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15.03.2024
AARHUS HARBOR MASTERPLAN WINS 2024 MIPIM AWARD FOR BEST URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT

Our masterplan for Aarhus Harbor in Denmark has been named Best Urban Regeneration Project at this year’s MIPIM Awards ceremony in Cannes, France. Selected by votes from the jury and MIPIM delegates, the project is honored for its physical and economic revitalization of the area, consideration of heritage preservation, sustainability, access, and integration of the project in its environment and community.


Tasked to transform a formerly industrial harbor into a vibrant neighborhood on the waterfront of Aarhus, we collaborated with Gehl Architects to create the framework for public life first, leaving plots for residential developments to be shaped by the life that preceded them. Today, a public promenade activates the entire waterfront, zig-zagging along the pier and defining a series of new public spaces on land and on water.


The masterplan includes the BIG-designed Aarhus Harbor Bath, Aarhus Theater, Kampanilen, AARhus Residences, the Beach Huts, the Urban Life huts, the Scandic wellness hotel, as well as SLETH’s Karréerne.


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12.03.2024
BJARKE INGELS SPEAKS ON AI AND THE FUTURE OF ARCHITECTURE AT SXSW 2024

Construction technology company ICON unveiled a series of new projects at this year’s South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, including the new AI architect Vitruvius. Leveraging advanced AI technology to harness expertise from top architects, Vitruvius offers a cooperative home design process that is finely tuned to understand building and design requirements.


To help introduce Vitruvius to the audience alongside ICON’s CEO and Co-Founder Jason Ballard, BIG’s Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels spoke on-stage about AI and the future of architecture.


“In my mind, the future will be designed by both human and artificial designers. There is no better way to contribute to the future than by spending energy, attention and investment into educating the designers that will give form to the future – whether human or artificial. By opening up Vitruvius to all of you and the world today, we are essentially starting what I believe will be a lifelong education of the artificial architects of tomorrow.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG


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09.03.2024
DOMUS HIGHLIGHTS TIRPITZ MUSEUM IN ARTICLE ABOUT UNDERGROUND ARCHITECTURE

Domus features the Tirpitz Museum in an article about the history and benefits of underground architecture, emphasizing the minimal effects on microclimates and reduction of the ecological footprint.


Located on the shorelands of Denmark’s west coast, the Tirpitz Museum is a cultural complex transformed from a historic WWII concrete bunker, seamlessly embedded into its surrounding landscape and acting as a gentle counterbalance to the dramatic history of the site.


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08.03.2024
BIG FEATURED IN ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST’S LIST OF ARCHITECTURE TRENDS IN 2024

Architectural Digest features the Kaktus Towers and El Cosmico in their report on how they anticipate the architecture discipline to develop in 2024. Emphasizing the continued importance of public and shared spaces in our societies, Kaktus Towers’ integration of in- and outdoor communal areas throughout the two towers is highlighted as an example of how design can strengthen social cohesion in residential projects.


El Cosmico, the hotel and campground in Marfa, Texas, is featured as an example on how 3D printing is making its way into large-scale architecture. Developed in collaboration with ICON and Texas-based hotelier Liz Lambert, the project features 3D-printed structures including domes, arches, vaults, and parabolic forms.


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05.03.2024
BIG AND HNTB WIN COMPETITION TO DESIGN NEW ATHLETICS BALLPARK IN LAS VEGAS

BIG and HTNB unveil a design for the Athletics Major League Baseball team’s new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. The 33,000-capacity covered ballpark 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 presented 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 also 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.


“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


The new home for the Athletics has an expected opening date of spring 2028.


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01.03.2024
ELLE DECOR JAPAN FEATURES BIG PROJECTS

ELLE Decor Japan has published an article highlighting a selection of BIG’s projects, focusing on how they interpret local history and culture while integrating new technologies. The article features 13 projects, including the waste-to-energy plant CopenHill in Copenhagen, the “floating” Sluishius residences in Amsterdam, and BIG’s first supertall The Spiral in New York.


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01.03.2024
BIG PARTNER DOUGLASS ALLIGOOD NAMED AIA FELLOW

Douglass Alligood, Partner in BIG’s NYC office, is named to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows, AIA’s highest membership honor.


The AIA fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. The achievement is attained by less than three percent of the architecture profession.


Douglass Alligood is a planner and architect with over 40 years of experience working across a range of projects including commercial towers, cultural institutions, education, health science, sports facilities, residential and master planning. Currently, he is leading the design for the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas and is also working on the Athletics Ballpark in Las Vegas. Since becoming a Partner at BIG in 2021, he has focused on increasing the firm’s technical expertise in the functional aspects of design and building performance. Douglass has been a volunteer and appointed member of several community planning groups, including the non-profit Urban Design Forum and The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). He also mentors young professionals and architecture students.


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29.02.2024
BIG HOSTS COUNCIL OF TALL BUILDINGS & URBAN HABITAT EVENT AT THE CPH HQ

BIG welcomed 150 industry peers at the Copenhagen HQ for a conference on “Nordic Design Excellence”. Organized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the world’s leading resource for professionals in design, construction, and operations of tall building and future cities, the program included a keynote speech by President of CTBUH, Anthony Wood, and presentations by Anne Skovbro, CEO at By & Havn, Morten Kirban Rix, Project Director at Incuba, Sonja Stockmarr, Global Design Director at Henning Larsen, and Brian Yang, Partner at BIG, among others.


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26.02.2024
BIG DESIGNS THE VISUAL IDENTITY FOR 3DAYSOFDESIGN 2024

BIG designs this year’s visual identity for annual design festival in Copenhagen, 3daysofdesign. Centered around the 2024 theme “Dare To Dream”, the identity uses 3D-modeled renderings to form furniture and clouds connected by a staircase to embody the spirit of imagination, collaboration, and optimism.


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25.02.2024
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NAMES MÉCA THE NEW ARCHITECTURAL ICON OF BORDEAUX

In a story about the city of Bordeaux in France, National Geographic Spain highlights cultural center MÉCA as a new architectural icon of the city. Centrally located between the River Garonne and Saint-Jean train station, MÉCA creates a frame for the celebration of contemporary art, film, and performances, cementing Bordeaux as an epicenter for culture.


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20.02.2024
BNSF RAILWAY DONATES $2 MILLION TO NATIONAL JUNETEENTH MUSEUM

Fort Worth-based Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway, operator of one of the largest railroad networks in North America, makes a naming-rights gift of $2 million toward the construction of the National Juneteenth Museum in the Historic Southside neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas.


The gift comes on the heels of significant donations including Fort Worth City Council committing $15 million to the project, as well as the state of Texas and Bank of America each donating $1 million. So far, the organization has raised over $30 million of the $70 million total that it seeks.


The 50,000-square-foot National Juneteenth Museum, designed by BIG, 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.


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20.02.2024
JOINT RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION SECURES BUILDING PERMIT

The Joint Research Center in Sevilla, Spain, has received its building permit for construction of the new six-storey building that will become the headquarters of the European Commission’s international workforce of 400 researchers.


Informed by the shaded plazas and streets of Sevilla, the site will be covered with solar canopies, sheltering the research building and garden from the sun, as well as creating a shaded plaza for public gatherings. The building ties into the City’s goal to become a global benchmark for sustainability by 2025 and the vision of the eCity Sevilla project to decarbonize and transition Isla de Cartuja to renewable energy sources.


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19.02.2024
NASA LOOKS FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SPEND A YEAR IN MARS DUNE ALPHA

NASA is looking for four participants to live in the BIG-designed Mars simulation, Mars Dune Alpha, for one full year in preparation for human exploration of the planet. This is the second of three missions in NASA’s CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) program, in which four volunteers will live in the 1,700-square-foot habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The ground mission will begin in spring 2025.


Mars Dune Alpha, 3D-printed by construction company ICON and designed by BIG, features private quarters for each volunteer, with dedicated workstations, medical stations, food-growing stations and shared living spaces. Life in Mars Dune Alpha will resemble the expected experience for those living in a future Mars surface habitat, complete with the typical environmental stressors of the planet as well as limited resources.


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18.02.2024
THE SPHERE FEATURED IN ARCHDAILY’S ARTICLE ON IMMERSIVE SPACES

In an article exploring sensory environments created through architecture and art, ArchDaily includes The Sphere, a scenography installation designed by BIG Products for Danish music trio WhoMadeWho. The article describes the scenography as an example of interdisciplinary collaboration with architects playing a pivotal role in enriching public life and fostering meaningful connections.


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15.02.2024
MUSÉE ATELIER AUDEMARS PIGUET NAMED A MUST-SEE DESTINATION BY TATLER ASIA

Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is featured in an article by Tatler Asia detailing its design and visitor experience.


