BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group
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Athletics Las Vegas Ballpark

LAS VEGAS, UNITED STATES

Athletics Las Vegas Ballpark

LAS VEGAS, UNITED STATES

2024

CLIENT

Athletics

TYPOLOGY

Sports

STATUS

IN DESIGN

The new ballpark for the Athletics Major League Baseball team in Las Vegas, Nevada will echo the vibrancy of the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World, exuding an outdoor feel with panoramic views of the city’s skyline.

 

Situated on the Las Vegas Strip, the new home for the Athletics – a 33,000-capacity covered ballpark designed by BIG in collaboration with HNTB – will sit on nine acres between Tropicana Avenue and Reno Avenue. The project builds on a longstanding collaboration between BIG and the Athletics dating back to a different ballpark design in Oakland, California in 2018.

 

The new ballpark’s roof is accentuated by five overlapping shells resembling baseball pennants, paying homage to the sport. For players, these arched “pennants” will attenuate direct sunlight glare while welcoming indirect natural light through northern oriented clerestory windows.

 

The domed ballpark is designed to feature the world’s largest cable net glass wall. The structure’s exterior metal cladding shimmers in the natural daylight and reflects the surrounding Las Vegas lights at night.

"BIG's revolutionary design, created in collaboration with HNTB, represents a captivating ballpark concept, seamlessly blending innovation and technology with an enhanced fan experience. We are very excited to share the work of our design team with the entire Southern Nevada community."

John Fisher — Managing Partner & Owner, Athletics

“Our design for the new Vegas home for the A’s is conceived in response to the unique culture and climate of the city. Five pennant arches enclose the ballpark - shading from the Nevada sun while opening to the soft daylight from the north. A giant window frames a majestic view of the life of The Strip and the iconic New York New York hotel skyline. All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light. The resultant architecture is like a spherical armadillo - shaped by the local climate - while opening and inviting the life of The Strip to enter and explore. In the city of spectacle, the A’s ‘armadillo’ is designed for passive shading and natural light - the architectural response to the Nevada climate generating a new kind of vernacular icon in Vegas.”

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

An elevated outdoor plaza connects to the bridges over Las Vegas and Tropicana Boulevards, directing fans to the ballpark’s main concourse, where a large glass atrium pulls the city into the venue. This entrance sequence will immediately orient fans in the ballpark, allowing views of the entire field and seating bowl upon entry while optimizing wayfinding and circulation.

 

Secondary north and south entrances are marked by “bouncing” arches to increase visitor accessibility and promote a connection to the outdoors. Once inside, fans are met with bright, open atria, which will also serve as multipurpose exhibition spaces to showcase international and local artists.

 

The Athletics Ballpark is an immersive fan experience. Its tiered design and intimacy, inspired by historic ballparks like Fenway and Wrigley – with split upper and lower bowls – bring fans closer to the action than traditional ballparks and provide clear sight lines from every seat.

The ballpark is currently designed to feature an 18,000-square-foot jumbotron, which would make it the largest screen in Major League Baseball. An air-conditioning system distributes at the seats rather than from above, making cooling more efficient and energy conscious.

 

The Athletics Ballpark will have the potential to double as a venue for hosting concerts, conferences and other events. Future development is expected to surround the venue, including an onsite hotel and casino.

 

The ballpark has an expected opening date of spring 2028.

Bjarke Ingels Daniel Sundlin Leon Rost Aran Coakley Margaret Tyrpa Ricardo Palma Prieto Thomas McMurtrie Bernardo Schuhmacher Douglass Alligood Ema Hristova Bakalova Frankie Sharpe Don Chen Alan Maedo Jan Klaska Catrina Nelson Ahmad Tabbakh Jeff Yinong Tao Hudson Parris Matthew Lau Sunghwan Um Hongye Wu Pooya Aledavood Paul Heberle Yuzaburo Tanaka

COLLABORATORS

HNTB
Thornton Tomasetti
Henderson Engineers
CAA ICON
Mortenson
McCarthy
Atelier Ten
RWDI
Kimley-Horn
Systematica
WJHW
Jensen Hughs
HKA
WSP
FP&C
Chicago Flyhouse
Duray Duncan
Ed Roether Consulting
Morean
Negativ
Mir

Claremont McKenna College

CLAREMONT, UNITED STATES

Claremont McKenna College

CLAREMONT, UNITED STATES

CLIENT

Claremont McKenna College

TYPOLOGY

Education

SIZE M2/FT2

12,542 / 135,000

STATUS

IN CONSTRUCTION

In September 2022, Claremont McKenna College – one of the top U.S. liberal arts colleges – broke ground on its 135, 000 SF Robert Day Sciences Center. It will be home for the College’s next-generation Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences – a powerful, multi-disciplinary, computational approach to advance gene, brain, and climate knowledge.

 

Expected to be completed in 2024, the Robert Day Sciences Center launches a series of campus developments and improvements to prepare Claremont McKenna for its next chapter, and represents an educational evolution in how the College will prepare its students – one that deliberately and coherently integrates sciences and computation with the humanities and social sciences to address big thematic priorities in scientific discovery and application.

The building’s structure is designed as a stack of two volumes, or rectangle ‘blocks’ – two per floor – with each pair rotated 45 degrees from the floor below. On the interior, each individual volume is expressed as a rectangular wood-clad truss on the long edges, and as a floor-to-ceiling glass facade on the shorter sides. The continual rotation of each floor creates a sky-lit, central atrium at the heart of the building that provides direct views into classrooms and research spaces from all levels.

Students, professors, staff, and visitors will be able to access the new center from two main entrances – at the ground floor and the first floor – located at different elevations due to the north-south slope of the campus. Students entering through the south side will be met by a cafe and the open auditorium’s grand staircase that leads up towards the atrium. The full-height atrium with open spaces invite collaborative activity – embodying both the architectural and educational approach of the center.

“We are seeing the confluence of previously distinct disciplines: breakthroughs in computer and data science lead to breakthroughs in the natural and life sciences. As a consequence, we need to provide spaces for the integration of these previously siloed sciences. The architecture for the new Robert Day Sciences Center seeks to maximize this integration and interaction. The labs and classrooms are stacked in a Jenga-like composition framing a column-free, open internal space with the freedom and flexibility to adapt the ever-evolving demands of technology and science. Each level of the building is oriented towards a different direction of the campus, channeling the flow of people and ideas internally between the labs and the classrooms as well as externally between the integrated sciences and the rest of the campus. It is our hope that the building will not only provoke new conversations between scientists but that it may also stimulate the rest of the liberal arts students to take a deeper interest in the sciences and vice versa. The analytical embracing the experimental – rationality intersecting with creativity.”

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

The instructional and research spaces are organized around the perimeter of the building – providing classrooms with picturesque views while keeping the quieter instructional spaces farther away from the more social atrium. Overall, the interior’s materiality is defined by the contrast of the warm wood-clad beams, concrete floors, and the functional double-duty surfaces found within the integrated sciences labs.

Eight outdoor roof terraces located on the corner perimeters of each ‘bar’ offer sweeping 360-degree views of the mountains to the north, the campus to the west, and the Roberts Campus to the east. Designed with a mix of hardscape and softscape areas featuring native plantings, these “green roof” spaces are multi functional, designed to be used for outdoor classrooms, study areas, or places to meet classmates and professors.

Approximately 9,000 SF of solar panels on the Robert Day Sciences Center roof will provide between 200-230 megawatt hours of energy production per year.

“Today more than ever, an interdisciplinary approach to the sciences is vital to tackling the world’s biggest challenges such as health, climate, and misinformation. By literally stacking disciplines together, the building becomes an expression of collaboration and a crossroads for scientific thought. The parallel wings extend the historical framework of the campus mall, then pivot diagonally to face the future of the CMC campus expansion.”

Leon Rost — Partner, BIG

With views of Mt. Baldy, the building is positioned on the eastern edge of Claremont McKenna College, at the corner of Ninth Street and Claremont Boulevard – creating a strong gateway to the campus. This strategic position will facilitate strong connections to other academic departments on campus.

Bjarke Ingels Beat Schenk Leon Rost Alvaro Velosa Amir Mikhaeil Aran Coakley David Iseri David Holbrook Gary Polk Jan Leenknegt Kam Chi Cheng Lorenz Krisai Melody Hwang Minjung Ku Neha Sadruddin Peter Sepassi Ryan Duval Seung Ho Shin Sue Biolsi Terrence Chew Thomas McMurtrie Tracy Sodder Won Ryu Bella Yanan Ding Alex Wu Emily Chen Carlos Castillo Casey Tucker Chris Tron Dylan Hames Francesca Portesine Bernardo Schuhmacher Jose Lacruz Vela Gus Steyer Montre'ale Jones Ana Luisa Pedreira Ololade Owolabi Ahmad Tabbakh Bianca Blanari Yasamin Mayyas Sinam Hawro Yakoob

COLLABORATORS

Saiful Bouquet
Acco Engineered Systems
Atlas Civil Design
MRY
Rosendin Electric
WSP USA
Jacobs
ARUP
KGM Architectural Lighting
Heintges
KOA
EWCG
KPRS
Misty Gonzalez
IDS
Kleinfelder
Salamander
Code Consultants Inc

The Twist

JEVNAKER, NORWAY

The Twist

JEVNAKER, NORWAY

2019

CLIENT

Kistefos Museum Jevnaker

TYPOLOGY

Culture

SIZE M2/FT2

1,000 / 10,764

STATUS

COMPLETED

The Twist is a contemporary art museum situated in the Kistefos Sculpture Park, located around a one hour drive from Oslo. The sculpture park, built around an old paper mill, occupies both embankments of the Randselva river and features sculptures by Olafur Eliasson, Lynda Benglis, Yayoi Kusama, Jeppe Hein, and Anish Kapoor, among others.

 

BIG was invited to design an intimate art museum to transform the visitor experience and add 1,000 m2 of indoor exhibition space to the park. After a careful study of the site, BIG proposed a raw and simple sculptural building across the Randselva river to tie the area together and create a natural circulation for a continuous art tour through the park.

 

Completed in 2019, The Twist is conceived as a beam, warped 90 degrees to create a sculptural form within the park and connect the two riverbanks: a museum, bridge and sculpture in one.

"The Twist is a hybrid spanning several traditional categories: it’s a museum, it’s a bridge, it’s an inhabitable sculpture. As a bridge, it reconfigures the sculpture park turning the journey through the park into a continuous loop. As a museum it connects two distinct spaces - an introverted vertical gallery and an extraverted horizontal gallery with panoramic views across the river. A third space is created through the blatant translation between these two galleries creating the namesake twist. The resultant form becomes another sculpture among the sculptures of the park."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

The museum is placed as an abstract shape in the landscape. Its sculptural form is spanning between perfect geometry and specific bridge technology: on one side, it’s a simple box structure; on the other side, it’s a huge warping sculpture. A simple twist in the building volume allows the bridge to lift from the relatively lower forested area towards the south, and up to the hillside area in the north.

 

As a continuous path in the landscape, both sides of the building serve as the main entrance. From the south entry, visitors cross a 16 m aluminum-clad steel bridge to reach the double-height space, with a clear view to the north end, similarly linked with a 9 m pedestrian bridge.

The double-curve geometry of the museum is comprised of straight 40 cm-wide aluminum panels arranged like a stack of books, shifted ever so slightly in a fanning motion. The same principle is used inside, with white painted 8 cm-wide fir slats cladding the floor, wall, and ceiling as one uniform backdrop for Kistefos’ short-term Norwegian and international exhibitions.

 

The museum is comprised of a series of generic gallery spaces where, due to the curved form of the glass windows, the variety of daylight entering the museum creates three distinctive galleries. Stacked vertical, dark galleries with artificial lighting are found to the south, and a large horizontal, naturally-lit gallery with panoramic views is located on the north side. In between these spaces is the sculptural gesture, creating a twisted sliver of roof light.

From either direction, visitors experience the twisted gallery as though walking through a camera shutter. The ability to compartmentalize, divide, or merge the gallery spaces creates flexibility for Kistefos’ artistic programming.

 

The main entrance to the building is from the south, with the information center and visitor facilities such as a cloak and locker room, museum shop, and restrooms located nearby. From this entrance, there is a clear view to the other end of the building, including the sloping gallery which is located along the main circulation ramp – guiding visitors to the panoramic gallery.

 

The panoramic gallery is a large open space suitable for sculptures and large installations, with the ability to be subdivided for special occasions and events. On the north end, a full-height glass wall offering panoramic views to the pulp mill and river tapers while curving upwards to form a 25 cm-wide strip of skylight. A café is situated at this end of the gallery, where guests can enjoy snacks while taking in the view of the historic pulp mill and surrounding landscape. During the summer months, the café service area spills onto the plateau just outside.

A glass stairway leads down to the museum’s lower level on the north river embankment, where the building’s aluminum underside becomes the ceiling for the basement and restroom area. Another full-width glass wall brings visitors even closer to the river below, enhancing the overall immersive experience of being in the idyllic woodlands just outside of Oslo.

 

The art delivery and reception area is shared with the main entrance. Art can be delivered discreetly and securely after hours, and the art shipping crates are stored in the exhibition storage room once the art has been installed in its respective gallery.

Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Brian Yang Catherine Huang Ole Elkjær-Larsen Casey Tucker Aimee Louise Desert Alberto Menegazzo Aleksandra Domian Alessandro Zanini Andre Enrico Cassettari Zanolla Brage Hult Carlos Ramos Tenorio Channam Lei Christian Eugenius Kuczynski Claus Rytter Bruun de Neergaard Dag Præstegaard Edda Steingrimsdottir Espen Vik Eva Seo-Andersen Frederik Lyng Joanna M. Lesna Kamilla Heskje Katrine Juul Kekoa Charlot Kei Atsumi Kristoffer Negendahl Lasse Lyhne-Hansen Lone Fenger Albrechtsen Mads Mathias Pedersen Mael Joseph Jaques Barbe Martino Hutz Matteo Dragone Maxime Le Droupeet Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard Naysan John Foroudi Nick Adriaan Huizenga Norbert Nadudvari Ovidiu Munteanu Rasmus Rosenblad Rihards Dzelme Roberto Fabbri Ryohei Koike Sofiia Rokhmaniko Steen Kortbæk Svendsen Sunwoong Choi Tomas Karl Ramstrand Tommy Bjørnstrup Tore Banke Tyrone Cobcroft Ulla Hornsyld Xin Chen Carlos Suriñach Penella Alina Tamosiunaite Balaj Alin Iulian Christian Dahl David Tao Marcelina Kolasinska Richard Mui Tiina Liisa Juuti Ola Sobczyk

AWARDS

LCD Berlin Leading Culture Destinations of the Year Award, 2020


Building Awards International Project of the Year, 2020

Architizer A+ Awards Architecture + Engineering Jury Winner, 2020

Architizer A+ Awards Gallery & Exhibitions Jury and Popular Winner, 2020

COLLABORATORS

AKT II
ÅF-Belysning
AS Byggeanalyse
Baumetall/Zambelli Group
Bladt Industries
Brekke & Strand
David Langdon
DIFK
ECT
Element Arkitekter
Erichsen & Horgen
Fokus Rådgivning
GCAM
Grindaker
Lüchinger&Meyer
Max Fordham
MIR
Rambøll
BIG Ideas

National Juneteenth Museum

FORT WORTH, UNITED STATES

National Juneteenth Museum

FORT WORTH, UNITED STATES

2021

CLIENT

Juneteenth Museum

TYPOLOGY

Culture

SIZE M2/FT2

8,361 / 90,000

STATUS

IDEA

With ‘The Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ Ms. Opal Lee, at the helm, the National Juneteenth Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of Juneteenth and legacy of freedom. Declared a federal holiday in the U.S. on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act with Ms. Lee by his side, Juneteenth (June 19th) commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation’s enforcement and the liberation of the remainder of the enslaved both in Texas and throughout the newly reformed United States, which happened on June 19, 1865.

