BIG (architecture group)

BIG (architecture group). BIG, officially Bjarke Ingels Group, is a prominent international architecture and urban planning practice founded in Copenhagen in 2005. Led by its charismatic founder Bjarke Ingels, the firm is renowned for its pragmatic utopian approach, merging sustainability with playful, iconic forms. With major offices in Copenhagen and New York City, BIG has executed a wide array of influential projects across the globe, from cultural institutions and residential towers to master plans and public spaces.

History

BIG was founded in 2005 by Bjarke Ingels following his departure from the collaborative practice PLOT, which he co-founded with Julien De Smedt. The firm's early breakthrough came with award-winning residential projects in Denmark, such as the VM Houses and the Mountain Dwellings in Ørestad, which established its reputation for innovative housing. Rapid international expansion followed, leading to the opening of a New York City office in 2010 to oversee major commissions like VIA 57 West. The practice has since grown to employ approximately 600 architects, designers, and planners, working on projects across North America, Asia, and Europe.

Notable projects

BIG's portfolio is characterized by its diversity and scale. Key completed works include the serpentine CopenHill (Amager Bakke) in Copenhagen, a waste-to-energy plant with a ski slope on its roof; the twisting VIA 57 West residential tower in Manhattan; and the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, a experiential museum for the iconic toy brand. Other significant projects are the Google North Bayshore headquarters in Mountain View, California (in development); the Audemars Piguet museum in Le Brassus, Switzerland; and the Kistefos Museum "The Twist" gallery in Jevnaker, Norway. The firm is also involved in large-scale urban plans like the BiodiverCity development in Penang, Malaysia.

Design philosophy

BIG's design philosophy, often termed "Hedonistic Sustainability" or "Pragmatic Utopianism," seeks to align environmental responsibility with a heightened quality of life. The firm advocates for a synthesis of seemingly opposed values—such as playfulness and rigor, or iconic form and social function—as exemplified in projects like CopenHill. This approach is detailed in their manifesto, "Yes is More," an archicomic publication that presents architecture as the art of navigating complex constraints to create surprising, viable solutions. Their work frequently employs diagrammatic clarity and programmatic hybridization to create multifunctional buildings.

Leadership and structure

The firm is led by founder and creative director Bjarke Ingels, alongside partners such as Kai-Uwe Bergmann (Head of Business Development), Sheela Maini Søgaard (CEO), and other key figures including Finn Nørkjær, Brian Yang, and Daniel Sundlin. BIG operates as a collaborative studio, organizing teams around specific projects while maintaining a flat hierarchy to encourage innovation. The practice is structured with its headquarters in Copenhagen and a major subsidiary in New York City, allowing it to manage a global workload that spans multiple continents and typologies.

Awards and recognition

BIG has received extensive international acclaim, including the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Mountain Dwellings in 2009. The firm and its founder Bjarke Ingels have been honored with awards from the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 2016, *Time* magazine named Ingels one of the 100 most influential people. Major projects like CopenHill and VIA 57 West have also won numerous design and sustainability awards from institutions like the World Architecture Festival.

Publications

BIG actively disseminates its ideas through publications that blend theory, project documentation, and narrative. Their seminal work, "Yes is More" (2009), is a graphic manifesto outlining their philosophy. This was followed by "Hot to Cold: An Odyssey of Architectural Adaptation" (2015), which examines design responses to extreme climates. The firm also produces detailed monographs, such as "Formgiving: An Architectural Future History" (2020), and regularly contributes to architectural journals and exhibitions worldwide, further cementing its role as a thought leader in contemporary architecture.