“The living museum in Le Brassus, Switzerland fully expresses the manufacturer’s boundless creativity in the art and science of watchmaking, housed in an impressive modern building flanked by a traditional Swiss house and the leafy Risoud Forest,” writes reporter Brian Cheong.


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.


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15.02.2024
BIG PARTNER JOÃO ALBUQUERQUE SPEAKS AT THE MADRID DESIGN FESTIVAL 2024

Partner João Albuquerque gave a lecture at the opening of this year’s Madrid Design Festival, speaking about BIG’s design philosophy and practice. Under the theme “Redesigning the World”, the city-wide design festival brought together nearly 700 designers, specialists, and researchers in the Spanish capital to address how design can develop solutions to the complex challenges our societies face.


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12.02.2024
BIG REVEALS DESIGN FOR FREEDOM PLAZA IN MANHATTAN’S MIDTOWN EAST NEIGHBORHOOD

BIG unveils the design for Freedom Plaza, a plan for a new civic and cultural hub along Manhattan’s East River. Designed by BIG and developed by Soloviev Group and Mohegan Sun, Freedom Plaza sits on a waterfront site south of the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood. The development will bring a 4.77-acre public waterfront open space designed by OJB Landscape Architecture with an in-park Museum of Freedom and Democracy, two residential towers with much-needed affordable housing, two hotels including New York’s first Banyan Tree, 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.


“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


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10.02.2024
KAKTUS TOWERS FEATURED IN FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung spotlights the Kaktus Towers in Copenhagen. The two residential towers of 20- and 22-storeys contain 495 apartments and are designed to accommodate tiny living with compact homes and spacious, shared amenities.


Situated within a web of movement, the towers feature a 150-meter-long high line-esque public park, planted with native trees, shrubs, and grasses. At the base of the towers, a plaza with a café, gym, and staircase leading up to the park is located, connecting to the stream of pedestrians emerging from the train station on the northern side of the towers and the local shopping mall towards the south.


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08.02.2024
CASA BRUTUS COVERS BIG’s PRODUCT DESIGN TEAM

Japanese design magazine Casa BRUTUS features the new Copenhagen HQ for an article focusing on lighting design and how it can transform spaces. Delving into the lamps incorporated in the headquarters, the article showcases designs from the BIG product design team’s previous collaborations with Italian lamp manufacturer Artemide, including La Linea, Alphabet of Light, and Stellar Nebula.


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07.02.2024
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR

BIG wishes you a joyous and prosperous Lunar New Year! 龙年快乐!


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01.02.2024
BIG DESIGNS FAUCET COLLECTION FOR TONI COPENHAGEN

BIG’s Product design team has designed a collection of faucets named DÉCA for TONI Copenhagen. The faucet is the company’s first new design addition since 1940 and named after the Latin word for ‘ten’ as a direct reference to the faucet’s unique ten-edge-grip.


“The DÉCA family is a set of sculptural objects which can be stacked vertically or horizontally to form a simple composition. Rooted in the idea of creating a contemporary design, DÉCA is a one-hand-operational fixture that challenges how a fixture looks, feels, and operates.” – Jakob Lange, Partner & Head of BIG Products


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31.01.2024
BJARKE INGELS SPEAKS ON ECOGRADIA PODCAST ABOUT GIVING FORM TO THE FUTURE

Bjarke Ingels is the featured guest on the first episode of architecture podcast Ecogradia’s fourth season, wherein Bjarke talks about “how form-making will unlock the power of architecture.” Bjarke deep dives into BIG projects CopenHill, Toyota Woven City and OCEANIX City in the broader contexts of hedonistic sustainability, sustainable architecture, future and modular cities, and the role of design in solving the climate crisis.


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26.01.2024
DEZEEN HIGHLIGHTS TURN SYSTEM AS VIABLE SOLUTION FOR REDUCING PLASTIC WASTE

The TURN System is highlighted in Dezeen’s article about reducing dependency on single-use plastics. The article dives into the importance of designing for human behavior when addressing plastic waste and uses TURN as an innovative example of this.


Designed by BIG’s product design team, the system consists of reusable cups, return bins and on-site washing facilities, and has prevented over 44.2 mt of plastic waste just in the last year through partnerships with Starbucks, Live Nation, Oak View Group and Pepsi among others.


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25.01.2024
BJARKE INGELS SPEAKS AT THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE AND METROPOLITAN PLANNING IN PRAGUE

Bjarke Ingels spoke at the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning in Prague as part of their Urban Talks series, marking the opening of the Prague Tomorrow? The Vltava Philharmonic Hall exhibition, which showcases the detailed architectural study of the future national concert hall in the Czech capital.


Beyond becoming the home of the world-class philharmonic orchestra, the Vltava Philharmonic Hall will serve as a public urban space. By raising and lowering the corners of the building at multiple touch points, 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.


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22.01.2024
BIOSPHERE NAMED BEST HOSPITALITY PROJECT IN ARCHITECTURE AT THE 2024 CRÉATEURS DESIGN AWARDS

Biosphere wins the Best Hospitality Project in Architecture at the 2024 Créateurs Design Awards, a peer-to-peer award program highlighting extraordinary work in architecture, interior- and product design, photography, journalism, and curation.


Located in the Swedish Lapland, Biosphere is the eighth room at the renowned TreeHotel, known for its broad variety of cabins, with each having a distinct identity responding and interacting with the surrounding forest. Enveloped by 350 bird- and bat houses, the Biosphere cabin aims to decrease the downward spiral of the bird population in the region while providing guests the opportunity to experience birdlife in close proximity.


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18.01.2024
ARCHITECTURAL RECORD FEATURES ELLINIKON PARK RISE

Architectural Record features BIG’s Park Rise residences in an article exploring reimagined infrastructure. Ellinikon Park Rise sits within Europe’s largest urban regeneration project, the Ellinikon Masterplan, and will bring 88 homes to the little Athens neighborhood. The building is designed to reimagine the classic Greek column with its concave façade, and will provide future residents with their own private terraces as well as access to a shared garden, extending the vast Metropolitan Park to create an outdoor oasis.


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12.01.2024
BIG SHARES SNEAK PEEK OF NOT A HOTEL SETOUCHI

BIG and NOT A HOTEL reveal a first look at their new collaboration in Japan. The lush and tranquil southwest cape of Sagi Island overlooking the Seto Inland Sea is reminiscent of the captivating beauty found in Japanese landscape paintings. The sculptural precision and simplicity envisioned by hospitality group NOT A HOTEL draws on influences from both Japanese and Danish architecture, and looks to spark a dialogue between the two.


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11.01.2024
NEW YORK TIMES LISTS QUITO AS A TOP TRAVEL DESTINATION FOR 2024

The New York Times, along with major publications Bloomberg, Vogue and Condé Nast Traveler, name Quito, Ecuador as a top travel destination for 2024, noting BIG-designed projects in the design-oriented city, such as the IQON and EPIQ towers.


“When the brand-new 14-mile Metro line in Quito, Ecuador’s high-altitude capital, becomes fully operational this year, its 15 stations will connect the city from north to south, making it easier for travelers to explore — from the exquisitely preserved churches of the UNESCO-listed historic center to modern districts flaunting avant-garde towers designed by the likes of Bjarke Ingels and Moshe Safdie,” says the New York Times.


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03.01.2024
PARTNER AND HEAD OF LANDSCAPE GIULIA FRITTOLI FEATURED IN THE URBANISTICA – CITIES FOR PEOPLE PODCAST

Partner and Head of Landscape Giulia Frittoli is featured on an episode of Urbanistica – Cities for People, a podcast exploring urban planning, architecture, and innovation. In the episode, Giulia speaks to host Mustafa Sherif about BIG’s masterplan for Toyota Woven City, and how the masterplan is dedicated to paving new paths for urbanity.


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02.01.2024
ELLE DECOR ITALIA SELECTS ONE HIGH LINE AS ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS OF 2024

Elle Decor Italy’s selection of the most anticipated architectural projects of 2024 includes the BIG-designed One High Line in New York City.


Steps from New York’s High Line Park on Manhattan’s west side, the two towers at One High Line connect as they rise 300 and 400-feet in the sky. At the base, the two towers pull away from each other and the neighboring buildings to maximize urban space and views. The twisting geometry at the corners of the towers reduces the overall bulk of the buildings and creates additional separation between them.


“The sculptural form is a direct response to the site’s historic industrial heritage and contemporary architecture. It is the means, not the end. The resulting architecture merges the past and present of Chelsea into a new hybrid identity.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG


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22.12.2023
HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy Holidays from BIG! Here’s to a bright, peaceful, and prosperous 2024.


