequently moves to Copenhagen in 1994.

1983

The practice wins the competition for The Multi-Storey Developments of the Future - an expression of the practice's tradition of participating in development projects. This tradition is born out of and nourished by a desire to remain constantly at the forefront of developments in construction.

1995

In 1995, the architectural practice acquires new partners. The partnership is extended by a further four architects: Jørgen Bach, Thomas Carstens, Per Feldthaus and Per Fischer – four new partners who bring the practice renewed dynamics.
1995 is also the year in which the practice is chosen to participate in a development project for the Danish Agency for Trade and Industry: Process and Product Development in Construction. This partnership has since grown to encompass a number of trial constructions in which we have developed and tested ideas and concepts to improve collaboration in construction.

2000

2000 is a golden year for Arkitema. The design studio wins ground-breaking projects such as the new domicile for CCI Europe, the headquarters of the Union of Commercial and Clerical Employees in Denmark (HK) and Local Government Denmark (LGDK) at the Tøjhusgrunden site in Copenhagen, the University of Copenhagen Arts Building 2, and a new central abattoir for Danish Crown.

2001

2001 is an important year for Arkitema's developmental work with user consultation, and our vision for the development of the optimum physical environment for learning. We win a competition for Hellerup School in 2001, and are selected in that connection as partner for Gentofte Municipality's School Development Group. Hellerup School becomes the starting signal for a long and rewarding process in which we develop the new school in co-operation with the client and the other users.

2002

In 2002, the practice receives two new partners: Kim Risager and Poul Schülein.
On 13 December 2002, Arkitektgruppen Aarhus becomes Arkitema. The new name, Arkitema, is catchier and more unique, and signals architecture and themes within architecture: design, pre-fab, landscape, etc.

2003

In January 2003, we move to a new base in Frederiksgade, Aarhus: a new building which arose from an internal design competition that attracted 13 proposals. The competition was won by architect and partner Per Fischer.

2004

In 2004, AA Arkitekter and Arkitema decide to merge. This is a strategic merger between two companies which complement each other, and which reinforces the overall international efforts on the global market.

2005

In order to strengthen Arkitema's common starting-point as a united architectural practice, all of the staff take a trip to Vilnius. Here they can meet across the boundaries of branch, age and gender to work on a single joint project: how should our new Arkitema domicile in Ørestad look, and what should it contain? The trip is designed to secure a strong common culture for the practice, and produce new ideas for our future workplace culture. In a lively environment with fire artists, chaos pilots and coaches, we learn new things about each other and about architecture, and shift the boundaries for what we thought was possible.
In the same year, in February, we consolidate Arkitema's presence in China: we open an office in Beijing run by Tracy Yan, with partner Bendt Almvig as responsible manager.

2006

In 2006 we realised that the Arkitema domicile on Frederiksgade in Aarhus was not big enough to hold the practice's expansion, so we added an extra three storeys to a new building in Åboulevarden. At the same time, we began the design and planning work for a new Arkitema domicile in Ørestad, Copenhagen: a large office building in which the entire Copenhagen department could work under one roof in a specially-designed environment.
In May, the eight youngest partners went to Corsica to develop a new, future-proofed and innovative vision for Arkitema, which formed the cornerstone for the Jump vision – a vision for Arkitema in 2011.
In 2006 we also started up our ambitious project manager training courses, 'Hopla'.

2007

Arkitema has always aimed to achieve architectural influence – and now in Sweden, too. We open a new office in Stockholm managed by partner and architect Jørgen Bach.
2007 is also the year in which we expanded our executive management board, which now consists of managing director Per Feldthaus and operations manager Thomas Carstens. At the same time, we introduced a new organisational structure with job and people managers, preject and project managers, and creative managers.
In 2007 we won many international competitions, including:
- ICBC Electronic Banking Centre in Beijing. Design and decor of 22,000 m² bank/call centre.
- New urban district in Changsha, 722,000 m² residential area with sports and cultural facilities.
- Master plan, Hnodraholt in Iceland, total 63 ha.
- CNOOC, new administration block for China's largest oil company, 70,000 m²
- China Mobile, new Call Centre, total 10,000 m², Beijing.