 

Located in the Historic Southside of Fort Worth, Texas which was divided by the I-35W highway in the 1960s and is one of the South’s most underserved communities – The National Juneteenth Museum will be the epicenter for the education, preservation and celebration of Juneteenth nationally and globally, hosting exhibitions, discussions, and events about the significance of African American freedom. The new 50,000 square foot building, expected to break ground in 2023 is designed by BIG alongside the architect-of-record, African American-owned design and build firm, KAI Enterprises.

“Seeing the national museum moving forward is a dream fulfilled. I’ve had a little Juneteenth Museum in that very spot for almost 20 years, and to see it become a central place for discussion, collaboration and learning seems to be the providential next step – from my walking campaign to Washington, D.C., the petition, and having Juneteenth declared a federal holiday. It’s mind-boggling, but I’m glad to see it all come to pass.”

Ms. Opal Lee — Founding Board Member, National Juneteenth Museum

The National Juneteenth Museum, designed in close collaboration with the local Fort Worth community, seeks to provide a cultural and economic anchor for this neighborhood and act as a catalyst for ensuring its future vitality, including immersive galleries, a business incubator, food hall for local vendors, Black Box flex space, and a theater.

 

The museum’s undulating roof creates a series of ridges, peaks, and valleys of varying heights that combine to create a ‘nova star’ shaped courtyard in the middle of the museum. Meaning ‘new star,’ the nova star represents a new chapter for the African Americans looking ahead towards a more just future. The publicly accessible courtyard will be the anchor for the museum and its activities. At the center of the courtyard, the ‘five point’ star is engraved into the terrazzo pavement. In addition to representing Texas, the last state to adopt and acknowledge the freedom of African American slaves – the star nods to the American flag’s 50 stars that represent all 50 U.S states, representing the freedom of African Americans across the country. 

While five street-level entrances allow the galleries and exhibitions to be accessed as individual spaces, two publicly-accessible covered ‘portals’ connect directly to the courtyard and main gallery entrances, welcoming visitors from both the north and the southwest of the site via generous entryways defined by warm, vibrant colors. The mass timber structure that defines the design’s materiality continues into the interior, visually connecting the two realms.  

 

In addition to this visual continuity of the materiality, the building’s public and private realms are also interconnected through the museum’s circular layout; on the ground floor, the two portals that connect to the courtyard are flanked by each of the programs: one portion of the galleries, the business incubator, food hall for local vendors, Black Box flex space, and theatre. To access the museum galleries, which begin on the ground floor, guests enter the generous reception area, and are guided to the light-filled mezzanine level via staircase or wheelchair-accessible elevator.  

 

“The National Juneteenth Museum came to BIG looking for a design that captures the social, cultural, and spiritual importance of Juneteenth celebrations for black people while expressing its historic significance and relevance to all Americans. Our hope is that this building will become a gateway to the Historic Southside community of Fort Worth while serving as a national and global destination. Our engagement with Ms. Opal Lee and members of the community, to really understand their needs, is what informed a lot of the design principles. As a black architect, this project is one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”

Douglass Alligood — Partner, BIG

The mezzanine level reveals the rest of the gallery spaces, which are connected by a ring of circulation that wraps the courtyard. Glass is utilized as the interior wall of both the ground and mezzanine floors to create a sense of openness and transparency while complementing the pared-back timber and concrete materials. Similarly, the ‘nova star’ cut out of the roof at the center of the building of which the mezzanine wraps around allows light to travel through the entire space. Wrapping around the nova star shape above, the mezzanine galleries physically connect each of the programs while being literally elevated – providing visitors an above perspective of the public courtyard below, and those in the courtyard with views of the galleries above.  

 

Outside the museum building, a network of plazas provides wayfinding opportunities, extending the sense of community of the interior to the outdoor spaces. Polished concrete and terrazzo flooring continue out to the exterior spaces, creating visual continuity between the public and private realms. Generous lawns, native landscaping, and wood seating are dispersed throughout the plaza areas, providing places for outdoor exhibitions, large-scale installations and gatherings.  

Bjarke Ingels Daniel Sundlin Alejandra Cortes Alvaro Velosa Florencia Kratsman Linus Saavedra Marcus Wilford Terrence Chew Andrea Hektor Douglass Alligood Mama Qicheng Wu Montre'ale Jones Ololade Owolabi Pooja Annamaneni Abdur-Rahman Harunah

CopenHill

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

CopenHill

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2019

CLIENT

Amager Resource Center | Amager Bakke Foundation

TYPOLOGY

Infrastructure

SIZE M2/FT2

41,000 / 441,324

STATUS

COMPLETED

Located in an industrial area near Copenhagen city center, CopenHill, also known as Amager Bakke, is an exemplary model in the field of waste management and energy production, as well as an architectural landmark in the cityscape of Copenhagen. The building replaces the 50-year-old Amagerforbraending plant and is the single largest environmental initiative in Denmark.

 

The new breed of waste-to-energy plant is topped with a ski slope, hiking trail, climbing wall, an urban recreation center, and environmental education hub, turning the power plant into a destination. The building embodies BIG’s notion of hedonistic sustainability while contributing to Copenhagen’s goal of becoming one of the world’s first carbon-neutral cities.

Located on the industrial waterfront of Amager, where raw industrial facilities have become the site for extreme sports – from wakeboarding to go-kart racing – the new power plant adds skiing, hiking, and rock climbing to the area. Expert skiers can ski down the artificial Olympic half-pipe length ski slope all year round, test the freestyle park, or try the timed slalom course, while beginners and kids practice on the lower slopes. Skiers ascend the park from the platter lift, carpet lifts, or glass elevator with views inside the 24-hour waste incineration process.

 

CopenHill’s continuous façade features 1.2 m tall and 3.3 m-wide aluminum boxes stacked like gigantic bricks overlapping with each other. In between, glazed windows allow daylight to reach deep inside the facility, while larger openings on the southwest façade illuminate workstations on the administrative floors.

The public can enjoy the rooftop bar, cross-fit area, or the highest observation deck in the city before descending the 490 m tree-lined hiking and running trail within the lush, mountainous terrain. The 10,000 m2 green roof, 85 m high up in the air, features a biodiverse landscape while absorbing heat, removing air particulates, and minimizing storm-water runoff.

 

Biologists have monitored the biodiversity of Copenhill since its inauguration in 2019. At the latest investigation in 2020, 119 different new plant and tree species were observed.

On the longest vertical façade, an 85 m climbing wall is installed making it the tallest artificial climbing wall in the world.

Beneath the slopes, whirring furnaces, steam, and turbines convert 440,000 tons of waste annually into enough clean energy to deliver electricity and district heating for 150,000 homes. The power plant’s infrastructure, from ventilation shafts to air-intakes, helps create the varied topography of a mountain; a man-made landscape created in the encounter between the needs from below and the desires from above.

 

Ten floors of administrative space are occupied by the Amager Resource Center team, including a 600 m2 education center for academic tours, workshops and sustainability conferences.

At the bottom of the ski slope, an après-ski bar welcomes locals and visitors to wind down once the boots are off. Formerly a piece of infrastructure in an industrial zone, CopenHill is now a destination for all citizens and visitors of Copenhagen.

Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Brian Yang Andreas Klok Pedersen Ole Elkjær-Larsen Blake Smith Jelena Vucic Jesper Boye Andersen Ji-Young Yoon Adam Busko Adam Mahfuh Adrien Mans Annette Jensen Alexander Codda Alvaro Garcia Mendive Anders Holden Deleuran Boris Peianov Borko Nikolic Buster Christensen Carl Pettersson Chris Falla Ella Coco Murphy Espen Vik Gonzalo Ivan Castro Vecchiola Helen Shuyang Chen Jean Valentiner Strandholt Joanna Anna Jakubowska Joanna M. Lesna Joos Jerne Kamilla Heskje Kasper Worsøe Pejtersen Kim Christensen Lars Thonke Laura Wätte Lone Fenger Albrechtsen Mads Engaard Stidsen Mathias Larsen Nanna Gyldholm Møller Richard Howis Ryohei Koike Sebastian Liszka Seunghan Yeum Tore Banke Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik Zoltan Kalászi Gül Ertekin Alberto Cumerlato Aleksander Wadas Alexander Eising Alexandra Gustafsson Alina Tamosiunaite Anders Hjortnæs Ariel Joy Norback Wallner Armor Gutiérrez Rivas Ask Andersen Balaj Alin Iulian Brygida Zawadzka Chris Zhongtian Yuan Claus Hermansen Daniel Selensky Dennis Rasmussen Franck Fdida George Abraham Henrick Poulsen Henrik Kania Horia Spirescu Jeppe Ecklon Jing Xu Johanna Nenander Katarzyna Krystyna Siedlecka Krzysztof Piotr Marciszewski Liang Wang Lise Jessen Long Zuo Maciej Jakub Zawadzki Marcelina Kolasinska Marcos Garcia Bano Maren Allen Mathias Bank Stigsen Matti Hein Nørgaard Michael Andersen Narisara Ladawal Schröder Nicklas Antoni Rasch Oanh Nguyen Øssur Nolsø Pero Vukovic Se Hyeon Kim Simon Masson Sunming Lee Takahiro Hirayama Toni Mateu Xing Xiong Yang Zhang Jakob Ohm Laursen

AWARDS

Energy Globe National Award, 2022


World Architecture Festival Best Building of the Year Winner, 2021

World Architecture Festival Best Energy & Infrastructure Category Winner, 2021

IOC, IPC and IAKS award international architecture prize, 2021

Bundesverband GebäudeGrün Green Roof Award, 2020

IDEAT Future Award, Best Public Architecture, 2020

Popular Science Best of What’s New Award, 2020

ICONIC Awards, Innovative Architecture, Best of the Best Award, 2020

Design Educates Award, 2020

German Design Council Innovative Architecture, Best of the Best Award Winner, 2020

Architizer A+ Awards Factories & Warehouses Popular Winner, 2020

ArchDaily Building of the Year Award, Industrial Architecture, 2020

Scandinavian Green Roof Award, 2019

Architizer A+ Award, Architecture Photography, 2019

European Steel Design Award, 2017

Tekla Global BIM Awards, 2015

P/A Progressive Architecture Awards, Citation, 2015

MIPIM AR Future Projects Awards, 2012

COLLABORATORS

Detail Design:
MOE
SLA
Lüchinger+Mayer
Rambøll
Zublin
Jesper Kongshaug
BIG Ideas

Competition:
AKT
Topotek 1
Man Mad Land
Realities: United

A.P. Møller Fonden
Lokale og Anlægsfonden
Nordea Fonden
R98 Fonden
Københavns Kommune
Frederiksberg Kommune
Tårnby Kommune
Dragør Kommune
Hvidovre Kommune

The Plus

GAUSTADVEGEN, NORWAY

The Plus

GAUSTADVEGEN, NORWAY

2022

CLIENT

Vestre A/S

TYPOLOGY

Infrastructure

SIZE M2/FT2

7,000 / 75,000

STATUS

COMPLETED

Designed for furniture manufacturer Vestre, The Plus is a factory, visitor center, and 300-acre park located in Magnor, Norway near Vestre’s HQ and steel factory. Norway’s single largest investment in the furniture industry in decades, the 7,000 m2 production facility is dedicated to the cleanest carbon-neutral fabrication of urban furniture in the world.

 

Constructed in just 18 months, the building is made of local mass timber, low-carbon concrete, and recycled steel, and is set to become the first industrial building to achieve the highest environmental BREEAM Outstanding rating. The factory doubles as a public park for hiking and camping and aligns with the region’s mission to establish a green manufacturing hub outside of Oslo.

The Plus is conceived as a radial array of four main production halls – a warehouse, color factory, wood factory, and the assembly – that connect at the center and generate the ‘plus’ shape at its intersection. The layout enables an efficient, flexible, and transparent workflow between the manufacturing units and an intuitive visitor experience.

 

Like a flowchart, the entire interior is organized with the color of each machine overflowing to the floors. Exploring The Plus feels like moving through an archipelago of colorful islands where the experience and overview of the factory’s activities are unified.

 

Inside the factories, each wing has one alternating ceiling corner lifted to create inclined roofs that allow views into the production halls as well as the forest outside. Along the color and wood factory, the sloping roofs are extended to form a pathway for visitors and staff to hike up and down the building while observing the production processes inside. All four production units are built with 21 m free-spanning, cross-laminated timber, creating flexible column freespaces 

"The radical transparency invites visitors and hikers to enjoy the whole process of creation while providing Vestre’s team with the thrill of working in the middle of the forest. To us, The Plus is a crystal-clear example of Hedonistic Sustainability - showing us how our sustainable future will not only be better for the environment, but also more beautiful to work in and more fun to visit."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

From all four sides of the buildings, visitors and staff will be invited to hike around the facility and end their walk on the roof. Here, 900 photovoltaic panels are placed and angled according to optimal solar efficiency while effective construction and materials methods, rainwater collection systems, heat and cooling systems, green roofs, and electric vehicles contribute to ca 90% lower energy demand than that of a conventional factory. An ADA-accessible ramp will allow wheelchairs and strollers to enjoy the serpentine path and the experience of being surrounded by pine trees on all sides.  