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20.12.2023
BIG UNVEILS GELEPHU MINDFULNESS CITY IN THE KINGDOM OF BHUTAN

In the 116th National Day address to an audience of 30,000, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck presented 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+ km2 masterplan titled ‘Mindfulness City’ developed in collaboration with Arup and Cistri is informed by Bhutanese culture, the principles of Gross National Happiness index (GNH), and the country’s strong spiritual heritage.


Designed by BIG’s Landscape and Urban Design Team, the masterplan aims to lay the foundation for the country’s future growth, creating opportunities for the Bhutanese people 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.


“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


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15.12.2023
FIELD OF LIGHT INSTALLATION OPENS ON FREEDOM PLAZA SITE IN NYC

Amidst the holiday season in New York City, artist Bruce Munro’s Field of Light opened to the public on the Freedom Plaza site. Field of Light, situated between 38th and 41st Streets east of First Avenue, features 18,750 low-light, fiber-optic stemmed spheres that illuminate with a slow, subtle change of hue. Guests are invited to walk the winding path through the ethereal painted landscape framed by the city’s skyline and East River waterfront.


The immersive installation was organized by The Soloviev Group, the developer proposing the Freedom Plaza development on the previously vacant six-acre site. Designed by BIG, Freedom Plaza is slated to include a publicly accessible greenspace, hotel and residential towers, a museum, retail, and a below-grade gaming area.


Field of Light is set to be open for one year.


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13.12.2023
CZECH FORBES VISITS BIG’s COPENHAGEN HQ

Forbes Czech Republic visits the Copenhagen HQ and interviews Senior Architect Jan Magasanik about BIG’s design of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall in Prague. In the interview, Jan speaks about BIG’s practice, and describes how the new national concert hall will aim to become a focal point for the city, cementing Prague’s reputation as a European cultural capital.


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11.12.2023
ICON SELECTED BY DARPA TO BUILD FRAMEWORK FOR LUNAR ARCHITECTURE

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen 3D-printing technology company ICON among fourteen partners to build a framework for lunar architecture. The LunA-10 Lunar Architecture Study will run for seven months with the aim to “create a framework for interoperable commercial lunar architecture that will help to guide lunar research and investment over the next ten years.” 


As longtime partners, BIG and ICON have collaborated on projects both on Earth and in space. BIG worked with ICON to design Project Olympus, a lunar habitat intended to be built from lunar regolith using ICON’s 3D-printing technology. The habitat is designed to accommodate four astronauts for a period of up to a month at a time. BIG and ICON also collaborated on Mars Dune Alpha, a structure simulating life on Mars to facilitate future long-duration, explorative science missions, which is now housed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.


 


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07.12.2023
BJARKE INGELS JOINS LIVEWIRED’S ‘THE NEXT 30’ PANEL

BIG Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels joined Kathryn Murdoch and Ari Wallach, executive producers of the upcoming docuseries A Brief History of the Future, for a panel discussion hosted by Alan Henry at LiveWIRED in San Francisco. The trio gathered to discuss the idea of “protopias” and how the future can be reimagined using new technologies.


Bjarke will be featured on an episode of A Brief History of the Future, which follows thought-leaders working toward solving some of humanity’s greatest challenges by exploring innovative ways to think about the future. It is set to premiere on April 3rd, 2024 on PBS.


LiveWIRED brings together leaders, innovators, creators and educators from tech, science, business, culture, politics and more to learn about today’s – and tomorrow’s – biggest tech trends, innovations and challenges. This year, WIRED celebrated its 30th anniversary at the event by showcasing the people, platforms, technologies and ideas that inspire.



 


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07.12.2023
THE TWIST AND MUSÉE ATELIER AUDEMARS PIGUET FEATURED ON AD’S LIST OF MOST IMPRESSIVE ARCHITECTURAL MUSEUMS IN THE WORLD

Architectural Digest France includes BIG’s The Twist and Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet on their list of the 13 most impressive architectural museums in the world. 


Completed in 2020 for the namesake watch manufacturer, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet forms a spiral-shaped pavilion reminiscent of the spring in a timepiece movement, entirely supported by curved glass walls and offers visitors a unique opportunity to delve into the history of the craftsmanship. 


The Twist is situated in the Kistefos Sculpture Park and 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. 


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07.12.2023
THE SPIRAL INCLUDED ON TWO DEZEEN 2023 TOP TEN LISTS

As part of its year in review, Dezeen listed The Spiral as one of the top ten skyscrapers as well as one of the top ten architecture projects in the U.S. completed in 2023. As BIG’s first supertall, The Spiral neighbors the elevated High Line and Bella Abzug Park on Manhattan’s west side, extending the parks’ green space up and around its exterior in a spiraling motion towards the sky.


“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 1,000-foot-tall vine at the scale of the city’s skyline,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG.


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07.12.2023
DYMAK HQ BREAKS GROUND IN ODENSE

Danish supply chain company Dymak’s new HQ breaks ground in Odense. The 2800 m2 building is designed by BIG LEAP – our in-house Architecture, Landscape, Engineering and Product Design teams – and set to achieve DGBN Gold and Heart Certification.


Characterized by a circular shape and a grid-like facade, the building references the Danish architectural tradition of half-timbering. The facade consists of a series of 44 radial cross-laminated timber frames, topped with an undulating roof covered in PVCs, which are angled for harvesting solar energy throughout the year and to reduce noise pollution for the open-air courtyard at the heart of the HQ. The courtyard draws the surrounding nature into the HQ and doubles as an amphitheater for informal meetings and social events.


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06.12.2023
BIG PARTNER JAKOB LANGE INTERVIEWED BY GQ JAPAN

GQ Japan interviews Jakob Lange, Partner and Head of BIG’s Product Design team about BIG’s furniture collection for BoConcept, Nawabari. In the interview, Jakob dives into the inspiration behind the collection, collaborating with the Danish interior brand and how BIG merges architecture and furniture design.  


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06.12.2023
THE AUSTRALIAN SPOTLIGHTS MUSÉE ATELIER AUDEMARS PIGUET AND HÔTEL DES HORLOGERS

Major Australian publication The Australian highlights Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet and the neighbouring Hôtel des Horlogers in a feature story on the museum and hotel in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.


Located among the historical complex of workshops and factories in the village of Le Brassus, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is a spiral-shaped pavilion that opened in 2020, reminiscent of the spring in a timepiece movement, entirely supported by curved glass walls. The addition of the zig-zagging Hôtel des Horlogers came to fruition just one year later, opening its doors in April of 2021.


For Sébastian Vivas, heritage and museum director at Audemars Piguet, the design fits with how he sees the museum and hotel – as a “living” experience: “Watchmaking is a living industry, connecting the past with the future. For our watchmakers, it is extremely inspiring to work in workshops surrounded by the masterpieces of their predecessors. For our visitors, it is key to be in contact with the artisans because our crafts are based on the transmission of know-how, passion, the [sharing] of ideas.”


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06.12.2023
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST NAMES BIG AS AD100 2024 HONOREE

Architectural Digest released its AD100 list for 2024, including Bjarke Ingels Group. AD100 is Architectural Digest’s annual selection of 100 creatives that represent today’s top talents in interior decoration, architecture and landscape design. For the 2024 edition, Architectural Digest highlights BIG’s first completed supertall tower, The Spiral, which debuted earlier this year in Manhattan, as well as BIG’s new offices in Barcelona and Los Angeles; IQON, the residential tower in Quito, Ecuador; and Wildflower Studios, the film studio in Queens, New York, built in collaboration with Adam Gordon and Robert De Niro that is slated to complete next year.


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04.12.2023
NYC PARTNER MARTIN VOELKLE FEATURED ON USMODERNIST RADIO

BIG NYC Partner Martin Voelkle sits down with USModernist Radio host George Smart for episode #329 of the architecture podcast. In the episode, Martin discusses his early days at BIG, the growth of the company and his journey to become a partner at the NYC office. Martin also breaks down some of BIG’s most notable projects and his involvement in BIG’s residential projects, highlighting the firm’s work with 3D printing construction company ICON to design and build habitats both on Earth and on the Moon.


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04.12.2023
BIG OPENS OFFICE IN OSLO

BIG establishes a permanent presence in Oslo, Norway, led by Architect Viktoria Millentrup to be closer to collaborators and partners. BIG has completed several projects in the country, including The Plus, a BREEAM Outstanding-certified factory in the forest of Magnor, The Twist, a contemporary art museum in Kistefos, and Oslo Science City, a 1.4 million m2 innovation district.


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01.12.2023
BIG SIGNS REDUCTION ROADMAP TOGETHER WITH DANISH COMPANIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND MUNICIPALITIES

BIG signs the Reduction Roadmap, a call to action for the Danish building sector to align all building industry actors with commitment to the Paris Agreement. Launched by Effekt, Artelia and Cebra, the Reduction Roadmap has been signed by 400+ companies, organizations, and municipalities and is developed in cross-sectoral partnerships with advisors, research institutes, architects, and NGOs within the building industry.


