MEET US

Autens is a leading education consultancy specializing in 21st century learning, educational innovation, school architecture and learning space design. 

Autens strongly believes that learning should be joyful, meaningful, personalised and co-created in strong learning communities engaged in real-world challenges – and learning spaces should be designed to mirror the learning vision and the needs of the people using them, inspiring creativity of all kinds, embracing diversity and opening many paths to learning.

We inspire and co-create strategic, organizational and physical frameworks for learning, enabling children and young people to live a sustainable, passionate life of value to themselves, their communities, and our shared worldEvery single person you will meet from Autens has a true passion for creating positive change. 

We take active part in a global eco-system of thought-leaders in education spanning from Association for Learning Environments, Planning Learning Spaces and leading Global Schools Alliance, a network for some of the world’s most influential schools such as High Tech High, Liger Leadership Academy and Green School in Bali. 

We are also part of the HundrED.org community’s top 100 innovators, who continuously inspire our work and adds to our joint capacity for change.

We regularly do keynotes, interviews for podcasts, articles etc and take part in think tanks and advisory boards.

Autens was founded in 2005, based in Copenhagen and working globally. We opened our New Zealand office, Autens Pasifika, in 2021.

MEET THE Autens team

Lene Jensby Lange

Lene Jensby Lange

Owner and Director

Lene is a passionate change-maker, entrepreneur, innovator, consultant and speaker. She founded Autens in 2005 and never looked back since. Autens is a manifestation of her passion and expertise whether in the future of learning, school design, learning spaces or user voice.

Lene has contributed to various books, podcasts and articles on learning space design, project-based learning and the future of education. She is an invited OECD expert on the Education 2030 programme, and three times named among Top 100 Global Innovators in Education by HundrED. She is an honorary member of ADi Scuola (Italy), leads the Global Schools Alliance, and serves on several advisory boards, including vice chair of Association for Learning Environments Europe and co-founder of Link Online Learners.

Sandra

Sandra Jenkins

Co-owner and Director,
Autens Pasifika
MEdLd (1st Class Hons), PGDipEdLd

Sandy heads Autens Pasifika, our New Zealand office. She is a wise, inspiring and knowledgable educator and gentle-sharp facilitator of transformation. She is an accredited Ministry of Education PLD facilitator with Momentum Learning. 

Sandy has extensive experience as a principal, driving professional development and shaping world class school designs. She works with educators, schools and architects to reimagine learning spaces and school design aligned with the school vision. She also supports schools in the transition to new environments and work with leadership teams around their PLD applications in New Zealand.  

Alex Bell
Head of UK Development

Alex is a world-class leadership coach with over 2,400 sessions and a lot of leadership training under his belt – most recently collaborating with the Eden project around sustainable education. His long experience as a school leader in East London, labelled Outstanding by Ofsted, serves him well as a trusted vision-to-strategy consultant who can make things happen. He is behind Portland Education and Xtalks – a Top 100 global innovation in education, and co-founded Link Online Learners with Lene and other HundrED innovators.

Bronwyn edmuncs
Consultant, Autens Pasifica

Bron is our person on the ground in Australia, bringing our approaches and partnerships to schools and architects in the Pasifika region with Sandy. Her inspiring energy and deep understanding of learning makes her a wonderful facilitator, advisor and partner for schools as they endeavor to explore new frontiers in learning and school design.

Lisa Schmidt Larsen

Creative Lead

Lisa designs innovative learning environments, manages learning space design projects and leads our Learning Space Design Lab™️ production. She is our creative wizard supporting the whole team in bringing crazy ideas to life in physical or virtual shape and form. 

Birgit_Schoen

BIRGIT SCHØN

Senior Consultant

Birgit supports schools, teachers and leadership teams transitioning to next practice. She is your go-to expert on project-based learning, cooperative learning, professional learning communities, feedback cultures and a whole lot more. As a teacher, leader and consultant, Birgit has always been at the innovative student-centered front, with a clear focus on making things work in the classroom. She has contributed to several books, always spearheading next practice. 

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Johanne S. Philipsen

Research Lead and Innovation Consultant, PhD

Johanne leads our various partnerships around student-inspired learning resources as well as creative facilitation in change work – all with a deep appreciation for authentic learning and PBL promoting student agency. Her PhD (embodied cognition, creative facilitation and co-creation of ideas) and years of research in the university naturally has her taking a key role in grounding our work in research and evidence. 

Emma Bock

User Engagement Consultant

Emma has deep insight into 21st century practices and innovative learning environments from a student perspective. Since 8th grade, she has been giving keynotes, presentations and facilitated training sessions for educators and students alike both in Denmark and abroad on 21st century skills in the classroom. She has worked for Microsoft, the Ministry of Education and, for many years now despite her age, Autens.

Emma is an experienced facilitator, leading many of our student voice processes and capturing our co-creation work to feed into new pedagogical and physical designs..

Karen_Horup

KAREN HORUP

Project assistant

Karen supports client-facing workshops, facilitating and capturing the input of stakeholders. 

Alongside, she is currently doing her Masters degree in Pedagogy at the University of Copenhagen.

LAURA AXELSEN

Architect

Laura builds our scale models and supports our creative workshops on school design. 

She has a BSc in Landscape Architecture as well as Sports Science & Health and is now doing her masters degree at the Royal Academy.