 

All materials were carefully selected for their environmental impact, with the façade constructed from local timber, low-carbon concrete, and recycled reinforcement steel.
Every aspect of the design is based on principles of renewable and clean energy to match Vestre’s eco-friendly production, such as ensuring a minimum of 50% lower greenhouse gas emissions than comparable factories.

The heart of The Plus draws visitors into the exhibition centers Vestre Energy and Clean Water Center where the public can learn about energy, water and circular design. A logistics office with direct connections to all four production halls allows Vestre’s team to process logistical traffic with maximum efficiency. The central hub wraps around a public, circular courtyard where the latest outdoor furniture collections are displayed according to the changing seasons. The courtyard doubles as a panopticon for visitors and staff to fully experience the factory’s production processes. 

"Playfulness, democracy, and sustainability are at the heart of the Vestre brand and everything they do; our wooden, colorful factory in the middle of the Norwegian woods - surrounded by a 300,000 m2 public forest park where the local community can come to experience the gigantic Vestre furniture pieces sprinkled throughout - lives and breathes this philosophy."

David Zahle — Partner, BIG

Proving that production can be sustainable and profitable even in a high-cost country like Norway, The Plus – a hybrid of a transparent and open production facility, a public park, and a literal green landmark for the manufacturing industry – exemplifies how advancements in fabrication and manufacturing can help shape both the factories of the future, and the way we experience them. 

Bjarke Ingels David Zahle Ole Elkjær-Larsen Agnieszka Wardzińska Alexander Jacobson Andrea Hektor Andy Coward Ariana Ribas Ariana Szmedra Bjarke Koch-Ørvad Camille Breuil Cæcilie Søs Brandt-Olsen Claudia Bertolotti Duncan Horswill Eduardo Javier Sosa Trevino Eva Seo-Andersen Ewa Zapiec Filip Fot Frederic Lucien Engasser Frederik Skou Jensen Jens Majdal Kaarsholm Jesper Kanstrup Petersen Julia Novaes Tabet Julien Bernard Jacques Picard Julius Victor Schneevoigt Kaoan Hengles De Lima Katrine Juul Katrine Sandstrøm Kristoffer Negendahl Ksenia Zhitomirskaya Luca Pileri Magni Waltersson Miles Treacy Nanna Gyldholm Møller Neringa Jurkonyte Ningnan Ye Palita Tungjaroen Paula Madrid Rron Bexheti Steen Kortbæk Svendsen Thor Larsen-Lechuga Tobias Hjortdal Tommy Bjørnstrup Tore Banke Tristan Harvey Ulla Hornsyld Viktoria Millentrup Xingyue Huang Zuzanna Eugenia Montwill Ákos Márk Horváth Jean-Sébastien Pagnon Andreas Bak Cheng-Huang Lin Giulia Frittoli Sui King Yu Jenna Hukkinen Marcel Götz Jonas Rask Edward Durie

AWARDS

DOGA-merket for Architecture and Design, 2023


Scandinavian Design Awards for Architecture of the Year, 2023

DETAIL Reader's Choice Awards, 2022

Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Awards for Greater World Sustainability, 2022

COLLABORATORS

Bollinger+Grohmann
Gade & Mortensen
Nordic Architects AS
Asplan Viak
Erichsen og Horgen AS
Norconsult AS
Foyn Consult AS
Fokus Rådgivning
Multiconsult AS
ØM Fjeld AS
Woodcon AS
Reflex
Hallas AS
Loe VVS Prosjekt AS
Cowi AS
Fokus Rad AS
Melby Maskin AS
EMV Construction AS
YC ROR AS
Energima Prosjekt SA
Minel Elinstallasjon US
Solcellespesialisten AS
TKS Heiser AS
Bygganalyse AS
Evotek AS

Google Gradient Canopy

MOUNTAIN VIEW, UNITED STATES

Google Gradient Canopy

MOUNTAIN VIEW, UNITED STATES

2023

CLIENT

Google

TYPOLOGY

Work

SIZE M2/FT2

55,277 / 595,000

STATUS

COMPLETED

Situated on an 18-acre site in the North Bayshore area of Mountain View and adjacent to Charleston Park, Google’s Gradient Canopy includes workspace for Googlers and 10,000 square feet of space open to the public, comprising restaurant, retail and community event spaces. The campus also features the Google Visitor Experience a new destination for Google employees, visitors and neighbors. 

 

The site is on track to achieve LEED-NC v4 Platinum certification – which would take the title from Bay View as being the largest LEED v4 BD+C: NC Platinum-certified project in the world – and is also one of the largest facilities ever to attain the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Living Building Challenge (LBC) Materials Petal Certification. 

On the exterior, the Gradient Canopy building features the same “dragonscale” solar skin roof as Google Bay View, equipped with silver solar panels that use the latest building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology and generate approximately 40% of the building’s annual energy use. Coupled with the canopy’s pavilion-like rooflines, the panels capture the power of the sun from multiple angles. Unlike a flat roof, which generates peak power at the same time each day, the dragonscale solar skin generates power for an extended amount of daylight hours. 

 

Like Bay View, Gradient Canopy’s 120-foot canopy rests on cruciform beams. Rather than being segmented by excessive columns and support walls, the structural innovation of the canopy roof allows for a hangar-like typology with a wide-open and connected workspace. Access to natural light and views with reduced glare during working hours were priority design elements, achieved through the use of carefully placed clerestory windows.

Designed from the inside out, the Gradient Canopy building begins with the Googler. By providing glare-free light, fresh filtered air, natural materials, biophilic elements and soothing acoustics, the architecture of Gradient Canopy ensures a happy and productive Googler. The wood-clad interiors of the building are entirely procured from responsibly managed forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and are supported by a steel frame.

 

The Gradient Canopy building is split across only two floors, with desks and team spaces on the upper level and the amenity spaces below. A variation in floorplates on the upper level offers highly flexible “neighborhoods” for teams, with desks clustered into groups that can be either enclosed within studios using flexible partitions or left open for break-out spaces and other teams. A series of twenty indoor “courtyards” throughout the building connect the two levels, giving teams easy access to cafes, kitchenettes, conference rooms and all-hands spaces. The courtyards also encourage physical movement when circulating between levels and different modes of work, and double as wayfinding devices.

The Gradient Canopy site design and native landscaping provide critical support for wildlife and builds resilience in the landscape. Across the 18-acre site, four acres of which are vegetated, landscape designs mimic natural habitats native to the region yet largely gone from Silicon Valley today. The landscape palette consists primarily of native species, including 380 native trees, while over 90% of the plants at Gradient Canopy provide nectar for native pollinators.

 

During the construction of Gradient Canopy, an onsite waste management process diverted over 90% of construction waste from landfills, while a closed-loop wallboard initiative meant that 530,000 pounds of drywall waste was recycled. Thousands of materials used at the campus went through a rigorous sourcing and review process using the LBC Red List as a framework to minimize chemicals harmful to human and environmental health.

 

To promote a circular economy, Gradient Canopy’s design incorporates salvaged materials and 100% FSC-certified timber. Today, a bioretention area captures and filters stormwater and urban runoff that are reused onsite.

 

Anchored in three themes defined by Google’s design brief – innovation, nature and community – Gradient Canopy provides an opportunity to take human-centered, sustainable design to a new scale. Together, Google, BIG and Heatherwick have created a campus that fosters community and creates a healthy, inclusive space that benefits everyone.

 

The public plaza in Charleston Park, which will be programmed with public events throughout the year, such as farmers markets, food trucks and live music, connects to the interior community spaces on the west side of Gradient Canopy. The plaza welcomes the public to the Google Visitor Experience and new food and retail outlets, like the West Coast’s first ever Google Store and a year-round neighborhood partnership center. 

 

A casual spot for day-to-day interactions, this neighborhood center hosts a pop-up shop and a range of events and workshops to highlight local small businesses and community organizations. The space offers an inclusive setting for dialogue and learning while serving as a social node for Gradient Canopy and the broader North Bayshore neighborhood. 

 

A pedestrian and bicycle path, part of the larger North Bayshore Green Loop, weaves around the southern portion of the site for Googlers, neighbors and visitors to enjoy the site’s native landscaping, public art and exterior gathering spaces.

Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Leon Rost Blake Smith Jason Wu Corliss Ng David Iseri Florencia Kratsman Guillaume Evain Jan Leenknegt Linus Saavedra Veronica Acosta Melissa Jones Patrick Hyland Pauline Lavie-Luong Rita Sio Ryan Harvey Ryan Duval Sebastian Claussnitzer Shane Dalke Shu Zhao Terrence Chew Xi Zhang Zhonghan Huang Ziad Shehab Deb Campbell Dylan Hames Francesca Portesine Aaron Mark Alice Cladet Anton Bashkaev Armen Menendian Athena Morella Barbara Stallone Bernard Peng Cheyne Owens Christi Farrell Cristian Lera Silva Danielle Kemble Douglass Alligood Filip Milovanovic Gabriel Hernandez Solano Gabriella Den Elzen Gaurav Sardana Helen Shuyang Chen Jennifer Dudgeon Jennifer Kimura Jennifer Wood John Hilmes Jonathan Fournier Joshua Burns Joshua Plourde Kiley Anne Feickert Lina Bondarenko Ludwig Ebert Mahsa Malek Manon Otto Mirco Amstad Mo Zhou Omer Hadar Pablo Costa Fraiz Pantea Tehrani Patricia Correa Velasquez Peter Kwak Simon David Taylor Fulton Valentina Mele Vincenzo Polsinelli Benjamin Caldwell Dong-Joo Kim Hacken Li Jonathan Pan Luke Lu Sebastian Grogaard

COLLABORATORS

Heatherwick Studio
Adamson
Arup
CCI
EWCG
FMS
Mott MacDonald
Hathaway Dinwiddie
HJLA
HLW
Hortscience
H.T. Harvey Associates
Iris environmental
Kleinfelder
Loisos + Ubbelohde
Sera
Sherwood
Vital
AKT II
Front
Atelier Ten
Devcon
T.S. Krumholz

Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub

TOULOUSE, FRANCE

Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub

TOULOUSE, FRANCE

2023

CLIENT

Région Occitanie Pyrénées Méditerranée

TYPOLOGY

Infrastructure

SIZE M2/FT2

12,000 / 129,167

STATUS

IN DESIGN

As part of Toulouse’s Grand Matabiau Quais d’Oc masterplan, the Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub will revitalize the urban area, facilitate seamless travel, and triple the number of daily passengers traveling to and from the city. Constructed mainly in wood, the 12,000 m2 hub connects to the Gare Matabiau central train station in the west and dovetails the city’s pedestrian and bicycle flows towards the east, acting as a link between the city center, the UNESCO-listed Canal du Midi and the Périole neighborhood. 

 

Referencing the city’s roofscape and traditional use of the “foraine” brick, the building is characterized by a rose-colored, crystalline roof. From the main entrance canopy in the south, the hub’s structure gradually rises in a sloping movement towards the north, reaching 32 meters in height towards the railway tracks. The hub is set to attain Silver Occitanie Sustainable Buildings certification, as well as the Biodiversity Effinature, and HQE Infrastructure. 

"The new Transport hub's folded roof, rising from the Marengo parvis, defines the main hall with lush greenery and ample daylight, welcoming visitors and leading them to metro and train tracks below. The building's elegant silhouette, growing northward in height, curves along rue de Périole. Ground and lower floors will offer areas for rest and retail and the Maison du Climat event space, while upper floors accommodate regional offices. Pursuing low carbon solutions in the design, we employed mass timber, low carbon concrete, and natural ventilation throughout, with photovoltaics on the roof. This simple yet multifunctional design transforms the roof into Toulouse's new landmark."

Jakob Sand — Partner in Charge, BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group

As the structure grows in height, each level gradually recedes, creating a triangular shape. This enables visual connections across floors and pulls daylight down to the hub’s lowest levels, accommodating comfortable and easy navigation for travelers throughout the day.

 

Passing the bus station and entering through the main entrance, travelers are led below ground to Gare Matabiau, railway, metro lines, and the transport hub’s hangout areas. The ground floor and two sub-levels will feature flexible and informal public spaces open to all, including areas for rest as well as commercial and cultural activities. Here, Maison du Climat, an initiative to further the public’s knowledge on environmental topics, will manage an event space for exhibitions, conferences, and workshops.

 

Floors one through six will function as an office space for the 350 employees of the Occitanie Region. The roof, composed of photovoltaics, is punctured by skylights, allowing in natural light. Local plants and trees are planted in the building and bike station to echo the vegetation of the Haute-Garonne region.

Bjarke Ingels Jakob Sand Claudia Bertolotti Hyojin Lee Martyna Kloda Giulia Frittoli Mathieu Michel Cardinal Gustavo Alejandro Lopez Rodriguez Johannes Alexander Hackl Yanis Amasri Sierra Will Chuanrui Yu Charlie Laran Sasha Spasic Oliwia Jagla Dervan Ahmed Marco Sartoretto

COLLABORATORS

A+Architecture
A+R Paysages
ALTO
CLDesign
Cronos Conseil
dUCKS scéno
Systematica
Franck Boutté
LASA
Les Eclaireures
l'Echo
schlaich bergermann partner - sbp
Span
MBacity
FER-PLAY
OGI

Freedom Plaza

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

Freedom Plaza

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

2031

CLIENT

Soloviev Group and Mohegan

TYPOLOGY

Culture, Civic, Residential, Hospitality, Retail, Urbanism, Space Planning

STATUS

IN DESIGN

Freedom Plaza will create a new civic and cultural hub along Manhattan’s East River, just south of the United Nations headquarters. The development will bring a 4.77-acre public waterfront open space to an area historically lacking green space, with plans for an in-park Museum of Freedom and Democracy, much-needed affordable housing, two hotels, retail and restaurants. With a below-grade gaming area connected to the hotels, Freedom Plaza is one of several projects vying for three downstate gaming licenses in and around New York City.

 

Freedom Plaza will extend BIG’s contribution to New York City’s waterfront, alongside adjacent coastal projects that include the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, the Battery Park City Resiliency project and River Ring in Brooklyn.

“Our plan is to develop this site in a way that delivers benefits for the local neighborhood and the city as a whole, worthy of its skyline and waterfront location, and befitting New York City's key role as a leader in the global cultural economy. We value the community input that we have received throughout the planning process and are proud to help meet the need for residential and affordable housing and public open space, as well as providing a daycare, food market, and an array of new dining and retail offerings.”