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01.12.2023
BIG CONTRIBUTES TO KOREAN BROADCASTING NETWORK KNN’S DOCUMENTARY ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT

In a new documentary entitled “The City is Mine”, Korea’s regional broadcasting network KNN explores European cities to draw inspiration from for the redesign of South Korean coastal city Busan. The documentary visits Copenhagen to interview BIG Partner Catherine Huang and Associate Jinho Lee and highlights projects such as Superkilen, CopenHill, Copenhagen Harbor Bath, and Urban Rigger. 


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30.11.2023
THE URBAN SPACE BETWEEN AARHUS Ø’S KARRÉERNE, KAMPANILEN AND THE URBAN LIFE HUTS RECEIVES THE CITY’S HIGHEST HONOR

The programming and development of Aarhus Ø’s Bassin 7 pier has been awarded the City’s highest honor for its exceptional attention to scale, architectural quality, and contribution to the built environment.


Asked to masterplan the entire island on the decommissioned pier in 2013, we worked together with Gehl Architects in designing the public spaces first and turning the leftover areas into plots for commercial and residential developments, secondly. Today, a public promenade activates the entire waterfront, zig-zagging along the pier and defining a series of new public spaces on land and on water.


Of the realized projects from the masterplan, SLETH’s residential project Karréerne as well as BIG’s Kampanilen and the Urban Life Huts are emphasized for how they consider the street level and frame a comfortable public space with views of the city, and shelter from the wind.


In its motivation, the Head of the Jury, City Architect Anne Mette Boye, further stated: “The work has been consistently and carefully done to develop the area over time as a welcoming destination for the residents of Aarhus as well as visitors. It is a great example of urban development where architectural approaches to buildings and urban spaces come together harmoniously. Even on a rainy November day, there’s a vibrant urban life.


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29.11.2023
BJARKE INGELS SPEAKS ABOUT PLAN FOR PLANET INITIATIVE AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY

BIG’s Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels was invited to speak at Stanford University’s School of Engineering and Doerr School of Sustainability in California for the inaugural Shimizu Distinguished Lecture. He spoke to attendees about BIG’s Plan for Planet initiative and how a carbon-neutral planet could be achieved, while addressing the fundamental challenges of modern living.


The Shimizu Distinguished Lecture series focuses on construction, sustainable design, architecture and related fields, and is supported by the Shimizu Corporation, which enables Stanford’s Civil & Environmental Engineering department to promote international collaboration between academia and industry by welcoming visitors who make distinctive contributions to civil or environmental engineering.


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28.11.2023
8 HOUSE MENTIONED IN FORBES’ GUIDE OF BEST DANISH DESIGN IN COPENHAGEN

Forbes features BIG’s 8 House in their guide to experience the best of Danish design in Copenhagen. Completed in 2010, the mixed-use development combines three different types of residential housing as well as 10,000 m2 of retail and offices, organized around two smaller, more intimate courtyards. The complete structure is connected by a continuous green promenade and cycling path running from the ground to the 10th floor, which merges the calmness of suburban life with the energetic community of a big city.


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27.11.2023
BIG DESIGNS IMMERSIVE STAGE FOR DANISH BAND WHOMADEWHO’S WORLD TOUR

BIG’s Product Design team has designed The Sphere, a stage installation for the Danish music trio WhoMadeWho’s world tour, which kicked off in Istanbul last month. Suspended above the stage, a 3.50-meter-large inflatable orb is used as a projection surface to create a three-dimensional audiovisual experience for the audience.  


“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 


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22.11.2023
NEW PHOTOS OF ONE HIGH LINE FEATURED IN DEZEEN

A recent Dezeen article reveals new images of the nearly completed exteriors of One High Line, located in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood. BIG’s twisting towers occupy a full city block between the High Line Park and the Hudson River, and are in good company near residential buildings by Jean Nouvel, Thomas Heatherwick, Zaha Hadid and Renzo Piano.


“The whole philosophy is that from this point of departure, the two towers tried to be good neighbors to each other,” Ingels told Dezeen. “It requires certain adjustments of proportions; those proportions trickled down and end up creating all these moments.”


The sculptural geometry of the two towers at One High Line is a direct response to their dense context. At the base, the two towers pull away from each other and the neighboring buildings to maximize urban space and views. The twisting geometry at the corners of the towers reduces the overall bulk of the buildings and creates additional separation between them. The façade design is inspired by the punched windows seen in the historic warehouses of the Meatpacking and West Chelsea neighborhoods.


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20.11.2023
ONE HIGH LINE DEVELOPER ALEX WITKOFF SPEAKS TO MANSION GLOBAL ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF MANHATTAN’S WEST CHELSEA

Alex Witkoff, co-CEO of the Witkoff Group, spoke to Mansion Global about how New York’s West Chelsea neighborhood has defied the housing market slump and how its definition of luxury sets it apart in Manhattan.


Alex also addresses how One High Line fits into its environment: “The neighborhood is almost like a Pritzker Prize-winning area at this point. There are residential buildings by Jean Nouvel, Thomas Heatherwick, Zaha Hadid and Renzo Piano. We had the luxury of working with the best in architecture with Bjarke Ingels for One High Line. The project occupies a full city block between the High Line and the Hudson River in one of downtown Manhattan’s best locations. The High Line is just downstairs, and Hudson River Park is across the street. The project was carefully designed to take advantage of the unique site and contribute to the lived experience in West Chelsea.”


One High Line, designed by BIG, will feature 236 residences and a 120-key Faena New York hotel in a pair of twisting towers that encompass a full city block between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, offering stunning views of the Hudson River and city skyline.


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15.11.2023
CITYLIFE IN MILAN BECOMES FIRST URBAN AREA IN THE WORLD TO RECEIVE THREE PLATINUM-LEVEL SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATIONS

CityLife, the major urban development project in Milan, Italy, made history by becoming the first urban area globally to achieve three prestigious international sustainability certifications at the Platinum level: LEED for Cities and Communities, WELL Community Standard, and SITES for Existing Landscapes. CityLife is the first project in Europe to achieve SITES certification at any level, and the first in the world to obtain the Platinum level. These certifications, which serve as reference points for sustainable urban planning, recognize CityLife’s commitment to environmentally conscious practices.


CityWave, the fourth and final development within Milan’s CityLife, aims to complete the existing context rather than compete with it. BIG’s design for the commercial project envisions two individual buildings connected by a 140-meter canopy roof with photovoltaic panels – one of Europe’s largest PV-paneled roofs – forming a generous shaded public realm as the entrance to CityLife. CityWave’s completion is slated for 2026.


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15.11.2023
ELLE MEXICO FEATURES AUDEMARS PIGUET’S HÔTEL DES HORLOGERS IN ARTICLE ABOUT FASHION BRANDS’ HOSPITALITY PROJECTS

In an article about luxury fashion brands’ quests to diversify their offerings, ELLE Mexico highlights five companies that have launched into the hospitality industry, including Swiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet with its BIG-designed Hôtel des Horlogers.


Watchmaking, architecture and nature are celebrated at Hôtel des Horlogers, which zigzags through the Vallée de Joux town just outside of Geneva, Switzerland. The 8,700 square-metre hotel marks the second collaboration between BIG and Audemars Piguet, following the opening of the neighbouring Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in 2020. The hotel’s design features tilting slabs made of pared-back timber and concrete that complement the natural landscape enveloping the building. Amenities include a spa, conference center and three restaurants overseen by three-Michelin-starred French chef Emmanuel Renaut.


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15.11.2023
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER INCLUDES QUITO ON LIST OF THE BEST PLACES TO GO IN CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

As part of its annual guide on where to travel in the upcoming year, Condé Nast Traveler named Quito, Ecuador on its list of the best places to go in Central and South America in 2024. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, makes the list for its new architecture – including the BIG-designed IQON – and new metro system debuting at the end of 2023.


“The city’s mile-high skyline got a lot higher thanks to the work of architects like Bjarke Ingels Group, whose 32-story IQON tower (completed in 2022) is now the city’s tallest. It’s just one of several projects to come from Ecuadorian development firm Uribe Schwarzkopf, in its ongoing effort to mature the ancient Andean city into an unlikely new hub of contemporary architecture,” writes Adam Graham.


Traditionally a sprawling city of dense low-rise buildings, the skyline of Quito was re-imagined following the relocation of the city-center airport over a decade ago. With the skyline able to grow upwards for the first time, Uribe Schwarzkopf worked with BIG to realize a new contemporary identity for the city. The 130-meter, 32-story IQON stands as the tallest residential building in the Ecuadorian capital, designed as a vertical community and an extension of the neighboring La Carolina Park.


