Flying Ducks – The Idea of flying along
Guiding you from the front
Like ducks flying in formation, we guide from the front - opening doors to new environments, new ways of working, and new knowledge.
Professionals and companies join the slipstream, where they are supported, inspired, and able to move further than they would alone.
Your fast-track to international expertise
Micro-exchanges in shortAt the core are architecturally composed micro-exchanges: short, focused experiences in which participants and organizations actively engage with another team or organization. See exchanges available.
Our framework makes this simple for youProgram exchanges are built on a solid framework: clear goals, thoughtful matching, accreditation, and guidance — while always leaving space for personalization, learn more about How it works.
Local accreditation according to the rules and laws for continuing education for architects and engineers is guaranteed. In this way, you as a professional can spend the funds from the continuing education savings. Every exchange is designed with formal recognition in mind, including a digital diploma with a unique registration number for verification.
Accesible and realistic
Most Flying Ducks exchanges are compact and relatively short. They are designed to fit a busy daily life, and aligned with typical yearly educational budgets. Browse available exchange programs.
We invite you to start with 3 regions
We begin in three European countries - Denmark, the Netherlands, and Austria - crafted with care and architectural quality, with the ambitions to expand across borders over time. Does this sound relevant for your organization as well?
Learn how hosting works.
Pia Thomsen
Co-Founder Copenhagen Office
pt@flyingducks.org | +45 4162 6126
Pia has always been drawn to people, stories, and the spaces where they meet. With a background in Nordic Languages and Literature, Art History, and Museum Studies from New York University, she developed a natural ability to understand context based on history and context - and connect worlds that don't immediately seem linked.
Over the years, she built an international network of thinkers, designers, engineers, and pioneers in sustainable construction. Not from the sidelines, but by being genuinely curious, present and engaged. Pia has a rare gift: she knows people - and knows who to bring together.
Her energy is infectious. She opens doors with ease, not just because she can, but because people trust her. Flying Ducks is where she turns connections into movement, guiding professionals into new environments while hosts gain fresh perspectives in return.
Like a formation of flying ducks, Pia believes progress happens together - sharing direction, supporting one another, and moving forward as a group. Through Flying Ducks, she creates movements that are personal, purposeful, and full of possibility.
Julius Kirchert
Co-Founder Rotterdam Office
jk@flyingducks.org | +31 (0)6 11 48 22 37
Julius moves where ideas meet resistance, shaping that tension into deliberate exchange. He builds for transformation by guiding movement together, like flying ducks finding their path in formation. With over 13 years of experience in some of Europe's leading architectural offices, he knows firsthand how knowledge, creativity, and culture can 'fly' across national borders - and the resistance that often comes with it. Flying Ducks is born from that experience: a way to bridge gaps, connect people, cultures, and bring expertise to where it can inspire the most.
For Julius, Flying Ducks is a unique chance for both hosts and applicants to extend their networks, gain a short but insightful view behind the screens of Europe's top professionals, and discover how knowledge travels when curiosity and collaboration take the lead.
Like a flock gliding over open water, Julius sees progress as something shared - each duck keeping pace, guiding one another, and journeying side by side. Through Flying Ducks, he shapes paths that feel intimate and intentional, where each interaction becomes an architectural exchange - carefully built, thoughtfully balanced, pushing borders and beyond expectations.
Partners