Michael Hershman — CEO, Soloviev Group

The Freedom Plaza towers align with the orthogonal grid of Manhattan to extend the view corridors from Midtown eastward to the East River and Queens. The design respects the celebrated UN complex to the north while also adding playful and sculptural elements to the waterfront. The two residential towers pay homage to modernist New York City buildings of the 1950s and 1960s, with striped glass and aluminum facades connected at the base by a podium that will house a food market and retail. The two hotel towers, clad in a warm metal finish, connect at the roof, creating visual unity between the buildings.

"When Le Corbusier, Niemeyer and Harrison designed the UN Secretariat Building, they grafted an oasis of international modernism onto the dense urban grid of Manhattan, creating a park on the river framed by towers and pavilions. Due to the nature of the work of the UN, access to that park - although open to all nations - remains necessarily restricted, for good reasons. With our design for Freedom Plaza, we continue to build on these architectural principles by uniting three city blocks to form a public green space reaching from 1st Avenue to the East River overlook, creating a green connection all the way to the water's edge. Bookending the park are two pairs of towers, joined at base or top and each framing a corner plaza: one showcasing the life of the city and the other forming an urban gate from the city to the upper park and East River beyond. Balanced on a perch overlooking the river, the Museum of Freedom and Democracy neighbors the towers and celebrates the origin and evolution of one of the most impactful inventions of mankind and our continuous struggle to build, maintain and protect the institutions that uphold it. We are incredibly honored and thrilled to be part of the team that can envision a new major public space in this great city, to contribute to the iconic skyline of Manhattan's riverfront, and to imagine the architecture of the museum celebrating one of mankind's greatest inventions: Democracy."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

The buildings within Freedom Plaza are placed at the perimeter of the site to maximize space for the multilevel, universally accessible green spaces roughly the size of Bryant Parkwhich include a children’s play area, dog run and event lawn with a bandshell for hosting al fresco events. The landscaping is designed to host a native botanical overlay and climate-adaptive species, with gardens providing food and habitat for pollinators year-round. The sculpture program and an amphitheater below the museum will offer cultural experiences for visitors and neighborhood residents alike, while educational programs centered around the native flora and sustainable practices emphasize the park’s commitment to environmental consciousness. Restaurants, a food market, community spaces, a daycare and other amenities line the northern and southern edges of the park.

At the heart of Freedom Plaza’s green space will be the Museum of Freedom and Democracy. Taking the shape of a Möbius strip, the museum winds on top of itself, allowing for outdoor walking paths. The museum forms a spiraling and infinite geometry over the amphitheater as a symbol of unity, and takes cues from the traditional Greek theater as a nod to those who created democracy thousands of years ago.

“Urban developments of this scale usually feature a multistory podium with parking and inaccessible private amenities on a podium rooftop. Freedom Plaza, however, breaks free from that stereotype by integrating all podium programs such as parking, retail, ballroom, gaming and entertainment below-grade, which allows us to create a generous green space accessible to everyone.”

Martin Voelkle — Partner, BIG

Freedom Plaza intends to be an operational net-zero carbon development. The site is designed to use the East River as a heat sink and heat source to supplement the buildings’ heating, cooling and domestic hot water systems, which will reduce potable water demand by 24.5 million gallons annually. Stormwater capture and retention, as well as the park’s mature trees, will help minimize urban heat island effect. Freedom Plaza will also utilize a minimum of 20% electric vehicle charging stations for its onsite parking with capacity to scale to 60%. 

Freedom Plaza draws inspiration from New York’s many celebrated dual interior-exterior public spaces, including the nearby Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. As hotel guests arrive, they enter a light-filled “forest atrium” that brings the outdoor public space inside through skylights and floating planters. From this atrium, guests can access the various food and beverage outlets, convention and event spaces, gaming facilities, and street-level retail. To further ease traffic concerns, a special entrance to the resort facility will be established on the 41st Street side of the property.

 

The two hotel towers connect via a skybridge cantilevered over the East 41st St. and 1st Avenue corner of the site. The skybridge lobby features a dramatic multistory viewing platform with a glass floor and ceiling and the Soloviev Foundation Art Gallery, while a 150,000-gallon infinity pool – one of the largest rooftop pools in North America – will be perched on the roof. Banyan Tree hotel amenities, including a spa and wellness center, restaurants and bars, and private gaming are also located in the bridge interior. 

Bjarke Ingels Beat Schenk Martin Voelkle Alvaro Velosa Andreas Buettner Kristian Hindsberg Margaret Tyrpa Otilia Pupezeanu Sang Ha Jung Cheng Zhong Douglass Alligood Jan Klaska Johannes Alexander Hackl Will Chuanrui Yu Alejandro Guadarrama Jeff Yinong Tao Brendan Murphy Joanne Zheng Hudson Parris Rafael Alvarez Sparsh Gandhi Youjin Rhee Sunghwan Um Paul Heberle M. Omer Khan

COLLABORATORS

Langan
Rizzo Brookbridge
Herrick Feinstein
Adamson
Friedmutter Group
OJB Landscape Architecture
Thornton Tomasetti
WSP
HBA

BIG HQ

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

BIG HQ

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2023

CLIENT

Sundmolen BIG aps (BIG HQ Building) | By & Havn (Landscape)

TYPOLOGY

Work, Interiors

STATUS

COMPLETED

Located in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn neighborhood, BIG’s new HQ building recently topped out its 7-storey structure. The new HQ is architecturally anchored in Copenhagen harbor’s heritage of warehouses and factories. The small footprint at the end of the pier became the main design dilemma: how to organize a single work environment for all of us when we would have to be split between a minimum of four levels. In a counterintuitive decision, we split all the floors in half and doubled the amount of levels.

 

BIG HQ is BIG’s first example of fully integrated LEAP design – a collaboration between Landscape, Engineering, Architecture and Product designers. Everything from door handles to concrete columns – from urban design to glass facades has been given form by the BIG LEAP team. The building is designed to achieve the Danish sustainability certification, DGNB Gold, through use of FutureCem concrete, which reduces CO2 emission with approx. 25% reduction as well as integration of solar and geothermal energy systems, and natural ventilation of the office spaces.

Upon entering the main entrance through a 3 m tall glass door, BIGsters and guests will find themselves in a dramatic Piranesian space, where the inner life of the building reveals
itself through diagonal views all the way up to the top floor.

 

A single stone column of eight different types of rock – ranging from dense granite at the bottom to a porous limestone at the top – form a totem pole to gravity at the heart of the open
space. An open stair ricochets from level to level all the way from the basement to the penthouse.

A series of half floor plates overlap to create a cascading environment of interconnected levels that unite the entire seven-storey building visually and physically into a single space. The floor plates are carried by 20-meter-long concrete beams stacked on top of each other, which make the exterior façade appear as a checkerboard of interchanging solid beams and transparent windows.

Each floor has direct access to a balcony connected to the balcony above and below, forming a continuous ribbon of outdoor spaces, spiraling from the roof to the quayside like a mountain path. The ribbon doubles as the additional fire escape freeing up the interior from the obstruction of the traditional core.

Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Andreas Klok Pedersen Ole Elkjær-Larsen Agla Egilsdottir Marius Tromholt-Richter Matthew Thomson Shu Zhao Jesper Boye Andersen Annette Jensen Alda Sol Hauksdóttir Alexander Jacobson Anders Fønss Andrea Hektor Andy Coward Anna Bertolazzi Anna Wiktoria Wozniak Anne-Charlotte Wiklander Andrea Angelo Suardi Aya Fibert Barbora Hrmova Bart Ramakers Bjarke Koch-Ørvad Christian Eugenius Kuczynski Danyu Zeng Dina Brændstrup Eddie Can Ewa Zapiec Fabiana Cortolezzis Felicia Olufsson Filip Rozkowski Frederik Lyng Frederik Skou Jensen Gabrielle Nadeau Giulia Genovese Graham Forrest Jordan Cris Guoyu Liu Hanne Halvorsen Helen Shuyang Chen Henrik Jacobsen Hilda Heller Ines Zunic Irie Meree Jesper Kanstrup Petersen Jonathan Russell Jonathan Udemezue Joos Jerne Juhye Kim Kanetnat Puttimettipanan Kaoan Hengles De Lima Katrine Juul Kim Christensen Kim Lauer Kristian Mousten Kristoffer Negendahl Lars Thonke Lenya Nikola Schneehage Lisbet Fritze Trentemøller Lone Fenger Albrechtsen Louise Mould Luca Pileri Mads Engaard Stidsen Mads Primdahl Rokkjær Magni Waltersson Marah Wagner Margarita Nutfulina Mariana De Soares e Barbieri Cardoso Martyna Kloda Michael James Kepke Mikki Seidenschnur Milan Moldenhawer Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard Mussa Algasra Nandi Lu Nanna Gyldholm Møller Omar Mohamed Nabil Mohamed Saad Mowafy Paula Madrid Sergiu Calacean Sille Foltinger Snorre Nash Steen Kortbæk Svendsen Thor Larsen-Lechuga Timo Harboe Nielsen Tobias Hjortdal Tommy Bjørnstrup Tore Banke Tristan Harvey Ulla Hornsyld Xavier Thanki Xingyue Huang Xinyi Chen Xinying Zhang Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik Yunyoung Choi Gül Ertekin Høgni Laksafoss Natasha Lykke Lademann Østergaard Søren Martinussen Andreas Bak Giulia Frittoli Maria Natalia Lenardon Mathieu Jaumain Narisara Ladawal Schröder Sherief Al Rifal Jiewei Li Justas Zabulionis Jonas Rask Dobrochna Anna Klimczak Marija Cvijović Celia de la Osa Muñoz Bartłomiej Lew Krestian Ingemann Hansen Helena Hammershaimb Alexandra-Madalina Nita Anna Lindgaard Jensen Ricardo Candel Brian Malig Collado Louise Brøndbjerg Johan Fredrik Lindqvist Celina Holck Jannik Albæk Fernanda Furuya Arthur Martinevski Kaja Terze Jialin Liang Petra Hajdu Mathilde Jeppesen Atibadi Brugnano Ioannis Mathioudakis Ahmed Badra

COLLABORATORS

LM Byg
Aalborg Portland
Centrum Pæle
Connex
El Team Vest
Energy Machines
Skel.dk
Paschal Stillads
Kjellerup VVS
HB Trapper
Eiler Thomsen
Deko
Brønnum
Primatag
Optimus
Krak Bau
Alt om Fugning Aps
YOUR PARTNER
Kvadrat Acoustics
GOTESSONS
Akustik Miljø
Dansk Belægningsenterprise
NO.BA Studio
Ceramica Cielo
TONI Copenhagen
Dinesen Floors A/S
Influit
Helden
Artelia Group
Fritz Hansen
Muller van Severen
Aluflam
Artemide
Kristoffer Negendahl
Windowmaster
Viasol
Schüco
Anker & Co.
E. Nielsens Mekaniske Stenhuggeri A/S
Allremove
Miele
SHURE
Shack Trapper

The Spiral

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

The Spiral

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

2023

CLIENT

Tishman Speyer

TYPOLOGY

Work

SIZE M2/FT2

260,129 / 2,800,000

STATUS

COMPLETED

Located on West 34th Street between Hudson Boulevard and 10th Avenue, The Spiral neighbors the elevated High Line and Bella Abzug Park on Manhattan’s west side. The tower extends the parks’ green space up and around its exterior in a spiraling motion towards the sky – from the High Line to the skyline.

 

Developed by Tishman Speyer and built by Turner, the commercial high-rise was designed by BIG in collaboration with Adamson Associates and structural engineer WSP Cantor Seinuk. The tower measures 66 stories and 2.8 million square feet, reaching a height of 1,031.5 feet. The Spiral is pursuing LEED Silver certification. The tower is BIG’s first completed supertall, and first completed commercial high-rise in New York.

From street level, the striking tower draws the eye upwards to the ribbon of greenery that extends the High Line beyond West 34th Street and into the Manhattan skyline. Reminiscent of a conservatory, the tower’s glass panel façade offers passersby a look into the building’s bright and spacious lobby, adorned with artwork by Dutch studio DRIFT and lush foliage, which can be accessed via entrances on both Hudson Boulevard and 10th Avenue.

As a gesture to the building’s surroundings, The Spiral’s lobby incorporates seven different metals to honor the area’s industrial history, with floor panels measured to the exact dimensions of the precast concrete planks spanning the High Line.

The Spiral slowly reduces in volume as it rises, following the zoning envelope of the site. Its stepping language resonates with the design aesthetics of classic Manhattan skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, while its slender proportions and use of modern materials and detailing speak to the design features of contemporary high-rise architecture.

“The Spiral punctuates the northern end of the High Line, and the linear park appears to carry through into the tower, forming an ascending ribbon of lively green spaces, extending the High Line to the skyline. The Spiral combines the classic Ziggurat silhouette of the premodern skyscraper with the slender proportions and efficient layouts of the modern high-rise. Designed for the people who occupy it, The Spiral ensures that every floor of the tower opens up to the outdoors, creating hanging gardens and cascading atria that connect the open floor plates from the ground floor to the summit into a single uninterrupted workspace. The string of terraces wrapping around the building expands the daily life of the tenants to the outside air and light. As the trees and grasses, flowers and vines have taken root over the last two summers, The Spiral is slowly becoming an ascending ribbon of green wrapping around the entire silhouette of the tower - like a 1000-foot-tall vine at the scale of the city’s skyline.”

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

Cascading landscaped terraces and hanging gardens climb the tower in a spiraling motion to create a unique, continuous green ribbon that wraps around the façade of the building and supplies each office floor with readily accessible terrace space. 

With approximately 13,000 square feet of outdoor space, a landscape of The Spiral’s size has never been installed at or above 300 feet elevation in New York City. Most of the plant species on the ground cover are native to the American prairie, making them resistant to high winds and droughts. 

 

As the building rises, a second layer of shrubs and taller bushes that blossom in winter are introduced, and finally, the landscape is crowned with single- and multi-stem trees that flower as early as February, along with vertical trellises with English and Boston ivy that keep their leaves through the winter. The plant palette differs on each side of the building depending on sun orientation and endurance against high-velocity winds. 

“The Spiral pioneers a new landscape typology by bringing gardens to a high rise. Its continuous cascade of greenery from one level to another provides office spaces with a new vertical dimension of social and biophilic connectivity. Designed to strengthen collaboration and wellbeing, each terrace hosts plantings specific to the varying daylight, winds and temperatures at every floor of the tower. These gardens will welcome neighboring birds, bees and butterflies to expand New York's biodiversity to the city skyline.”

Giulia Frittoli — Partner, BIG

As The Spiral ascends, each floor’s accessible terrace offers impressive views over Manhattan, the Hudson River and New Jersey. Select floors offer a double height amenity space and the option to connect adjacent floors via a grand staircase, suggesting an alternative to elevators and encouraging interaction amongst colleagues.

