Bjarke Ingels is a global brand. Whatever one feels about starchitects in general, he is a force to be reckoned with. What does he think is the future of buildings and cities? What role will design play in solving the climate crisis?
We open season 4 with the visionary Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group — commonly referred to as BIG. Known for ground-breaking projects, BIG is a powerhouse of ideas in architecture, product and landscape design, engineering and planning. The firm has a staff of 700 in offices in Copenhagen, New York, London, Barcelona, Shenzhen, Oslo and Los Angeles.
Bjarke’s latest book, “Formgiving: An Architectural Future History”, frames his work as an exploration of form to forge a pathway to a sustainable future.
| 00:01:09 | “The sustainable city or sustainable building is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but it’s also the much more enjoyable and desirable thing to do for the people that live with it and around it.” |
| 00:01:18 | “Rather than the sustainable performance being a sort of afterthought or an add-on, try to work with it to become part of the defining identity of a project.” |
| 00:03:19 | What gives you hope? |
| 00:04:57 | “Incredible possibilities lie ahead. I think Earth and the population of earthlings have definitely woken up to the urgency of climate change, maybe a little late.” |
| 00:06:57 | The significance of form |
| 00:19:13 | Does sustainability cost more? |
| 00:21:36 | “If you have a long-term view 20, 30 years, 50 years, then there is no premium to sustainable design.” |
| 00:24:43 | “I think it isn’t true, that public and private interests are always at odds because I think in the case of city development, of course the people living there, they want a lovely lively environment.” |
| 00:32:20 | Rethinking the city |
| 00:36:24 | “I think it’s fascinating, we’re commissioned by an automaker and we end up proposing a future city where two-thirds of the right of way is actually given over to more exciting forms of life than cars.” |
| 00:45:38 | Becoming Bjarke |
| 00:45:50 | “It was a big blow to see the 2 World Trades Centre pass by after having worked on it so intensely for two years.” |
At the core of this book, one simple question: if architects do not make the rules nor sign cheques, what do actually they control? The answer, implicit in the publication title, is form.
Form, he says, can elevate the quality of our lives. It can embed built-in performance that lasts the life of the building. Form is akin to DNA: innovations to typologies today can alter projects tomorrow, not unlike a Darwinian road to evolutionary change.
Bjarke Ingels’ approach is rooted in a belief in the power of form-making, starting with the first sketch on the drawing board.Bjarke cites the example of CopenHill, a waste-to-energy power plant that has upended the cliché of infrastructure. He reveals how the arrangement of equipment inside the architecture created new possibilities outside.
The structure doubles up as a recreational amenity with skiing and rock climbing. Since it opened, it has become an urban attraction for Copenhageners and a habitat for flora and fauna in the region.
The CopenHill power plant is a waste-to-energy facility in Copenhagen (Denmark) with recreational space, transforming functional infrastructure into a noteworthy urban landmark.CophenHill is exemplary of BIG’s mantra of ‘hedonistic sustainability’: buildings are designed to be performative and pleasurable. The road to sustainability is therefore neither a compromise nor a sacrifice.
CapitaSpring in Singapore is a mixed-use tower holding some 80,000 plants on landscape surfaces distributed vertically that add up to more than 140% of its site area.By making projects green and attractive, Bjarke implicitly reframes the conversation on cost. A building is valued not only for what it does but also for the way it is perceived. Good design takes a long-term view, bringing together objective and subjective metrics, seen together over time.
BIG’s new headquarters in Copenhagen (Denmark) is a prime example of this lifecycle approach. Its energy-efficient systems and comfortable interiors cost more initially, but the price is recovered in the long run through lower operational expenses and higher occupant productivity and satisfaction.
BIG’s new office building in Copenhagen (Denmark) uses Uni-Green, a novel concrete, which offers carbon dioxide reduction of around 25 per cent.This cost recovery factor also applies to commercial projects, where developers are more profit-oriented. In the New York (USA) residential project VIA 57 West, for instance, BIG combines the communal space of a mid-rise European courtyard block with the density of a skyscraper. The social green space at the centre of this development, says the developer, is also its biggest selling point, one that commands higher rents.
VIA 57 West is a hybrid between a European courtyard block and a Manhattan high-rise, resulting in a new typology called the ‘courtscraper’.In this interview, Bjarke extrapolates the rethink of building typologies to the scale of urban morphologies. Two of the group’s masterplans, Oceanix City and Toyota Woven City, explore the future of urbanism and tackle patterns of future mobility systems, the risk of sea level rise, and the need for modularity and scalability.
Oceanix City is a highly modularised concept for a floating city that will serve as a solution for populations threatened by rising sea levels.
Toyota Woven City is conceived as a living laboratory to test and improve mobility, autonomy, connectivity and hydrogen-powered infrastructure in Japan.BIG has witnessed meteoric growth in the past decade, boasting an impressive portfolio of projects worldwide. However, Bjarke believes his best is yet to come.