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10.11.2023
THE AARHUS HARBOR MASTERPLAN HONORED AT THE 2023 BUILDING AWARDS

Danish construction media Licitationen honors the project development of the Aarhus Harbor Masterplan for its effort in developing the formerly closed, industrial harbor into a new, lively waterfront in Aarhus. The award is given each year to one or more companies, which have succeeded in both planning and realizing a project or neighborhood with a sensitivity to its context. 


Designed in collaboration with Gehl Architects in 2013, the Aarhus Harbor masterplan was realized together with Kilden & Hindby, Bassin 7 Bolig, Bassin 7 Erhverv, Aarhus Municipality and SLETH Architects, and includes the BIG-designed AARhus Residences, Aarhus Theatre, the Beach Huts, the Urban Life huts, Aarhus Harbor Bath, and Kampanilen as well as SLETH’s Karréerne. The final addition to the masterplan will be the 18-storey Wellness Hotel, which broke ground earlier this year. 


In its motivation, the Jury explains: “The project stands out and has, with great luck and creativity, succeeded in transforming a formerly closed and inaccessible container port into a new active district in the heart of Aarhus.”


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09.11.2023
GARE DU PONT DE BONDY EXHIBITED AT CITÉ DE L’ARCHITECTURE ET DU PATRIMOINE IN PARIS

BIG’s design for the Gare du Pont de Bondy station is exhibited at Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris as part of the exhibition “Metro! Greater Paris on the move”. The exhibition retraces and combines the history of the Paris metro with the future network of the Grand Paris Express and will run until June 2nd, 2024. 


Inspired by the Parisian tradition of utilizing bridges as social spaces and cultural landmarks, Gare du Pont de Bondy is conceived as both a bridge and tunnel wrapped around a giant atrium, connecting the riverbank to the train landing. 


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03.11.2023
COPENHILL HIGHLIGHTED IN AUSTRIAN DER STANDARD

Austrian news media Der Standard features CopenHill in a story on how Denmark can inspire others in the green transition. The project is highlighted as an example of BIG’s notion of hedonistic sustainability and explores how reducing environmental impact can increase quality of life. 


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31.10.2023
BIG JOINS DESIGN TEAM FOR REVITALISATION OF HATAY PROVINCE IN TÜRKİYE

The Türkiye Design Council has brought together a team of global and local architects to start the long-term process of revitalising the historic province of Hatay, situated in southern Türkiye, following the devastating earthquake in February 2023.


Thirteen practices composed of leading experts in architecture, design, engineering, environmental sustainability, culture, heritage and archaeology – including BIG, Foster + Partners and Turkish practices DB Architects and KEYM – will work towards a vision for a more resilient, sustainable and liveable Hatay, while preserving the province’s 2,300-year-old cultural heritage and identity.


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30.10.2023
CURBED COVERS NYC’S COASTAL RESILIENCY PROGRESS IN LIGHT OF HURRICANE SANDY ANNIVERSARY

Eleven years after Hurricane Sandy devastated many parts of New York City, Curbed reporter Christopher Bonanos toured Manhattan’s eastern coast with Rohit Aggarwala, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection and its chief climate officer, to learn more about New York’s resiliency developments along the East River. The different projects along the coast primarily stem from the BIG U – BIG’s resiliency plan meant to protect 10 miles of continuous low-lying geography that compromise an incredibly dense, vibrant and vulnerable urban area.


One of the projects that came out of the BIG U, the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, completed its first section at Stuyvesant Cove Park in September 2023. The full project, designed by BIG and led by NYC Department of Design & Construction, is scheduled for completion by 2026.


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30.10.2023
BJARKE INGELS INTERVIEWED ON THE ECONOMIST’S WEEKEND INTELLIGENCE PODCAST

BIG Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels is featured on The Economist’s first ever Weekend Intelligence podcast episode, which focuses on outer space. Throughout the episode, The Economist’s Jessica Camille Aguirre contemplates living on the moon, interviewing – alongside Bjarke – NASA engineers, astronauts and 3D-printing construction company ICON’s Co-Founder and CEO Jason Ballard.


“Ingels and Ballard believe that exploration is a fundamental part of the human impulse – that it can explain history and how we built the societies we have,” remarks Aguirre in the episode. “To them, it’s also existential. They think that the future of humanity depends on continuing to find new frontiers, including physical frontiers off this planet.”


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26.10.2023
OCEAN HOUSE PALM JUMEIRAH WINS INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY AWARD 2023

The BIG-designed Ocean House Palm Jumeirah was named a winner in the International Property Awards 2023 in the category Architecture Multiple Residence Dubai (Africa & Arabia).

The awards celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property industry.


Nestled into the Northeast crescent of Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, Ocean House, designed by BIG and developed by Palm Northacre and Ellington Properties, will be a standalone multifamily residential building that will take a pivotal role in reshaping the waterfront of this ever-evolving archipelago. Redefining conventional luxury by merging the vernacular villa with the high-rise urban block, BIG’s vision for Ocean House is to create an iconic urban presence while offering the comfort and experience of a home in nature. The building’s design concept resembles a vertical garden village, where all four facades are wrapped by balconies, offering generous outdoor space and panoramic views over the Dubai skyline.


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26.10.2023
THE PLUS ACHIEVES BREEAM OUTSTANDING CERTIFICATION

The 7,000 m2 factory and visitor center, The Plus, has officially achieved the BREEAM Outstanding Certification, the leading environmental standard, as the first building of its type. Designed for furniture manufacturer Vestre, The Plus is comprised from local timber, low-carbon concrete, and recycled steel. Dedicated to the cleanest carbon-neutral fabrication of urban furniture in the world, The Plus’ energy consumption is 60% lower than equivalent conventional factories, while releasing 55% less greenhouse gases than similar buildings.


“Constructed from locally-sourced timber and running on local hydropower, the beauty of The Plus is in the clarity of its organization. Conceived as the intersection of a road and a production line, it forms a big plus shape that connects all aspects of manufacturing. 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.” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner and Creative Director, BIG.


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24.10.2023
THE SPIRAL COMPLETES IN MANHATTAN

The Spiral officially opened its doors in Manhattan. 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, extending 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 tower is BIG’s first completed supertall, and first completed commercial high-rise in New York.


“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 and Creative Director, BIG


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23.10.2023
BIG’S CEO SHEELA SOGAARD JOINS THE IMPACT AWARDS JURY

BIG’s CEO Sheela Sogaard joins the Jury for the Danish IMPACT Awards 2024. The awards program was launched last year by Denmark’s largest digital business media FINANS and KPGM, to showcase Danish companies working with sustainability within the fields of climate impact, social responsibility, and governance.


Sheela joins the Jury alongside CEO of Carlsberg Jacob Aarup Andersen, CEO of Grundfos Poul Due Jensen, Country Director at Google Denmark Bianca Bruun, and Group CEO of Nykredit Tonny Thierry Andersen among others.


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23.10.2023
BJARKE INGELS JOINS LIZ LAMBERT ON DESIGN:ED PODCAST

BIG Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels was interviewed on Architectural Record’s DESIGN:ED podcast alongside Texas hotelier Liz Lambert. During the episode, they talk about the redevelopment of El Cosmico in Marfa, how their partnership with ICON is redefining construction and design through 3D-printing, and Bjarke’s hopes for designing on the moon.


“These [3D-printed] projects may be small in themselves, but there is the potential for an incredible impact on the future of affordable housing: to pioneer the future of construction with additive manufacturing, and maybe build the first permanent human habitat on the moon. What we are trying to do with Liz is to re-explore the repertoire that comes available with 3D printing. Complex and curvilinear geometries that would be hard to control with masons and blueprints suddenly become available in a completely different way.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG


Architectural Record’s DESIGN:ED podcast is hosted by Austin, Texas–based architect Aaron Prinz, and provides an inside look into the field of architecture told from the perspective of individuals that are leading the industry.


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19.10.2023
THE SPIRAL AND CAPITASPRING WIN CTBUH AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2023

BIG projects CapitaSpring and The Spiral were both announced as winners of CTBUH Awards of Excellence 2023 at the ceremony held in Singapore on October 18th. CapitaSpring has won the award in two categories – Best Tall Building 200-299 Meters and Best Tall Building Asia – and The Spiral has won the award in the category of Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters.


Designed jointly by BIG and CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with RSP, the 280-meter-tall CapitaSpring reinforces Singapore’s reputation as a garden city. As the second tallest tower in Singapore, the 51-storey mixed-use development continues the city’s pioneering vertical urbanism at the heart of the Central Business District.


Located at the intersection of the elevated High Line Park and the newly developed Hudson Boulevard Park on Manhattan’s west side, The Spiral rises 66 storeys and extends the parks’ green space up and around its exterior in a spiraling motion towards the sky – from the High Line to the skyline.