On the 66th floor, The Spiral offers its very own ZO Clubhouse, reserved exclusively for people to gather, connect and recharge in the private lounge or open-air terrace.

The Spiral promotes a contemporary workplace where nature becomes an integrated part of the office environment and spatial features are continuously adaptable to the changing needs of its occupants. To foster a connection to the outdoors and support The Spiral’s interior foliage, a generous ceiling height and specially selected exterior glass coating enables a deeper incursion of natural light. The building’s water management system collects overflow rainwater to treat and redistribute throughout the tiered landscaping, allowing it to save approximately 4.5 million gallons of water annually. This not only allows for sustainable irrigation – it also further cements The Spiral as a green addition to the Manhattan skyline.

Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Agla Egilsdottir Agne Rapkeviciute Alvaro Velosa Andreas Buettner Andrew Lee Dominyka Voelkle Florencia Kratsman Haochen Yu Jan Leenknegt Julie Kaufman Kate Cella Kelly Neill Mackenzie Keith Marcus Wilford Margaret Tyrpa Veronica Acosta Megan Van Artsdalen Morgan Mangelsen Otilia Pupezeanu Ryan Duval Seo Young Shin Terrence Chew Tracy Sodder Won Ryu Emily Chen Lawrence-Olivier Mahadoo Tony-Saba Shiber Stephen Kwok Chris Tron Deb Campbell Dylan Hames Francesca Portesine Gabriel Jewell-Vitale Janie Green Adam Sheraden Adrien Mans Anton Bashkaev Armen Menendian Benjamin Johnson Brian Rome Cadence Merrie Bayley Carolien Schippers Cheyenne Vandevoorde Christopher White Daniele Pronesti David Brown Davide Maggio Denys Kozak Douglass Alligood Erin Yook Gabriella Den Elzen Gaurav Sardana Ibrahim Salman Jan Casimir Janice Rim Jennifer Wood Joshua Burns Juan David Ramirez Kristoffer Negendahl Kurt Nieminen Lisbet Fritze Trentemøller Lucio Santos Manon Otto Maria Eugenia Dominguez Martynas Norvila Mateusz Rek Matteo Gawlak Maureen Rahman Michael Zhang Nicholas Potts Phawin Siripong Rachel Coulomb Ruo Wang Sarkis Sarkisyan Simon David Simon Lee Thea Gasseholm Tore Banke Ute Rinnebach Varat Limwibul Veronica Moretti Wells Barber Will Fu Yaziel Juarbe Yenhsi Tung Zoltan Kalászi Hung-Kai Liao Ali Chen Benjamin Caldwell Dong-Joo Kim Giulia Frittoli Jack Lipson Josiah Poland Luke Lu Peter Lee

AWARDS

CTBUH Award of Excellence, 2023


CoStar Impact Award, 2023

ASLA NY Design Merit Award, 2017

COLLABORATORS

Adamson Associates
WSP Cantor Seinuk
Turner Construction
Cosentini
Langan
Edgett Williams Consulting Group
Thornton Tomasetti
Heintges
Vidaris
Entek Engineering
FMS
Pandiscio
Doyle Partners
Squint Opera
Siteworks
Northern Design
Space Copenhagen
Michaelis Boyd
Studio Drift
Banker Steel
Roger & Sons Construction
Permasteelisa
CMI
Vitrocsa
W + W
Top Shelf Electric
Otis Elevator Company
National
Bamco
Garcia
Jacobson & Company
Cooper Plastering
Sponzilli
JBB
BIG Landscape
BIG Ideas

Gelephu Mindfulness City

GELEPHU, BHUTAN

Gelephu Mindfulness City

GELEPHU, BHUTAN

2023

CLIENT

The Kingdom of Bhutan

TYPOLOGY

Urbanism

STATUS

IN DESIGN

In the 116th National Day address to the Bhutanese people on December 17th, 2023, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck unveiled his vision for a new economic hub in Bhutan, the world’s first carbon-negative country. Located in the town of Gelephu in Southern Bhutan, the 1000+ m2 masterplan titled ‘Mindfulness City’ by BIG, Arup and Cistri is informed by Bhutanese culture, the principles of Gross National Happiness index (GNH) and the country’s strong spiritual heritage.

 

Located on the Indo-Bhutan border to the south of Bhutan, Mindfulness City will leverage its location and connectivity to South Asia and South East Asia to lay the foundation for the country’s future growth and create economic opportunities for its citizens through investments in green technology, education, and infrastructure. The masterplan includes a new international airport, railway connections, a hydroelectric dam, public spaces and a language for local building typologies, based on the 9 domains of GNH: Psychological Wellbeing, Health, Education, Living Standards, Time-Use, Ecological Diversity and Resilience, Good Governance, Cultural Diversity and Resilience, and Community Vitality.

Nestled between mountains, forests, and rivers, Bhutan stands as one of the last biodiversity hotspots in the world with 70% of the country covered in forest. Mindfulness City aims to amplify the country’s abundant biodiversity by emerging as a vibrant tapestry of interconnected ecosystems and lively neighborhoods shaped by the flow of the 35 rivers and streams that run through the site. The resulting ribbonlike neighbourhoods resemble paddy fields, forming urban terraces that cascade down from the hills to the valley. The city increases in density from the rural and recreational highlands to the urban and dense lowlands.

The natural elements and the existing infrastructure, agriculture and utilities of Gelephu naturally create eleven distinct neighborhoods across the 1000 km2 area. Each of the eleven neighborhoods are designed based on the principles of the Mandala: defined by a series of repeating typologies organized symmetrically around a central public space, a gradual transition in density is created, from small buildings dispersed in the landscape in the north to larger footprints within an urban environment in the south.

 

To protect existing and future development against flooding in the monsoon season, paddy fields will be established along the site’s rivers and tributaries, running from north to south. These will further function as biodiversity corridors for local flora and fauna, leaving the migratory routes of elephants and other wildlife undisturbed.

“The Gelephu Masterplan gives form to His Majesty’s vision to create a city that becomes a cradle for growth and innovation while remaining founded on Bhutanese nature and culture. We imagine the Mindfulness City as a place that could be nowhere else. Where nature is enhanced, agriculture is integrated, and tradition is living and breathing, not only preserved but also evolved. Shaped by waterways, Gelephu becomes a land of bridges, connecting nature and people, past and future, local and global. Like the traditional Dzongs, these inhabitable bridges turn into cultural landmarks, doubling as transportation infrastructure combined with civic facilities. Among these, the Sankosh Temple-Dam embeds the city’s fundamental values into a cascading landscape of steps and landings, that like a 21st century Tigers Nest will be a manmade monument to the divine possibility of a sustainable human presence on earth. Turning engineering into art and turning the forces of nature into power."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder and Creative Director, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group 

Intimate streets, paved with permeable pavers provide resilience by allowing stormwater seep into the ground rather than the sewage system. Local materials including wood, stone, and bamboo will be used in the new buildings, inspired by vernacular motifs such as rabsel, cornices, ornaments, and roofscapes.

The neighborhoods within the city divided by rivers, are tied together by three main mobility connections which occasionally double as transportation infrastructure combined with civic and cultural facilities, creating a series of ‘inhabitable bridges’ which are tailored to each of the nine Gross National Happiness domains.

 

Each of the bridges house key destinations within the city: the new airport, a Vajrayana spiritual centre which allows glimpses into the daily practices of the monks and masters of mindfulness; a healthcare centre as a meeting between Eastern and Western medicine, a university that exposes its academic activities, a hydroponic and aquaponic greenhouse putting ancient farming practices and modern agro-science on display for the daily commuters, a cultural centre to immerse and educate visitors about Bhutanese culture and customs, a market adorned with Bhutanese textiles.

“Inspired by the Bhutanese culture of respect and compassion for others and nature, the Mindfulness City is designed to enhance ecological systems, through an urban development that connects flora and fauna, as well as people and ideas. It becomes a testament of humanity's inseparable bond with nature, and a global example of how to build a sustainable human presence on Earth.”

Giulia Frittoli — Partner in Charge, BIG Landscape, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group    

The final bridge, a hydroelectric dam, will be constructed on the city’s western border with a step-well retaining wall that offers viewpoints, staircases for meditative walks, and a temple. Visitors and pilgrims can ascend and descend along countless individual routes to the visitor center and temple nested on the face of the manmade cliff. The Sankosh Temple-Dam embodies in architectural form of all the foundational elements of Gelephu: the harmonious coexistence of culture and nature, conceived as a hybrid child of Bhutan’s rich past heritage and its prosperous future legacy.

Bjarke Ingels Giulia Frittoli Nanna Gyldholm Møller Dace Gurecka Filip Radu Giancarlo Albarello Herrera Marius Tromholt-Richter Xu Lian Krisha Arunkumar Monika Dauksaite Anastasiia Golub Xian Chen Sophie Høg Matthew Goodwill

LEGO Brand House

BILLUND, DENMARK

LEGO Brand House

BILLUND, DENMARK

2017

CLIENT

Kirkbi A/S | LEGO Foundation | LEGO Group

TYPOLOGY

Culture, Interiors

SIZE M2/FT2

11,960 / 128,737

STATUS

COMPLETED

The LEGO brand House in Billund, Denmark is as playful and inviting as the world’s famous LEGO toy itself. Applying the ratio of the famous LEGO brick throughout the architecture, LEGO Brand House embodies the culture and values at the heart of all LEGO experiences. Simultaneously, the colorful building cements Billund’s status as the home of the LEGO brick and the children’s capital of the world.

 

Due to its central location in the heart of Billund, sitting at the site of the city’s former town hall, LEGO House is conceived as an urban space as much as an experience center. Consisting of 21 overlapping architectural blocks, a 2,000 m2 public square allows visitors and citizens of Billund to spend time inside or simply shortcut through the building.

The LEGO square is energized by an urban character, welcoming locals and visitors to the café, restaurant, LEGO store, and conference facilities. The plaza appears like an urban cave without any visible columns and is illuminated through the cracks and gaps between the volumes above.

 

Above the square, a cluster of galleries overlap to create a continuous sequence of exhibitions. Each gallery is color-coded in LEGO’s primary colors so wayfinding through the exhibitions becomes a journey through the color spectrum.

"LEGO house is a literal manifestation of the infinite possibilities of the LEGO brick. Through systematic creativity, children of all ages are empowered with the tools to create their own worlds and to inhabit them through play. At its finest, that is what architecture - and LEGO play - is all about: enabling people to imagine new worlds that are more exciting and expressive than the status quo, and to provide them with the skills to make them reality. This is what children do every day with LEGO bricks - and this is what we have done at LEGO House with actual bricks, taking Billund a step closer towards becoming the Capital for Children."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

The first and second floors include four play zones arranged by color and programmed with activities that represent a certain aspect of a child’s learning: red is creative, blue is cognitive, green is social, and yellow is emotional. Guests of all ages can have an immersive and interactive experience, express their imagination, and not least be challenged by meeting other builders from all over the world.

The top of the building is crowned by the Masterpiece Gallery, a collection of LEGO fans’ beloved creations that pay tribute to the LEGO community. The Masterpiece Gallery is made of the iconic 2×4 LEGO brick and showcases art beneath eight circular skylights that resemble the studs of the brick. Like the golden ratio, the proportions of the brick are nested in the geometries of everything man-made in the building, from the glazed ceramic tiles in the steps and walls to the overall 21 block scheme. Atop the Masterpiece Gallery, citizens and visitors can get a 360° panoramic view of the city. Some of the rooftops can be accessed via pixelated public staircases that double as informal auditoria for people watching or seating for performances.

The History Collection at the lower level is where visitors can experience an archival immersion into the LEGO company and brand’s story. The Vault – located underneath LEGO Square – is where children and AFoLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) can witness the first edition of almost every LEGO set ever manufactured, including the new 774-piece, 197-step kit replicating the stacked-block formation of the LEGO House.

"All activities in the house are related to our LEGO philosophy that learning through play promotes innovation and creativity. Play runs through the LEGO Group’s DNA, and it is really brought to life in LEGO House. Everything from experience zones and outdoor areas to our restaurant concepts is based on play and creativity, so no matter what you do in LEGO House, it will have something to do with playing."

Jesper Vilstrup — CEO, Lego

Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Brian Yang Andreas Klok Pedersen Jakob Sand Ole Elkjær-Larsen Jesper Boye Andersen Annette Jensen Ask Hvas Birgitte Villadsen Chris Falla Christoffer Gotfredsen Jakob Andreassen Jakub Wlodarczyk Jesper Bo Jensen Kamilla Heskje Kasper Reimer Hansen Kekoa Charlot Lone Fenger Albrechtsen Lorenzo Boddi Mads Engaard Stidsen Manon Otto Michael James Kepke Ryohei Koike Sergiu Calacean Snorre Nash Stefan Plugaru Tobias Hjortdal Tommy Bjørnstrup Høgni Laksafoss Agne Tamasauskaite Ariel Joy Norback Wallner Daruisz Duong Vu Hong Esben Christoffersen Franck Fdida Ioana Fartadi Scurtu Katarzyna Krystyna Siedlecka Katerina Joannides Leszek Czaja Magnus Algreen Suhr Marta Christensen Mathias Bank Stigsen Ole Dau Mortensen Stefan Wolf Thomas Jakobsen Randbøll Thomas Richard Hart Julia Boromissza Katarzyna Stachura Søren Askehave Jakob Ohm Laursen ‍Louise Bøgeskov Hou

AWARDS

EU Mies van der Rohe Award, Shortlist, 2019


Civic Trust Awards, Winner, 2019

IDEAT Future Awards Shortlist, Best Architecture in Commercial Design, 2018

INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, Civic, Culture & Transport Category Finalist, 2018

Danish Design Award Winner, Feel Good Category, 2018

Architizer A+ Award, Jury and Popular Choice Winner for Architecture + Branding, 2018

COLLABORATORS

COWI
Dr. Lüchinger + Meyer Brauingenieure AG
Jesper Kongshaug
Gade & Mortensen Akustik
E-Types

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet

LE BRASSUS, SWITZERLAND

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet

LE BRASSUS, SWITZERLAND

2020

CLIENT

Audemars Piguet

TYPOLOGY

Culture, Interiors

SIZE M2/FT2

2,373 / 25,543

STATUS

COMPLETED

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is a spiral-shaped pavilion, reminiscent of the spring in a timepiece movement, entirely supported by curved glass walls. The contemporary spiral flanks the original workshop where the Audemars Piguet story began in 1875 and where an earlier version of the museum was housed from 1992 to 2019. The vernacular architecture of the historical building has been fully recovered based on a thorough study of archival materials.

