BIG HQ
Copenhagen, Denmark
Client
Sundmolen BIG aps (BIG HQ Building) | By & Havn (Landscape)
Typology
Work
Size m2/ft2
4,770 / 51,344
Status
Completed
OPEN-PLAN OFFICE — To get 4-5,000 m2 of connected office space on the site as one continuous floor would require a site 4-5 times the available size.
CONNECTED OFFICE — Instead of a typical atrium building, BIG HQ is structured as a cascade of half floors that result in one huge, spatially interconnected office space across 7 levels.
TRIANGULAR BEAMS — The façade structure consists of a checkered pattern of 7 façade beams supporting the entire building. To make the pattern "click", one beam on each level is triangular. These triangular elements simultaneously act as terraces and escape stairs keeping the center free from an enclosed central fire stair.
OPEN HEART — The elevator, vertical risers and a smaller, secondary egress stair are moved to the northern edge of the building in an overlap between the north facing beams, leaving the floor plates and the center of the building as open as possible.
SLABS AND COLUMNS — The stacked, oversized concrete elements give the building a structural and visual uniqueness. The green spiral staircase for social activities and breaks wraps around the building, doubling as the main egress route.
EXTROVERTED GROUND FLOOR — On the ground floor, half of each façade is a transparent glass panel opening the HQ up to its surroundings. The entrance and exhibition space face west, while a restaurant with outdoor seating opens towards south.
CONNECTED — The spatially interconnected floors are arranged around a central stair zig-zagging its way from ground floor to the 6th floor.
VIEWS AND CONTEXT — The location of the building on the very tip of the Sundmolen Pier allows for generous city and/or harbor views on all four sides of the HQ.
FOREST AND BEACH — The public space is designed as a transition between two landscape typologies - from a beach to a green coastal forest.
BIG HQ — The stacking of large concrete elements creates a 3D pattern of transparent and opaque façade partitions, that enable a spatially complex and connected office space - a BIG LEAP project, where our disciplines work together to form the most functionally, spatially & economically optimal office building.
“The idea behind LEAPP is an architecture practice as a renaissance, interdisciplinary body of people and knowledge - LEAPP being the acronym for Landscape, Engineering, Architecture, Product, and Planning. Every single aspect of LEAPP has been involved in our HQ, including the planning, the product design, the very complex stacking of the concrete elements. Because of the way it’s engineered, it only holds one column in the whole building. A series of Scandinavian granite and marble are stacked between the beams and everything else is these concrete walls resting on each other. Every floor has access to an outdoor terrace that is connected to the outdoors terrace above and below. One of the means of egress is that you can walk all the way from the roof to the ground floor. This creates incredibly framed views as you move through the building – sometimes you see a fragment of the Nordhavn community, sometimes you see a frame of the water, sometimes a framed view of the windmills at Middelgrunden.”Bjarke Ingels - Founder & Creative Director, BIG