The BIG design approach sees material innovation as a way to reshape future buildings, as evidenced by the world’s largest mass-timber airport, under development in Zurich (Switzerland).He is a thinking-man’s star-architect. Bjarke projects an aura of a designer chic but, at the same time, speaks the language of science and engineering. His view on the future of the planet ought to be taken seriously for what it says about the power of design and the role of architects.
This episode is now available as a full-length video on Ecogradia’s YouTube channel.
This episode is brought to you by:
| The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive. The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with a recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector. |  |
This episode is brought to you by:
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive.
The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design.
Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with a recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector.
Bjarke Ingels founded Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in 2005 after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 and working at OMA in Rotterdam.
Bjarke defines architecture as the art and science of making sure our cities and buildings fit with the way we want to live our lives. Through careful analysis of local culture and climate, the ever-changing patterns of contemporary life, and the ebbs and flows of the global economy, Bjarke believes in the idea of information-driven design as the driving force for his creative process. Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine in 2016, Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings globally.
Bjarke was appointed Knight of the French Order des Arts et des Lettres and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Dannebrog in 2019 and 2018, respectively. In 2021, he was selected as an ambassador of the EU’s New European Bauhaus. He was named an Honorary Fellow by the AIA in 2020, the RIBA in 2015 and the RAIC in 2014. The Wall Street Journal recognised Bjarke as Innovator of the Year in 2011, the same year he received the Danish Crown Prince’s Culture Prize. He was also awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004 and the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009. Alongside his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to hold lectures in venues such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street, the World Economic Forum and many more.
E | press@big.dk
W | BIG
If you heard it in this episode, we likely have a link for it right here. Click on any topics, people, buildings, places, products and/or technologies listed below to learn more about each of them.
| 00:04:01 | “…of innovation and he talks about the singularity…” “The Sustainability Singularity: Accelerating Industrial Energy Transition” | ARC Advisory Group |
| 00:07:06 | “…here is a quote from your new book, ‘Form Giving’…” “Form Giving: An Architectural Future History” | Taschen |
| 00:15:13 | “…I mean, so when you talk about hedonistic sustainability, you’re talking about performance…” “The hedonistic sustainability concept in the works of Bjarke Ingels” | Research Gate |
| 00:34:30 | “…integrated forms of mobility, multimodal forms of mobility…” “Integrated mobility can fast-track cities to cleaner, safer streets” | Automotive World |
| 00:34:30 | “…integrated forms of mobility, multimodal forms of mobility, driverlessness…” “Multimodal Transportation” | TN Department of Health |
| 00:34:34 | “…driverlessness, fuel cell technology, battery technology, sensory technology…” “Fuel Cells” | Office Of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy |
| 00:34:37 | “…fuel cell technology, battery technology, sensor technology…” “Explore the next generation of battery technology” | S&P Global |
| 00:34:38 | “…battery technology, sensor technology, domestic robots…” “Sensor Technologies for Intelligent Transportation Systems” | National Library for Medicine |
| 00:34:40 | “…sensor technology, domestic robots, a matter net that delivers the goods into your home…” “Domestic Robots” | Wikipedia |
| 00:34:45 | “…a Matternet that delivers the goods into your home…” “Matternet’s Vision For Drones To Become A Mainstream Delivery Channel” | Forbes |
| 00:34:49 | “…a fuel cell like hydrogen-based power grid, and to…” “A study on green hydrogen-based isolated microgrid” | Science Direct |
| 00:43:07 | “…water and you sail through them in gondolas…” “Gondola” | Wikipedia |
| 00:43:22 | “…thing that jumps at me is the idea of scalability…” “Sustainable scaling: what it is and how you do it” | Tech Funding News |
| 00:43:26 | “…So this is a modularity…” “The role of modularity in sustainable design: A systematic review” | Science Direct |
| 00:44:56 | “…from fish farming and sea-based agriculture to algae farming for oil like…” “Integrated marine aquaculture-agriculture: Sea farming out of the sea” | Global Sea Food Alliance |
| 00:45:00 | “…sea-based agriculture to algae farming for oil like…” “Algae as a Sustainable and Renewable Bioresource for Bio-Fuel Production” | Science Direct |
| 00:05:39 | “…I love Darwin so much that I call my first son…” “Charles Darwin, British naturalist” | Britannica |