 

With a design that marries tradition and innovation, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet offers visitors a unique opportunity to delve into the history of watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux and explore how the brand’s timepieces are crafted in Le Brassus.

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is informed by the convergence of form and content in clockwork. It is conceived like the coils of a watch, ticking and advancing in perpetuity like the gallery visitors and watchmakers moving cyclically with the structure. Every element is governed by the functional requirements of the exhibition while appearing as a sculpture conceived in a single gesture. The all-glass structure is made up of two spirals that seamlessly integrate into the existing landscape. The museum’s collection, which showcases some 300 timepieces, is displayed alongside two in-situ production workshops, creating a living museum.

 

Visitors can observe watchmakers working within the curved glass walls of the museum and experience their expertise first-hand.

"Unlike most machines and most buildings today that have a disconnect between the body and the mind, the hardware and the software, for the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet we have attempted to completely integrate the geometry and the performance, the form and the function, the space and the structure, the interior and the exterior in a symbiotic whole. It's an architecture in which the form is inseparable from its content, exposed like the gears and springs in a skeletonized open work."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

As viewers circle the building, the rich collection of watches illuminates the history of Audemars Piguet and of watchmaking in the valley. The visit culminates at the center of the spiral with the display of some of the Manufacture’s most complicated watches. The spiral also includes two workshops, where Haute Joaillerie creations and Grandes Complications are crafted.

 

With the materials, more is less – an approach that takes inspiration from the art of watchmaking: miniaturization, making the elements as small as possible; “skeletonization,” excavating or subtracting all the unused material so the object becomes like a wireframe; and complication, loading as many functions as possible in the smallest amount of space.

The building fulfils the latest Swiss Minergie® requirements in terms of energy efficiency and high quality construction.

Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Jakob Sand Blake Smith Jason Wu Kristian Hindsberg Otilia Pupezeanu Simon Scheller Ji-Young Yoon Adrien Mans Alessandra Peracin Ashton Stare Claire Thomas Spiller Dammy Lee Eva Maria Mikkelsen Evan Wiskup Jan Casimir Julien Beauchamp-Roy Marcin Fejcak Marie Lancon Matthew Oravec Maureen Rahman Maxime Le Droupeet Natalie Kwee Ming Yie Pascal Loschetter Teodor Javanaud Emden Sara Ibrahim Abed Tore Banke Ute Rinnebach Veronica Lalli Vivien Cheng Yaziel Juarbe Høgni Laksafoss Iva Ulam Rune Hansen

AWARDS

MIPIM Best Cultural and Sports Infrastructure, 2022


Ernst & Sohn Ingenieurbaupreis, 2022

Kyoto Design Award, Environment Design of the Year, 2021

AIA NY, Honor Award in Architecture, 2021

Prix Bilan de l’immobilier Public Buildings, 2020

German Design Award, 2020

Interior Design Best of Year Winner Museum/Art Gallery, 2020

Architizer A+ Awards Museum Popular Winner, 2020

COLLABORATORS

CCHE
Atelier Brueckner
Luchinger und Meyer
HG Merz
Muller Illien
BIG Ideas

The Heights School

ARLINGTON, UNITED STATES

The Heights School

ARLINGTON, UNITED STATES

2019

CLIENT

Arlington Public Schools

TYPOLOGY

Education, Interiors

SIZE M2/FT2

16,722 / 180,000

STATUS

COMPLETED

The Heights School opens as a cascade of green terraces fanning from a central axis, addressing the academic needs of Arlington’s two county-wide school programs while forming a vertical community within its dense urban context. By merging two existing secondary schools – the H-B Woodlawn Program and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program into a new 180,000 sq ft building, the school expects enrollment of up to 775 students.

 

BIG worked closely with Arlington Public Schools (APS), WRAP (West Rosslyn Area Plan), and the Arlington community, to ensure that the design supports both H-B Woodlawn’s focus on trust and self-governance and Shriver’s extensive resources for students with specialized educational needs. The Heights has been designated LEED Gold certification.

The Heights building is situated within a compact urban site bounded by roads on three sides and a portion of Rosslyn Highlands Park. Conceived as a stack of five rectangular floorplates that rotate around a fixed pivot point, BIG maintains the community feeling and spatial efficiencies of a one-story school.

Green terraces above each floor become an extension of the classroom, creating an indoor-outdoor learning landscape for both students and teachers – an educational oasis rather than a traditional school setting. A rotating central staircase cuts through the interior of the building to connect the four-tiered terraces, allowing students to circulate outside and forge a stronger bond between the neighborhood and the school. While the upper terraces are more suitable for intimate classes and quiet study areas, the spacious first terrace and 18,700 sq ft recreation field also serve as public event venues for school-wide and neighborhood activities. 

From Wilson Boulevard, students, teachers and staff are greeted by a triple-height lobby with stepped seating that doubles as an indoor gathering space for both student assemblies and public meetings. Many of the school’s common spaces, including the 400-seat auditorium, main gymnasium, library, reception, and cafeteria are centrally located and directly adjacent to the lobby.

 

Easy accessibility to the community-oriented programs hosted in the school encourages public interaction throughout the building, creating a welcoming environment while heightening the visual connectivity between the shared spaces. Other specialized student spaces include an art studio, science and robotic labs, music rehearsal rooms, and two performing arts theaters. 

The classroom bars serve as the primary organizing elements, surrounding a central vertical core that contains the elevators, stairs and bathrooms. As students enter from the central staircase, they are greeted by an expanded gradient of the color spectrum: each classroom bar is defined by its own color, combining intuitive wayfinding with a vibrant social atmosphere from the ground to the sky.

The Shriver Program providing special education for students aged 11 to 22 occupies two floors of the building accessible from the ground floor, and has specialized spaces dedicated to support APS’ Functional Life Skills program as well as privacy and ease of accessibility; the gymnasium, courtyard, occupational physical therapy suite, and sensory cottage are designed to aid in sensory processing.

The Heights’ exterior is materialized in a graceful white glazed brick to unify the five volumes and highlight the oblique angles of the fanning classroom bars, allowing the sculptural form, and the energy and activity of the inside to take center stage. Keeping the surrounding neighborhood and former Wilson School in mind, the building’s material palette pays homage to the historical architecture of Old Town Alexandria.

Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Aran Coakley Jan Leenknegt Julie Kaufman Kam Chi Cheng Ricardo Palma Prieto Sean Franklin Shu Zhao Terrence Chew Ziad Shehab Tony-Saba Shiber Deb Campbell Elnaz Rafati Francesca Portesine Ji-Young Yoon Adam Sheraden Amina Blacksher Anton Bashkaev Bennett Gale Benson Chien Cadence Merrie Bayley Cristian Lera Silva Daisy Zhong Douglass Alligood Elena Bresciani Evan Rawn Ibrahim Salman Jack David Gamboa Janice Rim Jin Xin Ku Hun Chung Maria Sole Bravo Margherita Gistri Mark Rakhmanov Mateusz Rek Maureen Rahman Nicholas Potts Pablo Costa Fraiz Robyne Some Romea Muryn Saecheol Oh Seth Byrum Sidonie Muller Simon David Valentina Mele Vincenzo Polsinelli Zachary Walters Benjamin Caldwell Josiah Poland Tammy Teng

AWARDS

American Institute of Steel Construction IDEAS2 National Award for Steel Construction in the $75-200 million category, 2021


DESIGNArlington Award of Excellence, 2019

Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Award, Winner in Structural Steel Framing, 2019

American Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter Award, Outstanding Implemented Plan, 2018

COLLABORATORS

Leo A Daly
Robert Silman Associates
Interface Engineering
Gordon
Theatre Projects
Jaffe Holden
Faithful+Gould
GHD
Hopkins Food Service
GeoConcepts
Haley Aldrich Inc.
The Sextant Group
Tillotson Design Associates
EHT Traceries
Lerch Bates
Sustainable Design Consulting

National Museum of the United States Navy

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES

National Museum of the United States Navy

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES

2023

CLIENT

MGAC

TYPOLOGY

Culture

SIZE M2/FT2

25,080 / 270,000

STATUS

IDEA

The planned state-of-the-art National Museum of the United States Navy is envisioned as a home for both Naval veterans and the public, a living memorial to the U.S. Navy’s heritage and a lighthouse in the community for education and public events.

 

The 270,000 sq ft campus includes a new building and ceremonial courtyard, as well as the potential renovation of existing historical buildings. BIG’s competition proposal, developed in collaboration with landscape architects Olin Studio and digital media agency Squint/Opera, seeks to reflect the historical context of the Navy Yard, while referencing the scale, materials and details of Navy vessels. An array of large-scale vitrines open up towards a public street, welcoming visitors and locals with an impressive glimpse into the museum’s collection of artifacts inside and outside, conveying the mission, lineage and breadth of operations that constitutes the US Navy.

"As a Dane and a resident of a houseboat – a Norwegian ferry I converted into my family home – to imagine a museum for the United States Navy is a true labor of love! Our concept for the National Museum of the United States Navy is informed by the beautiful heritage of the buildings in the Navy Yard. The Navy belongs in the water, so we put the museum in the water. A series of long slender buildings line up abreast to the main street showing off life-size artifacts from the 5 branches of the Navy: Surface, Subsurface, Expedition, Aviation and Space. The 5 buildings flow together to form an epic atrium cascading from the roof to the ground where all exhibitions will be visually and physically accessible upon arrival. This massive space will also serve as the majestic setting for ceremonies honoring those who served. As imagined, the Museum will be of the Navy as well as for the Navy."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

BIG’s vision is developed with flexibility and utility in mind to allow for different events simultaneously in and around the building. Rather than closing or compromising the museum due to events, the visitor experience is enhanced by the varying spectacles playing out during the day allowing visitors glimpses of events while enjoying full access to the galleries.

 

The final concept will be chosen from a total of five concepts from the Naval Heritage History and Command’s Artistic Ideas Competition for the National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN).

 

The planned new museum is set to become a destination amongst the vast offerings of exhibition experiences in D.C, while also being a welcoming place of remembrance and contemplation for enlisted sailors, Navy Veterans and their families.

Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Julie Kaufman Kristian Hindsberg Yu Inamoto Douglass Alligood Ema Hristova Bakalova Ryan Henriksen Jasmine Idiakhoa Hudson Parris

AWARDS

Kyoto Global Design Award for RealEstate, 2023


COLLABORATORS

Squint Opera
Olin Studio

VLTAVA Philharmonic Prague

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

VLTAVA Philharmonic Prague

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

2021

CLIENT

Prague Institute of Planning and Development

TYPOLOGY

Culture

SIZE M2/FT2

49,715 / 535,120

STATUS

IN DESIGN

In May of 2022, the City of Prague unveiled BIG’s design for the country’s first national concert hall in over 100 years: The Vltava Philharmonic Hall. The new concert hall will become the home of the world-class philharmonic for 1800+ audiences, celebrate the Czech music tradition and cement the country as acultural capital in Europe.

 

The Vltava Philharmonic Hall is composed as a cascade of outdoor destinations from the waterfront on the river to the city’s iconic skyline. By raising and lowering the corners of the building at multiple touch points, the public spaces connect and allow activities to spill in and out of the building on every side: towards the river, the square, the street, and the alley. Visitors will be drawn in from all forms of arrival, with carefully chosen programs inviting them to explore the music venues inside or climb the elegant, arced roofs of the new concert hall.  

The new Philharmonic is conceived as a contemporary extension of Prague’s dramatic urban topography, as a cascade of outdoor destinations. A series of grand public plazas will become a new symbol of inclusionary architecture, welcoming a multitude of Prague’s vibrant urban life to flow across, around, through, under and over the new concert hall.

 

The site is bound by four key traffic corridors, the character of which informs the public space programming around the Philharmonic. Along the Western side, Bubenská passes the site and continues across the Vltava on the Hlávkův Bridge. Here, several modes of mobility are accommodated within the public realm. Along the North, the tram line runs adjacent to the new neighborhood development. As a car-free zone, this corridor becomes an important pedestrian and soft mobility connection to the surrounding neighborhoods. The new ecological corridor extending down from Stromovka Royal Game Reserve passes by the Eastern side of the site, creating a lush green buffer between the Philharmonic and the train line.

 

Most importantly, the Vltava River runs along the Southern side of the site, connected to the streetscape by a new waterfront promenade.

An essential public building for the Holešovice district and a new focal point for Prague, the new Philharmonic extends horizontally and vertically in all directions to create key urban connections and form a recognizable landmark for surrounding communities near and far.

 

The roofs are conceived as a continuation of the grand public plaza at the foot of the building. The undulating stepped form of the roofs allows visitors to meander to the summit of the building, as if climbing a hill. Slender vertical colonnades support the building’s roof terraces while undersides of warm timber from the Bohemian Forest provide shade and shelter. A space to sit and to gather, spaces for informal outdoor performances and views inward to the Philharmonic’s lively musical environment.

Arriving in the grand foyer, guests are greeted by a striking interior inspired by Czech Glass Artists which lead them into the music venues for a truly contemporary music experience. Arranged like petals of a pinecone turned inside out, the seats of Prague Hall are rotating within the compactness of a perfect square. The seating rakes meet at their corners to allow physical connectivity between every seat in the audience, providing a greater sense of unity and shared experience. Warm timber interiors provide balanced acoustics with a natural material, and form an environment designed to strengthen the intimate connection between the audience and orchestra.

"The Vltava Philharmonic Hall is composed as a meandering journey from riverbank to rooftop. Public flows and belvedere plazas unite the city life of Prague to the music within. Its halls are formed for sight, fine-tuned for sound, and orchestrated for functionality and connectivity. From this rhythmic structure, a symphony of colonnades and balconies extend as platforms for public life. Expressive yet pragmatic, the new Philharmonic will ascend to form a key landmark for Prague - from river to roof."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

“The new Vltava Philharmonic Hall will be a symbol of openness, accessibility, and exploration. From the Vltava square, streets ascend upward connecting interior balconies with exterior colonnades and terraces. Like eighth, quarter, half and whole notes, the steps the benches, façade, and colonnade are perfectly on beat offering its resident orchestras effective and extroverted rehearsal areas, while bringing the audiences within the halls closer to the source in an environment that is both majestic and intimate.”

Brian Yang — Partner in Charge, BIG

Beyond being a major cultural destination for Prague, the building is crafted to maximize its potential to host external uses and special events. The venues are carefully designed to maximize flexibility for a range of uses – from the boldness of contemporary music styles to theater performances and digital exhibitions.

 

At the buildings summit, an elegant hyperbolic structure spans over the Vltava Hall and forms the iconic ceiling of a restaurant and event ballroom with views of the historic city center of Prague.