“At the tip of Sundmolen in Nordhavn, we’ve transformed what was once a parking lot into a 1,500 m² beach park - a hidden gem in the heart of the city. Inspired by Denmark’s beautiful coastal landscapes, we envisioned a place where people can relax, play, fish, and connect with nature. The park reflects what would have naturally grown here before the harbor emerged, making it an homage to both the past and future. By preserving the site’s industrial character and merging it with the Danish coastal landscape, it offers a living space where nature and people thrive together. We hope it becomes a lasting part of visitors’ memories and an example of inhabitable nature.”Giulia Frittoli - Partner, BIG
Partner in Charge
Bjarke Ingels
Finn Nørkjær
Giulia Frittoli
Project Manager
Ole Elkjær-Larsen
Design Lead
Frederik Lyng
Project Architect
Jesper Boye Andersen
Site Management
Eddie Can
Jannik Albæk
Lars Thonke
Louise Brøndbjerg
Marija Cvijović
Michael James Kepke
Project Team
Adrianna Szmidt
Agla Egilsdottir
Alda Sol Hauksdóttir
Alexandra-Madalina Nita
Andrea Angelo Suardi
Andreas Klok Pedersen
Anna Wiktoria Wozniak
Anne-Charlotte Wiklander
Annette Jensen
Arthur Martinevski
Atibadi Brugnano
Aya Fibert
Bart Ramakers
Brian Malig Collado
Celia de la Osa Muñoz
Celina Holck
Cris Guoyu Liu
Danyu Zeng
David Zahle
Dobrochna Anna Klimczak
Ewa Zapiec
Fabiana Cortolezzis
Felicia Olufsson
Filip Rozkowski
Frederik Skou Jensen
Gabrielle Nadeau
Graham Forrest Jordan
Gül Ertekin
Hanne Halvorsen
Helen Shuyang Chen
Henrik Jacobsen
Hilda Heller
Høgni Laksafoss
Ioannis Mathioudakis
Irie Meree
Jakob Lange
Jiewei Li
Johan Fredrik Lindqvist
Jonas Rask
Joos Jerne
Justas Zabulionis
Kai Siyu Tian
Kaja Terze
Kanetnat Puttimettipanan
Kim Lauer
Krestian Ingemann Hansen
Lenya Nikola Schneehage
Lisbet Fritze Trentemøller
Lone Fenger Albrechtsen
Luca Pileri
Mads Engaard Stidsen
Mads Primdahl Rokkjær
Magni Þór Waltersson
Marah Wagner
Margarita Nutfulina
Maria Natalia Lenardon
Mariana De Soares e Barbieri Cardoso
Marius Tromholt-Richter
Martyna Kłoda
Mathieu Jaumain
Mathilde Jeppesen
Matthew Thomson
Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard
Mussa Algasra
Nandi Lu
Nanna Gyldholm
Narisara Ladawal Schröder
Omar Mohamed Nabil Mohamed Saad Mowafy
Paula Madrid
Pauline Rytter
Sergiu Calacean
Sherief Al Rifal
Shu Zhao
Snorre Nash
Søren Martinussen
Steen Kortbæk Svendsen
Thor Larsen-Lechuga
Tobias Hjortdal
Tommy Raffoul Bjørnstrup
Xavier Thanki
Xingyue Huang
Xinying Zhang
Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik
Yunyoung Choi
BIG Engineering
Andrea Hektor
Andreas Bak
Andy Coward
Bjarke Koch-Ørvad
Jesper Kanstrup Petersen
Jonathan Russell
Kaoan Hengles De Lima
Kim Christensen
Kristoffer Negendahl
Mikki Seidenschnur
Natasha Lykke Lademann Østergaard
Ricardo Candel
Timo Harboe Nielsen
Tristan Harvey
BIG Landscape
Ahmed Badra
Anders Fønss
Anna Bertolazzi
Anna Lindgaard Jensen
Barbora Hrmova
Bartłomiej Lew
Christian Eugenius Kuczynski
Dina Brændstrup
Fernanda Furuya
Giulia Genovese
Ines Zunic
Jialin Liang
Jonathan Udemezue
Juhye Kim
Kristian Mousten
Louise Mould
Milan Moldenhawer
Ulla Hornsyld
William Emil George Abdou
Xinyi Chen
BIG Sustainability
Alexander Jacobson
Helena Hammershaimb
Katrine Juul
Petra Hajdu
Sille Foltinger
Tore Banke
Awards
Elle Decor Italia, Best Office Interiors, 2025
LIVING Falstaff Design Awards, Space, 2025
Copenhagen Municipality Architecture Prize, 2024
Collaborators
LM Byg
Pihl & Søn
Aalborg Portland
Centrum Pæle
Connex
El Team Vest
Energy Machines
Skel.dk
Paschal Stillads
Kjellerup VVS
HB Trapper
Eiler Thomsen
Deko
Brønnum
Primatag
Optimus
Krak Bau
Alt om Fugning Aps
YOUR PARTNER
Kvadrat Acoustics
GOTESSONS
Akustik Miljø
Dansk Belægningsenterprise
NO.BA Studio
Ceramica Cielo
TONI Copenhagen
Dinesen Floors A/S
Influit
Helden
Artelia Group (fire engineer
Rambøll
EcoBeton Danmark ApS
Fritz Hansen
Muller van Severen
Aluflam
Artemide
Kristoffer Negendahl
Windowmaster
Viasol
Schüco
Anker & Co.
E. Nielsens Mekaniske Stenhuggeri A/S
Allremove
Miele
SHURE
Shack Trapper