BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)

BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
Name	BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
Founded	2005
Founder	Bjarke Ingels
Headquarters	Copenhagen, Denmark; New York City, United States
Notable projects	VIA 57 West; Amager Bakke; 8 House; Google North Bayshore; LEGO House

BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) is an international architecture and design practice founded in 2005 by Bjarke Ingels. The firm operates from principal offices in Copenhagen and New York City and works on projects across Europe, North America, and Asia, engaging with clients, developers, and governments on large-scale urban, residential, cultural, and infrastructural commissions. Its portfolio spans collaborations with corporations, municipalities, and cultural institutions, and the practice has become a prominent actor in contemporary architecture discourse.

History

BIG was established after Bjarke Ingels departed from PLOT, a practice he co-founded with Julien De Smedt, following notable early projects such as the VM Houses and Mountain Dwellings in Copenhagen and later expanded into international markets including London, New York City, and Beijing. The firm's entry into global prominence intensified with commissions from clients such as Google, LEGO, and municipal authorities in Copenhagen and Toronto, and partnerships with firms like WeWork, Falck Renewables, and Vestas. BIG’s timeline includes participation in major events and exhibitions at institutions such as the Venice Biennale, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Serpentine Gallery, and collaborations with design and engineering firms including Arup, Henning Larsen Architects, and Snøhetta affiliates.

Organization and Leadership

BIG was founded by Bjarke Ingels, who has served as the public face and creative leader alongside a leadership team comprising partners, design directors, and office heads, with institutional ties to educational bodies such as the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and guest lectures at universities including Harvard University, Columbia University, and MIT. The practice expanded into a structured organization with offices in Copenhagen and New York, project teams coordinating with international consultants like Foster + Partners collaborators, and executive management interfacing with municipal planning bodies in cities like Copenhagen and Toronto. BIG’s leadership has included partners who oversee major project portfolios, design research, and client relations with corporations and governmental agencies including Google, IKEA, and city councils.

Notable Projects

BIG’s projects include high-profile works such as VIA 57 West in Manhattan, which involved client negotiations with development firms and coordination with the New York City Department of Buildings; Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant and urban ski slope in Copenhagen developed in partnership with municipal agencies and engineering firms; 8 House residential complex in Orestad; the LEGO House in Billund commissioned by LEGO Group; and Google’s North Bayshore campus in Mountain View in collaboration with Google. Other projects include the Serpentine Pavilion commission in London, the Twisting Torso–inspired residential designs, large-scale masterplans in Toronto including the Quayside proposals with Sidewalk Labs, and mixed-use schemes in Shanghai and Beijing with Chinese developers and municipal planners. International cultural and infrastructure commissions connect the firm to clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, Aarhus Municipality, Amager Resource Center stakeholders, and global capital partners.

Design Philosophy and Approach

BIG articulates a pragmatic and ambitious design approach influenced by Bjarke Ingels’ earlier work at PLOT and by precedents in Scandinavian modernism and international contemporary architecture, engaging with references to projects by Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The practice emphasizes programmatic juxtaposition and socially-driven architecture that reinterprets typologies—drawing conceptual parallels to works by OMA and Zaha Hadid Architects—and often integrates environmental systems promoted by firms like Arup and technologies associated with Renewable energy providers. BIG’s approach includes iterative design research, computational modeling tools familiar to practices like Foster + Partners, and collaborative workflows with engineers, developers, and cultural institutions to deliver hybridized public, residential, and commercial spaces.

Awards and Recognition

Projects and leadership at the firm have received awards and honors from institutions and organizations such as the Architectural Review, the Civic Trust Awards, and national bodies in Denmark and the United States, with Bjarke Ingels personally recognized by publications like Time (magazine) and award institutions including the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and architectural prize juries. Commissions such as VIA 57 West, Amager Bakke, and LEGO House have been highlighted in exhibitions at the Venice Biennale and collected in monographs published alongside firms and critics who document contemporary architecture, including features in Architectural Digest and the New York Times.

Criticism and Controversies

BIG has faced critique and controversy over issues including developer relations, urban impact, and public consultation processes in projects such as large-scale masterplans in Toronto and redevelopment schemes in Copenhagen and New York City, drawing commentary from urbanists, preservationists, and media outlets like the Guardian and Dezeen. Debates have centered on aesthetics, gentrification implications, and the balance between spectacle and social housing objectives, echoing tensions documented in discussions around firms like Foster + Partners and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Legal and planning disputes have arisen in specific projects involving municipal approvals, heritage groups, and community organizations, prompting scrutiny from professional bodies and think tanks engaged in urban policy.

Category:Architecture firms Category:Danish architecture