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19.10.2023
BIG TO DESIGN THE SOLOVIEV GROUP’S FREEDOM PLAZA IN NEW YORK CITY

The New York Times has announced that BIG is leading the design of Freedom Plaza, the plan for a Midtown Manhattan development featuring two residential towers with affordable units; a 1,200-room hotel; new retail and dining establishments on the street level; a museum dedicated to democracy with slabs of the Berlin Wall on display; 4.7 acres of public, waterfront green space; and an underground casino from Mohegan.


If the project’s developer, the Soloviev Group, is granted one of the three state gambling licenses up for grabs in and around New York City, the project would be built on a plot of vacant land along First Avenue between East 38th and East 41st Streets. With the inclusion of 1,325 apartments – nearly 40 percent of which would be offered permanently below market-rate rent – the project would create more affordable housing than has been built in Midtown East from 2010 to 2020.


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18.10.2023
BIG DESIGNS NAWABARI FURNITURE COLLECTION FOR BOCONCEPT

BIG’s Product team designs the Nawabari furniture family in collaboration with Danish interior brand, BoConcept, consisting of two sofa sizes, an armchair, two coffee tables and two pouffe sizes. The collection is inspired by the Japanese art form of binding with ropes to forge close bonds. ‘Nawa’ means rope in Japanese, and the term “Nawabari” traditionally translates as stretching rope.


“When starting out with this collection we were looking for a new way of expressing furniture. We were interested in the forms that are created when a material is bound with rope. The result is these sculptural organic shapes that form the core of this furniture family.” – Jakob Lange, Partner & Head of BIG Products


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17.10.2023
BIG’S PARK RISE PART OF EUROPE’S LARGEST URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT IN GREECE

Located on the grounds of the former International Airport in Athens, Greece, Park Rise will stand as the centerpiece of the residential neighborhood Little Athens, sitting within Europe’s largest urban regeneration project, the Ellinikon Masterplan. The 50-meter-tall building will be home to 88 one- to five-bedroom residences across five building cores: two will rise to five floors, two will rise to eight floors, and one will rise to twelve floors. Nestled amidst Greece’s striking scenery, Ellinikon Park Rise will offer views of the Aegean Sea on one side and the mountains of Attica on the other. The project is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification.


“With Park Rise, we wish to challenge the traditional residential high-rise building and propose a cascade of individual homes each with their private garden, stacked to align with the neighborhood towards the north and growing gradually towards the tower peaks of the Metropolitan Park in the east. The building embraces the proximity to the Park while maximizing panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, inviting in the Athenian mountain- and seascapes through generous terraces, framed by vegetation and trees to offer biophilia, privacy and shade.” – João Albuquerque, Partner, BIG


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16.10.2023
BIG LANDSCAPE PARTNER GIULIA FRITTOLI SPEAKS AT FESTIVAL FOR URBAN INNOVATION UTOPIAN HOURS

BIG’s Landscape Partner Giulia Frittoli spoke at Utopian Hours, the international festival for urban innovation in Torino, Italy. Gathering urban planners, activists, and architects from all over the world, the Utopian Hours conference explored the topics of urban issues and innovation under this year’s theme “Manifesto for a New City Making”. Presenting BIG LEAPP, Giulia spoke of BIG’s integrated design approach and how we combine the efforts of our Landscape, Architecture, Engineering, Product design and Planning teams when giving form to the future of cities around the world.


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13.10.2023
MAYOR OF SEOUL JOINS BIG NYC FOR A TOUR OF THE EAST SIDE COASTAL RESILIENCY PROJECT

The Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, joined the BIG NYC team, including Partner Daniel Sundlin and Associate Jeremy Siegel, for a tour of the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, part of the broader BIG U initiative. The 2.5-mile project area is located within the FEMA 100-year floodplain and spans from Montgomery Street to East 25th Street. The project is designed to reduce risk and improve the resiliency of more than 110,000 New Yorkers as well as critical infrastructure including schools, libraries and an electrical substation that powers much of Lower Manhattan. This was the second time that BIG had the honor of hosting Mayor Oh Se-hoon, as he visited the BIG HQ in Copenhagen and toured several project sites there in March 2023.


As BIG’s proposal for Rebuild by Design – an initiative by the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that called for innovative design solutions to increase resiliency of Sandy-impacted communities – the BIG U is a protective system running around Manhattan from West 57th Street south to The Battery and up to East 40th Street: 10 continuous miles of low-lying geography that comprise an incredibly dense, vibrant and vulnerable urban area. The multivalent ‘U’ consists of multiple but linked design opportunities, each on different scales of time, size and investment, with each local neighborhood tailoring its own set of programs, functions and opportunities.


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13.10.2023
BIG DESIGNS THE UAE PAVILION AT THE INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL EXPO 2023 IN DOHA

BIG leads the build design for the UAE Pavilion “Nurturing Legacy” at Expo 2023 Doha. Designed by BIG’s Landscape, Engineering, Architecture and Products teams, in collaboration with Atelier Brückner, the pavilion and its gardens invite the visitors on a journey of ingenuity and innovation that shares the story of the UAE’s inseparable bonds with nature. The design is inspired by the resilient Ghaf tree and its complex root net, creating an architectural cell structure featuring Rammed Earth Walls, wooden beams and palm leaves roofs. The structure frames the interior exhibition space and is surrounded by 32 gardens of indigenous species, while limestone rocks are used as paving surfaces.


The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2023 Doha is administered by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and the National Projects Office. It serves as a platform to bring together people and innovations to address issues facing humanity through multi-sensory guest experiences and storytelling, content curation, and programming guided by the core values of ambition and humanity, optimism and resilience, authenticity, and openness. Expo Doha 2023 is open daily to the public and will run until 28 March 2024.


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10.10.2023
BIG NYC PARTNER DANIEL SUNDLIN SPEAKS ON SOLAR ONE PANEL ABOUT RESILIENCY IN NYC

BIG NYC Partner Daniel Sundlin joined a panel talk organized by Solar One to discuss the future of sustainability and resiliency at Scandinavia House in New York City. The thought-provoking conversation focused on the power of cutting-edge design to drive environmental sustainability and reshape the future of sustainable architecture. Daniel was joined by Kate Selden, solar policy analyst of Solar One; Jared Della Valle, CEO of Alloy Development; and Elijah Hutchinson, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.


Designed by BIG in collaboration with Silman Structural Engineers and Cosentini Associates, the upcoming Solar One Environmental Education Center in Stuyvesant Cove Park – within the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project – will be a home for environmental learning and innovation. The center will offer educational programming on New York’s ecology in a structure designed to withstand flooding events and provide life-saving recharging capabilities during power outages.


 


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10.10.2023
60 MINUTES SHOWCASES BIG’S 3D-PRINTED PROJECTS IN SEGMENT ON ICON

Several of BIG’s 3D-printed projects are included in an episode of 60 Minutes, America’s most-watched newsmagazine show, about construction technology company ICON. During the segment, ICON’s founder Jason Ballard is interviewed on topics such as 3D-printing, building on the moon and the future of housing.


The BIG-designed projects featured on the episode include El Cosmico, an upcoming 3D-printed hotel in Marfa, Texas; Wolf Ranch, a collection of 3D-printed homes currently under construction in Austin, Texas; and a collaboration with ICON, SEArch+ and NASA known as Project Olympus, a lunar habitat set to be the first human foray into extra-terrestrial construction.


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09.10.2023
STERN INTERVIEWS BJARKE INGELS ABOUT NEW YORK CITY’S URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Germany’s most widely read magazine, Stern, interviewed Bjarke Ingels for an in-depth story on New York City, including its recent new developments and what’s ahead.


In the interview, Bjarke talks about New York’s dynamic energy, its ever-changing skyline and what makes the city so unique. Several of BIG’s NYC projects are highlighted in the article as well, including commercial building The Spiral, located in Hudson Yards; One High Line, which will be composed of residential units and a hotel; and the mixed-use River Ring development on the Williamsburg riverfront, which will seek to elevate the standard for urban waterfront resiliency and transform the way New Yorkers interact with the East River.


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06.10.2023
ZONING PLAN FOR BIG’S VÄSTERÅS TRAVEL CENTER APPROVED

The Västerås Municipal Council has approved the zoning plan for the Västerås Travel Center which will connect the entire city’s infrastructure under one roof. The Västerås Travel Center celebrates movement and creates a welcoming, warm and transparent mobility hub, shaped for the flow of people and public life.


This is a historic decision for Västerås, but it is also important for our entire region. Västerås Travel Centre is the busiest public transport node in Västmanland and we are preparing to become a future node in a high-speed route between Oslo and Stockholm. A new and modern travel centre that will facilitate the sustainable travel of the future,” says Helene Öhrling, Mayor of Västerås.