SOME OF OUR CLIENTS...

municipalities /
SCHOOL DISTRICTS

We have worked with more than half of all local authorities in Denmark and also supported school districts in Europe and beyond –  including Albertslund Kommune, Allerød Kommune, Ballerup Kommune, Bedford Borough, Fredensborg Kommune,  Frederiksberg Kommune, Fredericia Kommune, Frederikssund Kommune, Furesø Kommune, Gentofte Kommune, Gladsaxe Kommune, Glostrup Kommune, Göteborg Kommun (SE), Gribskov Kommune, Guldborgsund Kommune, Haderslev Kommune, Helsingør Kommune, Hjørring Kommune, Høje-Taastrup Kommune, Københavns Kommune, Leicestershire County Council, Lyngby Kommune, Roskilde Kommune, Rudersdal Kommune, Rødovre Kommune, Skanderborg Kommune, Slagelse Kommune, Silkeborg Kommune, Struer Kommune, Sønderborg Kommune, Taarnby Kommune, Tiller (NO), Vejen Kommune, Århus Kommune and more.

schools

American School Barcelona, Bakkegårdsskolen, Bakkeskolen, Bistrup Skole, Blovstrød Børne- og læringsby, Borgerskolen, Byens Skole, Carolineskolen, Engelsborgskolen, Enghavegård Skole, Fløng Skole, Funder-Kragelund Skole, Gentofte Skole, Gesher School, Hedehusene Skole, Hellerup Skole, Helsingør Skole, Helsingør Musikskole, High Tech High, Himmelev Skole, Høje Taastrup Børne- og Kulturhus, Høsterkøb Skole, Islev Skole, Klostermarkskolen, Kokkedal Skole, Lindebjergskolen, Læringshus Nærheden – Hedehusene Skole og Charlotteskolen, Matthew Moss High School, Munkegårdsskolen, Mølleholmskolen, Mørkhøj Skole, Nivå Skole, Nordre Skole, Ny Hollænderskolen, Ole Rømer Skolen, Ordrup Skole, Pedersborg Skole, Rathlouskolen, Reerslev Skole, Rødding Skole, Samsøgades Skole, Sct. Jørgens Skole, Sct Knuds skole, Sengeløse Skole, Skanderup Efterskole, Skolen på Nyelandsvej, Skovgaardsskolen, Skovshoved Skole, Station Next, Søgårdsskolen, Tjørnegårdsskolen, Torstorp Skole, Vangeboskolen, VEGA Schools (Delhi),10.klassecenteret Gentofte, Vrå Skole, Østervangskolen, Ådalens Privatskole, plus a long range of schools from Copenhagen, Finland and Bedford (UK). … and a whole lot more.

Secondary education

Aurehøj Gymnasium, College 360 (former Tech College Silkeborg), Learnmark, Roskilde Technical College, Høje Taastrup Gymnasium, Teaching College at University College Nordjylland, Business College at University College Nordjylland, University College Absalon, Ørestad Gymnasium.

TERTIARY EDUCATION​

University of Aalborg, Helsinki University, Kaunas University of Technology, Learnmark, Loughborough College (UK), MARTEC Marine College, Metropol, Parkwood Academy (UK), Sosu C, SOSU Fyn, SOSU Nord,  SOSU Silkeborg, Tampere University of applied Science, UCR – Uddannelsescenter Roskilde
/Slagteriskolen, University College Lillebælt, VIA University College Nordjylland (UCN), VIA University College Horsens, VIA University College Randers, West Virginia Department of Education.

FOUNDATIONS AND PRIVATE SECTOR

A. P. Møller & Hustru Chastine Møllers Fond til Almene Formaal, ADI Scuola (Italy), Association for Learning Environments, Bedford Borough Learning Exchange, CEDEFOP, Danmarks Privatskoleforening, EACT Academy Trust (UK), The Edge Foundation (UK), EU (Center for Erhvervsuddannelser), Global Schools Alliance, Human Scale Education (UK), HundrED (FI), KMD i Aarhus, LEGO Foundation, SSAT Academy Trust (UK), Universefonden (now the KATA Foundation), Architecture and Design Scotland,  Femern A/S and more.

ARCHITECT STUDIOS & CONSULTING COMPANIES

Aarstiderne Arkitekter/Sweco Architects, Adept Architects, Advancis (Portugal), All Learners (Netherlands), C.F. Møller (Norway), COWI, D-K2, Educational Arts Ltd, Edunova, Future Schools (Australia), Friis & Moltke Architects, Forever Day One (Berlin), Henning Larsen Architects, KPC Contractors, KUBEN Management, Mike Davies (UK),  Nøhr & Sigsgaard Arkitekter, Planning Learning Spaces, Ramboll, RUM, Space Design (UK), Sweco (former Grontmij and Carl Bro) and many more. 

Daycare centrEs, after school activities, clubs etc.

Blovstrød børnehuse, Børnehuset Skovmosen, Børnehuset Skrænten, Høje Taastrup Børne- og Kulturhus, Høje Taastrup Kommune youth clubs, Klub Bakkens Hjerte, Klub Fiolen, Klub Svanen, Marslev børnehus, Klub Abildtræet, Klub Krudtuglen, Ordrup Fritidscenter, Vrå Børnehus as well as the local after-school club (SFO) in most of the Danish schools we have worked with.  

SOME OF OUR Book CONTRIBUTIONs

PLANNING LEARNING SPACES

Planning Learning Spaces was released in the fall of 2019, bringing together the best inputs from 20 leading international experts to create a guide to design learning spaces written for architects, school professionals and school designers. Lene contributed to the book with key points about early-stage engagement and how learning spaces interact with the entire learning culture. Education all-stars Sir Ken Robinson and Herman Hertzberger have both generously written a foreword for the book.

SPAZI ED EDUCAZIONE

Spazi ed Educazione was released in the fall of 2019, bringing together research contributions on learning environments from leading Italian forces around the University of Bologna with Professor Vana Gheradi at the forefront. Lene has written a chapter for the book on “How the organization of spaces influences education”. She points out that schools’ spatial organization needs to mirror emerging flexible and dynamically organized learning processes with students at the center.

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