Bjarke Ingels Brian Yang Shane Dalke Alberto Menegazzo Christian Vang Madsen Dagmara Anna Obmalko Izabella Banas Jan Magasanik Louise Mould Luca Nicoletti Mads Primdahl Rokkjær Matteo Baggiarini Matthew Oravec Paula Madrid Peter Høgenhaven Polina Galantseva Santtu Johannes Hyvarinen Sarkis Sarkisyan Sorcha Burke Giulia Frittoli Giulia Vanni Tania-Cristina Farcas Karim Daw Giulia Orlando Eleanor Gibson Casper Klarén Ondrej Slunecko Yanis Amasri Sierra Alicia De Nobrega Khaled Magdy Zaki Ahmed Elfeky Clara Elma Margareta Karlsson Heinrich Froese Neto Jeremias Sas Iros Jonathan Chester Fernanda Furuya Paola Yepes Bocanegra Rohit Nandakumar Jialin Liang Anna Mesiariková Jonathan Christian Chin Anastasia Papaspyrou Nikol Maraj Jakub Misař Jan Goebel Eliška Slaměna Iveta Jakubčíková Camila Alzate Riano Rihab Soukkarieh Efstratios Sakellariou Sandrino Jan Deiana Nouran Wael Mohamed Rashad Mohamed Sherif Ali El Moussawi Tomáš Chrástecký Mahmoud Nagy Elsayed

COLLABORATORS

Theatre Projects & Nagata Acoustic
Buro Happold
AED
ETC
Systematica
Front
Mozses

Noma 2.0

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Noma 2.0

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2018

CLIENT

noma

TYPOLOGY

Hospitality

SIZE M2/FT2

1,290 / 13,886

STATUS

COMPLETED

In 2015, restaurant Noma – known as the “World’s Best Restaurant”- closed its doors to the 16th century warehouse that had been its home for fourteen years. After more than three years of planning and collaboration, Noma reopened in 2018 on the outskirts of autonomous district Christiania – this time at the protected site of an old fortification once used to store mines for the Royal Danish Navy.

 

BIG’s design for Noma 2.0 dissolves the traditional idea of a restaurant into its constituent parts and reassembles them to put the chefs at the heart of the restaurant.

Noma’s new home, a historic fortification from 1917, was once used to store mines for the Royal Danish Navy. Abandoned for several years and covered in graffiti, Noma acquired the linear warehouse named Søminedepotet and had to take into account the strict guidelines for preserving the historically significant site.

“When we found the location for the new Noma, we knew we had to come up with an architectural solution which made sense for our guests, the team and the surroundings. I believe that Bjarke and the BIG team came up with the ideal non-pretentious solution that we enjoy calling our home for years to come. To say that we are thrilled with the end result would be an understatement.”

Peter Kreiner — CEO, Noma

Guests have the opportunity to walk through each of the surrounding buildings and to experience a variety of Nordic materials and building techniques: the barbeque is a giant walk-in steel chimney, and the lounge looks and feels like a room-sized cozy fireplace made entirely of brick – inside and out.

 

A collection of 11 separate yet connected buildings are tailored to their specific needs and are densely clustered around restaurant’s heart: the kitchen. Designed like a panopticon, the kitchen allows the chefs to oversee the staff and guest areas, while every guest can follow what would traditionally happen behind-the-scenes.

 

The raw shell of the historic warehouse is preserved and used for back-of-house functions, including the prep kitchen, fermentation labs, fish tanks, terrarium, ant farm, and break-out areas for staff.

Each building within the building is connected by glass covered paths that reveal the changes in weather, daylight, and seasons – making the natural environment integral to the culinary experience.

The greenhouses serve as food production, arrival lounge and experimental kitchen. A permaculture garden designed and planted by Piet Oudolf serves as a garden for the senses, transforming the former military facility into an urban farm for the production, preparation and consumption of new Nordic cuisine.

Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Ole Elkjær-Larsen Allen Shakir Athena Morella Borko Nikolic Claus Rytter Bruun de Neergaard Dag Præstegaard Duncan Horswill Enea Michelesio Eskild Schack Pedersen Frederik Lyng Geoffrey Eberle Hanne Halvorsen Hessam Dadkhah Hugo Yun Tong Soo Jinseok Jang Jonas Aarsø Larsen Joos Jerne Kim Christensen Kristoffer Negendahl Lasse Lyhne-Hansen Manon Otto Margarita Nutfulina Michael James Kepke Morten Roar Berg Nanna Gyldholm Møller Ningnan Ye Olga Litwa Ryohei Koike Simona Reiciunaite Stefan Plugaru Tomas Karl Ramstrand Tiago Sá Timo Harboe Nielsen Tobias Hjortdal Tore Banke Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik Yunyoung Choi Gökce Günbulut Gökce Günbulut Aleksander Wadas Andreas Müllertz Angelos Siampakoulis Carlos Soria Giedrius Mamavicius Kyle Thomas David Tousant Nina Vuga Ren Yang Tan Vilius Linge Yan Ma Yoko Gotoh

AWARDS

Berlingske Byens Bedste Award for Construction, Winner, 2019


AIA Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture, Winner, 2019

INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, Restaurant Category Winner, 2019

Wallpaper* Design Award for Best New Restaurant, Winner, 2019

Danish Carpentry Award, 2018

Den Danske Lyspris, Winner, 2018

Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Award for Hospitality: Fine Dining, Finalist, 2018

Snedker Craftsmenship Prize, 2018

Architizer A+ Award for Hospitality: Restaurant, Jury + Popular Choice Winner, 2018

COLLABORATORS

NT Consult
Studio David Thulstrup
Thing&Brandt Landskab
BIG Ideas

Vollebak Island

VOLLEBAK ISLAND, CANADA

Vollebak Island

VOLLEBAK ISLAND, CANADA

2023

CLIENT

Vollebak

TYPOLOGY

Hospitality

SIZE M2/FT2

620 / 6,674

STATUS

IDEA

Located one quarter mile off the Nova Scotia mainland in the spectacular Jeddore Harbour, the 11-acre Vollebak Island will include a 597 m2Earth House’, which will consist of nine interconnected buildings, and a 88 m2 ‘Wood House’, a standalone garden suite on the island’s eastern shoreline.

Each room in the village is made from its own unique material – stacked seaweed, compacted earth, hemp, glass brick or locally sourced stone – tailored for the specific use and experience of that particular room. On Vollebak Island, BIG incorporates local tradition elevated by global innovation in a self-sustained manmade ecosystem off the coast of Canada.

Earth House, the village-like cluster of bespoke buildings, will gently rise from the ground at the heart of the island, resembling land art as much as architecture. The permeable layout will create various open spaces for socializing, allowing nature to intertwine with architecture. The structures will represent specific fragments of nature, each intentionally built with a different material and playful elements of surprise interwoven throughout. All buildings are fully powered by carbon neutral energy, offshore wind and solar power with energy stored in Tesla power walls.

 

"Vollebak is using technology and material innovation to create clothes that are as sustainable and resilient as they are beautiful. In other words, the fashion equivalent of BIG's architectural philosophy of Hedonistic Sustainability. For Vollebak Island, we have imagined the rooms as a manmade mount of individual volumes rising out of the ground and a separate outpost at the edge of the breaking waves."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

Complementing Earth House will be the Wood House annex, a standalone two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence with a durable exterior made entirely of wood from the island, essential for extreme climate conditions. The monolithic façade will be able to open and close toward the seaside, showcasing a vast eight-meter triangular vista over the water.

For recreation, guests will rejuvenate in a Japanese-style bath house with soaking tubs cut from the stone bedrock or have a first-class view of the galaxy in the sunken hempcrete stargazing room and meditation space. A greenhouse made entirely of glass brick will grow food for the island; energy will be stored in a building with a solar roof and submarine door; and the boat house will honor a local tradition of using regenerative seaweed as insulation. The roofs will incorporate shrubs and other flora to reduce storm-water runoff and ease the burden on sewers and water treatment systems.

 

Every design detail at Vollebak Island will help to foster the closest possible connection to nature, acting as a curated extension of the island’s organic topography and creating a living environment that blurs the boundaries between inside and out. The beach, the woods, the cliffs, the landscapes and the sunsets will all be part of the house on Vollebak Island.

Bjarke Ingels Andreas Klok Pedersen David Vieira Agostinho Isabelle Doumet Ryohei Koike Sara Najar Sualdea Weronika Zareba Théo Hamy Ania Agnieszka Podlaszewska Ayham Kabbani Will Chuanrui Yu Harish Karthick Vijay Jan Zawadzki

COLLABORATORS

FBM

CapitaSpring

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

CapitaSpring

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

2022

CLIENT

CapitaLand Group

TYPOLOGY

Work, Hospitality

SIZE M2/FT2

93,351 / 1,004,830

STATUS

COMPLETED

The 280 m tall CapitaSpring is located in the heart of Singapore’s financial district on the site of a 1980s car complex and a hawkers market. As the second tallest tower in Singapore, the 93,000 m2, 51 story mixed-use development continues Singapore’s pioneering vertical urbanism by creating a diverse neighborhood of places to work, live, and play.

 

Entirely defined by zoning rules, street walls, and setback requirements, the volume is a complex composition of polygonal shapes. The program, which includes premium Grade A office space, Citadines serviced residences, retail, and public spaces, is similarly strictly defined with offices sitting on top of residences that in turn rest on a podium of food markets and parking.

Due to the unique character of Singapore’s urbanism – both very dense and verdant – BIG pursued the design challenge as a vertical exploration of tropical urbanism, reinforcing Singapore’s reputation as a garden city. The building’s recognizable exterior façade consists of vertical elements that are pulled apart to allow glimpses into the green oases blooming from the base, core and rooftop. A dynamic interplay of orthogonal lines and lush greenery presents itself in the contrasting textures of steel and glass, interweaved with tropical vegetation.

At the ground floor, visitors are met by a new linear public rainforest plaza and park. Meandering garden paths and covered passages create natural entryways into the City Room, a 19 m high generous open space at the foot of the tower.

Nestled on the second and third levels of CapitaSpring is the new hawker market with 56 food stalls offering local delicacies and an abundance of lunch options for the CBD’s workers.

 

The first eight floors of the tower contain 299 serviced residences with a wide range of amenities – a swimming pool, jacuzzi, jogging track, gym, social kitchen, lounges, and barbeque pits.

 

A vertical park is inserted in the middle of the tower in the form of a spiraling promenade ascending among tropical tree trunks and canopies.

"As someone with Singaporean heritage, I have been honored and humbled by the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing evolution of architecture in Singapore as a distinct blending between the contemporary and the tropical. In our design, this manifests as a seamless transition between the garden and the city, articulated in the facades and a series of lush spiraling gardens connecting between various programs and amenities."

Brian Yang — Partner, BIG

The top 29 floors of the tower offer premium office spaces with panoramic views of the Singapore River and Marina Bay. At the core of the building between the hardscapes of the offices and residences are four connected levels of organic softscape, called the Green Oasis – a mesmerizing 30 m open-air garden for work, casual strolls, relaxation, exercise and events.

CapitaSpring’s rooftop garden is home to 1-Arden Food Forest. Currently, over 150 species of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, are grown across five thematic plots to supply the building’s restaurants with fresh greens.

Bjarke Ingels Jakob Lange Brian Yang Aimee Louise Desert Aleksandra Domian Alessandro Zanini Anders Holden Deleuran Anke Kristina Schramm Antonio Sollo Augusto Lavieri Zamperlini Bartosz Kobylakiewicz Dalma Ujvari Davide Tarditi David Schwarzman David Vega y Rojo Dimitrie Grigorescu Dina Brændstrup Dominika Trybe Eric Li Elise Cauchard Eriko Maekawa Espen Vik Ewa Natalia Szajda Federica Locati Filippo Lorenzi Francisco Castellanos Teodor Cristian Fratila Frederik Skou Jensen Gorka Calzada Medina Cris Guoyu Liu Helen Shuyang Chen Hongduo Zhou Jacek Baczkowski Jakub Wlodarczyk Joseph James Haberl Julieta Muzzillo Kirsty Badenoch Kristoffer Negendahl Luca Pileri Luis Wagenführer Martino Hutz Matilde Tavanti Moa Carlsson Nataly Timotheou Niu Jing Orges Guga Patrycja Lyszczyk Philip Rufus Knauf Praewa Samachai Qamelliah Yusuph Nassir Rahul Girish Rebecca Carrai Roberto Fabbri Ryohei Koike Samuel Rubio Sanchez Shuhei Kamiya Sofiia Rokhmaniko Song He Sorcha Burke Steen Kortbæk Svendsen Szymon Kolecki Talia Fatte Tore Banke Ulla Hornsyld Viktoria Millentrup Vinish Sethi Weijia Lu Xinying Zhang Zari Van de Merwe Günther Edwin Weber Aleksander Wadas Gabrielė Ubarevičiūtė Jonas Käckenmester Lukas Kerner Maria Teresa Fernandez Rojo Pedro Savio jobim Pinheiro Ramon Julio Muros Cortes Vilius Linge Xin Su Zhen Tong Andrew Lo Malgorzata Mutkowska

AWARDS

CTBUH Award of Excellence 2023, Best Tall Building Asia & Best Tall Building 200–299 Meters


World Architecture Festival Honorable Mention, International Building Beauty Prize, 2023

President*s Design Award for Design of The Year, 2023

ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, 2023

ArchDaily, Office Building of the Year, 2023

MIPIM ASIA’s Silver Award, Best Mixed-Use Development, 2022

COLLABORATORS

Carlo Ratti Associati
RSP Architects
Dragages Singapore
COEN
BIG Ideas
BIG Landscape

El Cosmico

MARFA, UNITED STATES

El Cosmico

MARFA, UNITED STATES

2023

CLIENT

ICON and Liz Lambert

TYPOLOGY

Hospitality

SIZE M2/FT2

8,983 / 96,700

STATUS

IN CONSTRUCTION

BIG, ICON and Texas-based hotelier Liz Lambert have joined forces to reimagine the infamous nomadic campground hotel El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas. The new 62-acre community will feature large-scale 3D-printed structures including domes, arches, vaults and parabolic forms, enhancing the guest experience with a pool, spa, and shared communal facilities. Breaking ground in 2024, El Cosmico will continue to celebrate the convergence of creative culture and the minimalistic natural environment of the Marfa landscape.

 

To celebrate the project, a partnership with The Long Center for the Performing Arts brings a taste of El Cosmico to Austin, Texas during SXSW. The 3D-printed pavilion combines the architectural design themes planned for El Cosmico in Marfa in a single, sculptural space for culture and community in the heart of downtown Austin. 