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02.10.2023
THE NEW YORK TIMES COVERS NASA’S PROJECT OLYMPUS

The New York Times features NASA’s Project Olympus in a feature article about NASA’s goal to build homes on the moon by 2040.


BIG is collaborating with ICON, SEArch+ (Space Exploration Architecture) and NASA to create Project Olympus, a lunar habitat set to be the first human foray into extra-terrestrial construction.


Through the Artemis program – a collaboration with commercial and international partners to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before – NASA has signaled that the Moon will be the first off-Earth site for sustainable surface exploration. ICON, a developer of advanced construction technologies such as robotics, software and building materials, was awarded a government Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, including funding from NASA, to begin research and development of a space-based construction system that could support future exploration of the Moon.


“The NASA Olympus habitats will be designed with the inherent redundancy required for extraterrestrial buildings, while also using groundbreaking robotic construction that uses only in-situ resources with zero waste left behind. With the technologies and efficiency parameters developed for the construction of extraterrestrial buildings, Project Olympus will also help us build sustainably on planet Earth as we strive to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment.” – Martin Voelkle, Partner, BIG


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01.10.2023
TRAVEL + LEISURE WRITES ABOUT QUITO’S BOOMING CREATIVE SCENE

Quito, Ecuador is becoming a creative cultural hub in South America. Ian Volner reports on the dynamic city for Travel + Leisure, describing it as a “hot spot for design, food and more” and noting its evolving skyline, which includes two residential projects from BIG: IQON and EPIQ.


IQON, BIG’s first building in South America, rises 130m and 32-stories high. Biophilia from the neighboring La Carolina Park extends up onto its façade – which doubles as the building’s structure – and into the private domain of each home.


Comprised by a single tower in two divided blocks, EPIQ is conceived as a “vertical city” that also brings the dramatic natural environment of Quito into its structure. The design of EPIQ reflects the colors and patterns of Ecuador, taking the inspiration for its façade from the earth tones and herringbone pattern of tiles seen through the streets of Quito’s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


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29.09.2023
WILDFLOWER STUDIOS HIGHLIGHTED IN ULI MAGAZINE ARTICLE ABOUT MODERN SOUNDSTAGE DESIGN

Urban Land Institute Magazine has included Wildflower Studios in an article about modern soundstage design. Located in Astoria in New York City’s borough of Queens, the BIG-designed film, television, production and creative studio complex is being developed by Wildflower Ltd. in conjunction with actor Robert De Niro, his son Raphael and producer Jane Rosenthal.


While film studios are typically organized side by side on large lots, in the dense urban environment of New York City BIG reimagined this arrangement to house the future of film within a reduced footprint.


The program is organized around eleven basic studio ‘modules.’ Each module consists of the large span stage, vertical transportation and production support spaces such as scene shops and dressing rooms. The modules are organized into two-story rows contained within a single volume. A central spine between the two rows becomes the bustling heart of activity between the stages. Large openings in the warehouse bring daylight into the central street and create a communal terrace for the actors, production crews, producers, screenwriters and other inhabitants.  


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29.09.2023
BIG AND HEATHERWICK WIN SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL STRUCTURES AWARD 2023 FOR GOOGLE BAY VIEW

Silicon Valley Business Journal has awarded BIG and Heatherwick the 2023 STRUCTURES Award for Google Bay View in the category of Best Architecture. The annual Silicon Valley Business Journal STRUCTURES Awards celebrate “outstanding Silicon Valley commercial real estate projects, game-changing deals and high-power developers.”


Anchored in three themes defined by Google’s design brief at the beginning of the project – innovation, nature, and community – Google Bay View’s design is driven by flexibility and extraordinary user experience that inspires collaboration and co-creation. Co-designed by BIG and Heatherwick, team spaces are on the upper level and gathering spaces are below, separating focus and collaborative areas while still providing easy access to both. The second floor design has variation in floorplates to give teams a designated “neighborhood” area that is highly flexible to change with their needs.


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29.09.2023
BIG PARTNER CATHERINE HUANG SPEAKS ABOUT I AM MSHRM AT AM SUMMIT

Partner Catherine Huang spoke alongside AM Hub’s Programme Director Eleonora Orsetti at Scandinavia’s biggest conference for Additive Manufacturing in Copenhagen, AM Summit. The conference showcases the latest advancements, technologies, and solutions within the industry, and the two took the stage to speak about BIG and AM Hub’s research and development of I AM MSHRM.


Born out of a desire to innovate the construction industry, I AM MSHRM was developed with the purpose of finding new ways to reduce spatial and material waste through the application of additive manufacturing. The result is a rapidly deployable and easily assembled modular construction system, consisting of 3D-printed frame elements, made from plastic waste and locally sourced sugarcane and cornstarch, filled with mycelium.


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27.09.2023
FOUNDATION STONE LAID FOR THE WELLNESS HOTEL IN AARHUS HARBOUR

BIG’s Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels and Partner Finn Nørkjær take part in the foundation stone laying ceremony for the new Wellness Hotel in Aarhus along with the City Council, Kilden & Hindby, Scandic and NCC.


Overlooking the Aarhus waterfront, the 18-storey hotel will house office spaces, restaurants, a conference center and a spa. A public staircase designed by BIG’s Landscape team will spiral from the harbour to an observation deck on the hotel’s roof.


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26.09.2023
BIG DESIGNS NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR DANISH SUPPLY CHAIN COMPANY DYMAK

BIG designs the new headquarters for Danish supply chain company, Dymak. Located in Denmark’s third largest city, Odense, the 2800 m2 building includes offices, showroom space and shared facilities for sports and socializing, supporting a dynamic work environment. Mainly constructed in cross-laminated timber, the new HQ is conceived as a circular building body, topped with an undulating roof covered in PVCs, angled for harvesting solar energy throughout the year as well as to provide shade and reduce noise pollution for the inner open-air courtyard.


The project combines the efforts of BIG LEAP – BIG’s Architecture, Landscape, Engineering and Product Design teams – and is designed to achieve DGNB Gold and Heart Certification.”


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26.09.2023
GOOGLE BAY VIEW WINS FACADE TECTONICS VITRUVIAN AWARD 2023

Google Bay View has won the Facade Tectonic Institute’s 2023 Vitruvian Award in the category “Outstanding New Facade (Low Rise)”. The award ceremony was held on September 19 at the Center for Architecture in New York.


Hosted annually by the Facade Tectonics Institute (FTI), the Vitruvian Award “seeks to recognize unprecedented innovation and achievements in the field of facade design and delivery,” according to the FTI website. 


Co-designed by BIG and Heatherwick, Google Bay View is composed of a series of large canopy structures that allows the entire workspace to be open and connected under one roof. 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. Its first-of-its-kind “dragonscale” solar skin roof equipped with 50,000 silver solar panels generates a total of nearly seven megawatts of energy.


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25.09.2023
PRATT FEATURES BIG’S RESILIENCY PROJECTS IN ADAPTIVE ARCHIPELAGO EXHIBITION ON GOVERNORS ISLAND

In partnership with Pratt Institute, BIG’s exhibition highlighting our resiliency projects, titled Adaptive Archipelago, is now on view on Governors Island in New York City. The exhibition showcases a series of strategies for adapting various existing and artificial archipelagos to our planet’s changing climate, and includes a selection of BIG’s completed and upcoming projects, including Urban Rigger in Copenhagen and the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project in New York City.


Adaptive Archipelago is on view through October.


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22.09.2023
VLTAVA PHILHARMONIC HALL EXHIBITED AT CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING IN PRAGUE

As reported by Forbes Czech Republic, the Vltava Philharmonic Hall is featured in a new exhibition at the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning in Prague, entitled Prague Tomorrow? The City and the River. The exhibition explores twenty-five upcoming projects that will activate the Vltava River in the Czech capital.


The Vltava Philharmonic Hall will be the country’s first national concert hall in over 100 years, becoming the new home of the world-class philharmonic for 1800+ audiences that will celebrate the Czech music tradition and cement the country as a cultural capital in Europe.


“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 & Partner, BIG.


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21.09.2023
VIA 57 WEST FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE DETAILING REVITALIZATION OF MANHATTAN’S WEST SIDE

On the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Hudson River Park, New York Times reporter Jane Margolies writes about the 550-acre park’s impact on the transformation of Manhattan’s West Side. Hudson River Park, which draws 17 million visits a year and is the largest park in Manhattan besides Central Park, has helped spur real estate development on the borough’s West Side, including the residential development VIA 57 West designed by BIG.


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19.09.2023
BJARKE INGELS FEATURED IN MASTERS OF SCALE PODCAST

Bjarke Ingels was featured on a recent episode of business podcast Masters of Scale, recorded live at the Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. In the episode, host Reid Hoffman calls upon four entrepreneurs to share one lesson for tackling world issues and offer their strategies for taking on society’s most complex challenges.


Bjarke’s contribution focused on how to utilize sustainable design to build a better future and shared the importance of finding our “why” to create actionable solutions for the difficult challenges of today, including climate change, which propelled the creation of his Plan for the Planet initiative.


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14.09.2023
SOLAR ONE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER BREAKS GROUND ON MANHATTAN’S EAST RIVER COASTLINE

Manhattan’s Stuyvesant Cove Park welcomes Solar One Environmental Education Center, a dynamic center for environmental innovation and learning designed by BIG, which has now officially started construction. In collaboration with NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Gilbane, our design for non-profit Solar One’s new home and Environmental Education Center will be a hub for environmental innovation, events and learning. The center will also act as a gateway to the northernmost point of Manhattan’s East Side Coastal Resiliency Waterfront Redevelopment designed by BIG in collaboration with AKRF, ONE and MNLA.


Solar One Environmental Education Center will be located at 23rd Street and Avenue C on the East River coastline. It will be occupied by the non-profit group Solar One, whose mission is to design and deliver innovative education, training and technical assistance that fosters sustainability and resiliency in diverse urban environments. The 6,362-square-foot, two-story building, commissioned by Solar One along with NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Gilbane Building Company, will replace the former Solar One building at the same site, which replace the former Solar One building at the same site, which became a refuge for area residents in Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath by providing recharging capabilities to nearby hospitals when the entire energy grid went down south of 34th Street.


The Solar One Environmental Education Center is slated to open in 2024.


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14.09.2023
CANADA WATER DOCKSIDE BUILDING DESIGNS GIVEN GREEN LIGHT BY SOUTHWARK COUNCIL

The London Borough of Southwark Planning Committee has approved the design for our building design within Canada Water Dockside.


The reserved matters applications approved by Southwark Council include detailed plans for two commercially-led buildings: A1, designed by BIG; and A2 by HWKN Architecture, plus the new public realm by Townshend Landscape Architects.


Our project, building A1, is within Art-Invest Real Estate’s 1.5 million sq. ft. commercially-led landmark development, which was masterplanned by BIG and is one of London’s largest developments that sits at the heart of the Canada Water regeneration neighbourhood, located next to Canada Water itself.


“The proposed design of building A1 was conceived as an antidote to the traditional idea of air-conditioned glass boxes as a place of work. Natural ventilation, garden terraces and a spectacular ground floor inviting cyclists and pedestrians equally, are all incorporated into a building that takes the form of five sustainable buildings stacked on top of each other, with a twist,” says Andy Young, Partner at BIG.


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13.09.2023
WORLD-ARCHITECTS EXHIBITION AT ARCHITECT@WORK OFFICIALLY OPENS FEATURING GOOGLE BAY VIEW

Google Bay View is featured in World-Architect’s exhibition tour in collaboration with the Architect@Work venues. The exhibition will feature 40 projects from its members worldwide and tour through 15 European countries, beginning in Hamburg, Germany on September 13th.


Designed by BIG and Heatherwick, Google Bay View is Google’s first-ever ground-up campus with the mission to operate on carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 2030. Anchored in three themes defined by Google’s design brief at the beginning of the project – innovation, nature and community – the design is driven by flexibility and extraordinary user experience that inspires collaboration and co-creation.


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07.09.2023
BIG DESIGNS BESPOKE MODULAR CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM COMBINING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, PLASTIC WASTE AND MYCELIUM

Born out of a desire to innovate the construction industry, BIG and AM Hub explore a new methodology for the application of additive manufacturing that optimizes print time and material usage with a composite system design.


The result is I AM MSHRM, a rapidly deployable and easily assembled system consisting of 3D printed frame elements, made from plastic waste and locally sourced sugarcane and cornstarch, filled with mycelium. The frame elements are bespoke in geometry, yet modular in their assembly logic and are printed as a structural exoskeleton that is completed by the mycelium composite grown within, adding rigidity and enclosure. The system is designed to be further developed to be utilized in a future rapidly deployable emergency shelter system and eventually a complete building.


“In collaboration with AM Hub, we researched and developed a 3D printed deployable, innovative frame system filled with mycelium. The goal has been to develop a new system of building that can do more with less. Less construction waste because printing eliminates the need for molds and scaffolds, less organic waste because our building literally takes trash and turns it into building blocks and less carbon because we have invented a bio-based plastic panel system that optimizes material properties.” – Catherine Huang, Partner, BIG


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01.09.2023
ZURICH AIRPORT CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Zurich Airport is honouring its 75th anniversary this weekend with a three-day celebration from September 1st to 3rd.


Since its opening in 1948, Zurich Airport has become one of the most important aviation hubs in Europe. Following the airport’s previous additions of Dock E, the Airside Center and The Circle, BIG is designing the airport’s new main terminal, Dock A.


Our design of the 74.750 m2 Dock A is conceived as a mass timber space frame that is structural design, spatial experience, architectural finish and organizational principle in one. The structure is made from locally sourced timber, and the roof is entirely clad in solar shingles turning sunlight into a power source. Dock A will include Schengen and Non-Schengen gates, airside retail, lounges, offices, the new air traffic control tower and an extension of the immigration hall.


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28.08.2023
BJARKE INGELS JOINS EXPERT PANEL TO JUDGE ICON’S INITIATIVE 99 GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION

North American 3D-printing construction technology company ICON has launched Initiative 99, a global architecture competition calling architects and designers to submit 3D-printed housing designs that can be built for under $99,000.


A selection of winning designs will be built by ICON and showcased as models for future affordable housing. Bjarke Ingels will join an expert panel of architects, academics and policymakers to judge the competition, which is officially open for entries and offers a total prize of $1 million.


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23.08.2023
BIGSTERS WALK IN COPENHAGEN PRIDE PARADE ALONGSIDE 15 DANISH ARCHITECTURE STUDIOS

BIGsters walked in the Copenhagen Pride Parade alongside 15 Danish architecture studios under the banner Architects Together in support and celebration of diversity, inclusivity and acceptance for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.


The Architects Together initiative was developed in collaboration with Copenhagen-based architecture offices Cobe, EFFEKT, PLH Arkitekter, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, ADEPT, Holscher Nordberg, Dorte Mandrup, Gehl Architects, LINK Arkitektur, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, Henning Larsen, Gottlieb Paludan Architects, SLA, C.F. Møller Architects and 3XN.


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17.08.2023
ELLE JAPAN FEATURES BIG PROJECTS ON LIST OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS

ELLE Japan include BIG’s CopenHill, Biosphere, Google Bay View and The Plus project on their list of buildings that combine innovative ideas on sustainability with beautiful design.


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15.08.2023
DEMONSTRATION PLANT FOR CARBON CAPTURE INSTALLED AT COPENHILL

A demonstration plant for carbon capture has been installed on the chimney of CopenHill, which will be able to capture up to 4 metric tons CO2 daily. Running until summer 2024, the demonstration plant washes the carbon out of flue gas and binds it in a liquid. Followingly, it is transported to a local farm on the island of Zealand, Denmark, to be used as fertilizer. The goal of the demonstration plant is to build on learnings to commission a full-scale carbon capture unit, which will be able to capture up to 500,000 tons of CO2 annually.


 


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15.08.2023
STARBUCKS ANNOUNCES PILOT PROGRAM USING TURN SYSTEMS

On the mission to end single-use plastic in the hospitality sector, TURN Systems & BIG Products teamed up to design a system of reusable cups, return bins and on-site washing facilities.


As reported by Fast Company, the latest pilot program with Starbucks aims to reduce the company’s current use of around 6 billion disposable cups annually worldwide. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of this journey!


The TURN cups are produced with recycled polypropylene, aluminium or stainless steel and can be reused up to 120 times, by returning them to the Smart Bins for quick, efficient, and safe dispensing. The Smart Washer, a mobile truck, washes the cups 5x faster than a traditional dishwasher, as well as tracks the number of cups being returned, calculating the environmental benefit. Other partnerships include Live Nation, Oak View Group, Pepsi, and Delta.


By introducing the TURN system, Starbucks is hoping to incentivize customers to opt for a more climate friendly option when ordering their coffee: “For customers, seeing is believing—if reusable cups are offered and used more, customers will start thinking about it for every visit as the norm,” says Amy Wang, Director for Global Reusables Strategy at Starbucks.


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31.07.2023
BIG CPH PART OF BENTLEY’S EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY THROUGH SCANDINAVIA

As a part of Bentley’s Extraordinary Journey travel series, the car manufacturer has developed a curated road trip for discovering Scandinavian architecture. The trip transports participants from Stockholm to Copenhagen in Bentley’s cars, stopping for selected experiences showcasing Nordic design and food along the way. BIG’s Copenhagen office acts as the final stop of the trip, offering guests a tour of the studio and insights into our practice.


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