 

“Our collaboration with El Cosmico and ICON has allowed us to pursue the formal and material possibilities of cutting-edge 3D printed construction untethered by the traditional limitations of a conventional site or client. Liz Lambert’s legacy for reimagining hospitality and her pioneering of a contemporary Texan aesthetic combined with the Minimalistic nature and culture, art and landscape of Marfa has been the perfect fit to pursue a new architectural vernacular language for El Cosmico in Marfa. Organic shapes, Euclidian circular geometries and a color palette born from the local terroir makes El Cosmico feel as if literally erected from the site it stands on.”

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

The design is informed by the unique connection between the high desert landscape and cosmic organizations. The new hotel and homes feature organic curves and domes, a primordial architectural language that can only be achieved by 3D-printing. ICON’s technology excels at creating soft shapes and curved surfaces, making it possible to bring this design vision to life. The project provides a natural continuation of unique experiences, building on El Cosmico’s legacy at the intersection of art, nature and  hospitality in Marfa, TX. Another facet of the project will be to assess the opportunity to 3D-print affordable housing in Marfa to serve the evolving needs of the town. 

As an outpost of El Cosmico, a permanent pavilion for music and performances emerges from the natural slope of the Long Center’s front lawn in Austin, Texas. 

 

The adobe like color and texture of the horizontally layered wall appears like geological strata in an exposed cliff. Inspired by the Uruguayan engineer and architect Eladio Dieste, the sinuous curves at the foot of the pavilion provide both structural stability and social niches for the audience and performers. Organic form as structural function.

Bjarke Ingels Martin Voelkle Agla Egilsdottir Julian Ocampo Salazar Margaret Tyrpa Veronica Acosta Mateo Fernandez Michelle Stromsta Peter Sepassi Ricardo Palma Prieto Siqi Zhang Jennifer Ng Jialin Yuan Jaeho Park Jeremy Jackson Ahmad Tabbakh Cynthia Wang San Yoon

Audemars Piguet Hotel

LE BRASSUS, SWITZERLAND

Audemars Piguet Hotel

LE BRASSUS, SWITZERLAND

2022

CLIENT

Audemars Piguet

TYPOLOGY

Hospitality

SIZE M2/FT2

7,000 / 75,347

STATUS

COMPLETED

Watchmaking, architecture, and nature are celebrated at Hôtel des Horlogers which zigzags through the Vallée de Joux town just outside of Geneva. The 8,700 m2 hotel marks the second collaboration between BIG and luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet following the opening of the neighboring Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in 2020. 

 

The Hôtel des Horlogers builds on the history of the Hôtel de France, established in Le Brassus in 1857 by members of the Audemars Piguet family. The hotel became an important stop on the Chemin des Horlogers – the watchmaking route that connected the Vallée de Joux workshops to Geneva, where timepieces were sold by retailers. Audemars Piguet hired BIG to design a new hotel in line with the luxury brand’s values and sustainability mission. 

Guided to the hotel entrance from the main access road, guests approach the hotel through a generous driveway. From this entrance, the hotel appears as a single slab, with the four additional floors tucked into the landscape below. Defined by timber and concrete, the exterior entrance introduces the materiality of the hotel-at-large – authentic, pared-back materials that complement the natural landscape enveloping the building. 

 

The system of interwoven wood louvers inspired by the log cabin overlay aesthetic provides shading for the façade, enhancing the building’s energy performance. The shading system is fully integrated with the stepping geometry of the wooden slabs, keeping the transparency from the main access road to the valley, and re-establishing the connection between the village and the pastoral landscape. 

The hotel’s interior design scheme, led by AU*M, draws inspiration from the architecture’s indoor/outdoor vernacular – created through the architecture’s tilting slabs that provide the interior spaces with framed views of the surrounding valley. As guests transition from the main entrance into the reception area, the visual language becomes more sinuous and rustic, with materials such as glass, concrete, stone, and wood blurring the delineation of the constructed and the natural.  

One level below the entry, a spa, conference center, and two restaurants are orientated towards the valley – providing sweeping views and natural light while also acting as individual destinations along the continuous interior path. Giving pride of place to gastronomy, the Hôtel des Horlogers’ restaurants are overseen by three-Michelin-starred French Chef, Emmanuel Renaut.

On the interior, the building’s five slab-layout forms a single, continuous ramping corridor – connecting the interior programs and facilitating both guest and service circulation. This layout also provides all guestrooms with views of the surrounding Risoud Forest.  

Certified Minergie-ECO, a label for new and refurbished low-energy consumption buildings, the hotel addresses the local ecological and social sustainability requirements to reduce its environmental impactfrom the building’s design and construction to its day-to-day operations. Similarly, the hotel is equipped with 86 photovoltaic panels that provide part of the building’s energy needs. 

The zigzagging slabs gradually descend towards the valley, tilting slightly to embrace the site and create a visual path between nature and architecture. While the Audemars Piguet museum located just steps away defines a visitor experience inspired by the centripetal and centrifugal forces of time through the spiral form, the hotel welcomes its guests into the ‘time’ journey by reimagining the historic winding watchmakers’ trail that the region is known for.  

Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Jason Wu Haochen Yu Jan Leenknegt Gil Kilmo Kang Melissa Jones Morgan Mangelsen Otilia Pupezeanu Simon Scheller Terrence Chew Tracy Sodder Veronica Watson Casey Tucker Deb Campbell Francesca Portesine Ji-Young Yoon Aaron Mark Amro Abdelsalam Aurelie Frolet Catalina Rivera Rothgaenger Claire Wadey Claire Thomas Spiller Derek Wong Ethan Duffey Eva Maria Mikkelsen Evan Wiskup Gaurav Janey Ibrahim Salman Il Hwan Kim Ku Hun Chung Lu Zhang Malcolm Rondell Galang Manon Otto Martynas Norvila Matthew Oravec Nicolas Gustin Nicolas Lapierre Pantea Tehrani Pascal Loschetter Phawin Siripong Teodor Javanaud Emden Rasmus Streboel Seth Byrum Shidi Fu Sijia Zhou Stephanie Choi Supakrit Wongviboonsin Xinyu Wang Josiah Poland Karolina Bouros Lou Arencibia Rune Hansen Yvette Liu

AWARDS

World Luxury Hotel Awards: Continent Winner - Luxury Design Hotel, 2022


World Architecture Festival Future Hospitality Category Winner, 2019

BUILD’s 2018 Global Excellence for Future Leisure Project of the Year, 2018

COLLABORATORS

CCHE Architecture
Ingphi SA
Pierre Chuard Ingenieurs-Conseils SA
Sorane SA
Duchein SA
MAB-Ingineurs SA
Ignis Salutem
EcoAcoustique SA
Alterego Concept SA
Jean Pitteloud
Thorens et associes SA
Societe Denogent

Denmark's Refugee Museum

OKSBØL, DENMARK

Denmark's Refugee Museum

OKSBØL, DENMARK

2022

CLIENT

Varde Museum

TYPOLOGY

Culture, Interiors

SIZE M2/FT2

2,075 / 22,335

STATUS

COMPLETED

Following the opening of Tirpitz Museum on the West Coast of Denmark – FLUGT – Denmark’s new Refugee Museum, is BIG’s second museum for Vardemuseerne: a local institution dedicated to the archaeology, dissemination, and collection of historical knowledge about the region.

 

Located at the site of Denmark’s largest Refugee camp from World War II, BIG has adapted and extended one of the camp’s few remaining structures – a hospital building – into a 1,600 m2 museum.

 

FLUGT gives a voice and a face to refugees worldwide and captures the universal challenges, emotions, spirit, and stories shared by displaced humans.

With approximately 35,000 World War II refugees staying at the Oksbøl refugee camp, the camp became the fifth-largest city of Denmark at the time. The camp’s hospital is one of the few remaining structures.

From outside, the abstract volume welcomes visitors into what appears to be a closed entry hall. Upon entering, a floor-to-ceiling curved glass wall reveals a view of a sheltered green courtyard and the forest, where the refugee camp used to be. The courtyard lets light flow into the entry hall that functions as a lobby or a temporary exhibition space for guests to experience before continuing their journey into one of the museum wings.

"From the very beginning of the design process, it was vital for us and our client, Vardemuseerne to preserve the two hospital buildings. The buildings are some of the last remaining physical manifestations of the former refugee camp, and not only is their preservation invaluable for future generations to understand the past and the present, the buildings also directly informed our design of the extension by means of their unique elongated form, structure and materiality. FLUGT is a great example of how adaptive reuse can result in sustainable, functional buildings that preserve our shared history while standing out architecturally."

Frederik Lyng — Associate & Project Leader, BIG

The courtyard creates a peaceful sensory experience both inside and outside the museum. A small mirror pool in the heart of the courtyard reflects the sky above it. Around the basin, heath planting known from the region emphasizes the identity of the area. 

The exhibition area in the north wing contains gallery spaces organized according to the original flow/circulation in the hospital. While most of the hospital room walls were torn down, some of the inside walls are kept intact and stabilized by three cross sections, creating larger exhibition spaces.

 

The south wing features a flexible conference room, smaller exhibition spaces, café. The back-of-house functions with the same character and materiality as in the north wing: white walls and intersections covered in white painted wood boards oriented according to the angle ceiling line, as well as yellow bricks across the entire museum floor, connecting past and present structures.

"The Refugee Museum of Denmark explores an important part of our history and a theme that is more relevant than ever, with millions of refugees currently displaced from their homes. We have designed an architectural framework that connects the past with the present - with a new building directly shaped by its relationship to the historic hospital buildings of the WWII refugee camp. We went into this project with all our heart to address one of the world’s greatest challenges - how we welcome and care for our fellow world citizens when they are forced to flee. The project is a continuation of our collaboration on Tirpitz Museum with Vardemuseerne and Claus Kjeld Jensen whose uncompromised design vision once again inspired our design for FLUGT."

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

In addition to preserving and reusing the hospital buildings for historical value, extending the lifespan of the existing structures supports BIG’s mission of reducing waste, conserving resources, and creating a smaller carbon footprint as it relates to materials manufacturing and transport.

Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Ole Elkjær-Larsen Marius Tromholt-Richter Anders Holden Deleuran Andy Coward Barbora Hrmova Danyu Zeng Eddie Can Frederik Lyng Frederik Skou Jensen Hanne Halvorsen Jonathan Udemezue Katrine Sandstrøm Kim Lauer Kristian Mousten Laura Wätte Lone Fenger Albrechtsen Lukas Molter Mads Primdahl Rokkjær Michael James Kepke Nanna Gyldholm Møller Nikolaos Romanos Tsokas Oliver Siekierka Peter Høgenhaven Richard Howis Sascha Leth Rasmussen Sofiia Rokhmaniko Thor Larsen-Lechuga Tomas Karl Ramstrand Tore Banke Tristan Harvey Ulla Hornsyld Ákos Márk Horváth Anne Søby Nielsen Høgni Laksafoss Cheng-Huang Lin Gabrielė Ubarevičiūtė Giulia Frittoli Toni Mateu Muhammad Mansoor Awais Arthur Martinevski

AWARDS

Danish Building of the Year Awards 2022


Luigi Micheletti Award 2023

COLLABORATORS

INGENIØR'NE
Tinker Imagineers
Gade & Mortensen Akustik
HB Trapper
BIG Landscape
BIG Ideas

The Sphere

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

The Sphere

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2023

CLIENT

Who Made Who

TYPOLOGY

Products

STATUS

COMPLETED

Danish music trio, WhoMadeWho, known for their forward-thinking sounds and performances, enlisted BIG to create the stage centerpiece for their live world tour, completing an immersive audiovisual experience.

 

The Sphere is conceived as a 3.50-meter-wide inflatable orb suspended above the stage and used as a projection surface to create a three-dimensional experience for the audience. Complementing The Sphere, we developed reflective, inflatable covers for their tables to add depth to the stage.

 

For effortless transport, The Sphere is crafted as a portable, lightweight structure that is easily inflated and deflated to fit into a standard-size luggage.

"The WhoMadeWho scenography draws inspiration from our previous ventures into inflatable creations, like SKUM and THE ORB. With maximum visual impact, the inflatable sphere serves as a canvas for captivating three-dimensional video projections, elevating the concert experience to a new level."

Jakob Lange — Partner & Head of BIG Products, BIG

Bjarke Ingels Jakob Lange Jan-Hendrik Schrader Johannes Becker Anca Molonfalean Peter van der Beek

Qianhai Prisma Towers

SHENZHEN, CHINA

Qianhai Prisma Towers

SHENZHEN, CHINA

2022

CLIENT

Shenzhen Metro Qianhai International Development Co., Ltd. (深圳地铁前海国际发展有限公司)

TYPOLOGY

Work

SIZE M2/FT2

330,000 / 3,552,090

STATUS

IN DESIGN

BIG’s ‘leaning’ Qianhai Prisma Towers, featuring a 300m2 tall residential tower and a 250m tall office tower, will complete the new Qianhai Bay development, solidifying Qianhai’s position as the burgeoning financial and cultural center of Shenzhen. Expected to begin construction in 2025, the project – won in a global architectural competition – will be BIG’s second in Shenzhen following Shenzhen Energy Mansion’s completion in 2017. 

 

Situated in the Guiwan District within the metropolitan city of Qianhai, the BIG-designed Qianhai Prisma Towers will flank each side of the Shenzhen Hong Kong Plaza also known as the ‘green belt’ – marking the entrance to the neighborhood. New workspaces, residences, and 20,000+ m2 of multi-level public spaces will be positioned steps from an integrated regional transport hub and the Qianhai Bay. 

"Both towers are conceived as simple prismatic building envelopes split open to make room for public space on the ground where they stand. The open seams and gaping corners allow the green spaces to ascend from the ground to the sky leaving wedges for outdoor gardens and terraces for the life of the people living and working within. With its timeless simplicity and inviting openness - the architecture of the two towers is firmly rooted in the urban values underpinning Shenzhen - a vertical modern city of 1000 parks.”

Bjarke Ingels — Founder & Creative Director, BIG

Peeking through the building envelope openings, cascading green terraces are introduced from the street level and up to the roof, where office workers and visitors can enjoy 360-degree views of Qianhai Bay. PV cells are integrated in the slightly tilted office tower’s West and East façade spandrel to maximize the PV efficiency. To better respond to the local climate achieving and improving thermal performance, double-skin closed-cavity façade (CCF) is used for the most exposed orientation of office tower. The apartment tower units have operable ventilation inlets built into the window frames to allow for natural ventilation.