| 00:05:53 | “…Well, so Leo is named after DaVinci…” “Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian artist, engineer, and scientist” | Britannica |
| 00:05:56 | “…It could also be Messi…” “Lionel Messi, Argentine-born football player” | Britannica |
| 00:14:21 | “…environment that looks like a set from Star Wars because everything is different…” “Star Wars, film series” | Britannica |
| 00:31:50 | “…with the joint research centre for the European Commission in Seville, we are succeeding…” “The JRC in Seville (Spain)” | European Commission |
| 00:32:45 | “…in collaboration with a car manufacturer, Toyota…” “Toyota” | Toyota |
| 00:33:45 | “…And the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, as his name…” “Akio Toyoda” | Britannica |
| 00:40:03 | “…we co-founded called Urban Rigger that is using floating…” “Urban Rigger” | Urban Rigger |
| 00:50:22 | “…I mean, I think Frank Lloyd Wright hadn’t started Falling Water at Guggenheim…” “Frank Llyod Wright, American architect” | Britannica |
| 00:51:18 | “…I would love, just like for instance, Arup, the engineers…” “Arup” | Arup |
| 00:51:50 | “…by actually a Danish engineer some decades ago…” “Ove Arup” | Wikipedia |
| 00:07:34 | “…and performance in the context of one of your projects, CopenHill…” “Copenhill” | BIG |
| 00:09:03 | “…going to be cleaner than the air of Copenhagen…” “Copenhagen, national capital, Denmark” | Britannica |
| 00:09:25 | “…don’t have topography in Denmark really, and especially…” “Denmark” | Britannica |
| 00:17:38 | “…Mediterranean climates like California and Italy and Spain, but where…” “California state, United States” | Britannica |
| 00:17:38 | “…climates like California and Italy and Spain, but where…” “Italy” | Britannica |
| 00:17:39 | “…like California and Italy and Spain…” “Spain” | Britannica |
| 00:17:50 | “…catenary canopies of Google’s headquarters in Mountain View…” “Google HQ” | BIG |
| 00:17:52 | “…Google’s headquarters in Mountain View or in Milan…” “Mountain View, California” | Britannica |
| 00:17:53 | “…headquarters in Mountain View or in Milan…” “Milan, Italy” | Britannica |
| 00:21:00 | “…We just finished our own headquarters in Copenhagen…” “BIG HQ” | BIG |
| 00:27:02 | “…our first project here in New York was the V57…” “New York City” | Britannica |
| 00:27:02 | “…project here in New York was the V57…” “VIA57 West” | BIG |
| 00:31:53 | “…for the European Commission in Seville, we are succeeding…” “Seville, Spain” | Britannica |
| 00:32:33 | “…The first is Oceanic City, which is a modular floating settlement…” “Oceanix City” | BIG |
| 00:32:40 | “…And the other is Toyota Woven City, a prototype for future mobility…” “Toyota Woven City” | BIG |
| 00:32:40 | “…And the other is Toyota Woven City, a prototype for future mobility…” “Toyota, Japan” | Britannica |
| 00:32:44 | “…in Japan in collaboration with a car manufacturer…” “Japan” | Britannica |
| 00:32:58 | “…city located at the base of Mount Fuji, taking advantage…” “Mount Fuji mountain, Japan” | Wikipedia |
| 00:38:53 | “…In Busan, South Korea, describe the city and then…” “Busan” | Wikipedia |
| 00:38:53 | “…In Busan, South Korea, describe the city and then…” “South Korea” | Britannica |
| 00:39:22 | “…a former minister from French Polynesia, a sovereign nation…” “French Polynesia” | Britannica |
| 00:41:48 | “…when a city like Miami Beach or a country like…” “Miami, Florida, United States” | Britannica |
| 00:41:48 | “…when a city like Miami Beach or a country like the Maldives are beginning…” “Maldives” | Britannica |
| 00:43:00 | “…most beautiful cities you can visit today, Venice…” “Venice, Italy” | Britannica |
| 00:45:50 | …it was a big blow to see the two World Trades Centre pass by after having worked…” “2 World Trade Center” | Wikipedia |
| 00:47:21 | “…main contract holder for the future airport of Zurich, the biggest timber building…” “Zurich Airport Building Dock A” | BIG |
| 00:47:22 | “…for the future airport of Zurich, the biggest timber building…” “Zürich, Switzerland” | Britannica |
| 00:49:02 | “…We’re actually also building a large airport building in Luxembourg that is also made out of timber…” “Skypark Business Center” | BIG |
| 00:49:02 | “…We’re actually also building a large airport building in Luxembourg that is also made out of timber…” “Luxembourg” | Luxembourg |
| 00:49:11 | “…we’re doing the Alva Philharmonic, the opera in Nashville…” “BIG, William Rawn Associates and EOA Architects Selected to Design the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s New Performance Home” | Archdaily |
| 00:49:14 | “…the opera in Nashville, and very soon what may be the largest…” “Nashville, Tennessee, United States” | Britannica |
| 00:50:22 | “…I mean, I think Frank Lloyd Wright hadn’t started Fallingwater and Guggenheim…” “Fallingwater” | Wikipedia |
| 00:50:25 | “…hadn’t started Falling Water and Guggenheim…” “Guggenheim Museum, art museum, New York City, New York, United States” | Wikipedia |
| 00:50:29 | “…nor Johnson Wax factory before the age of 60…” “Johnson Wax Headquarters” | Wikipedia |
| 00:08:24 | “…waste coming in one end and then going through a series of the silo…” “Silo” | Wikipedia |
| 00:17:48 | “…architecture like the catenary canopies of Google’s headquarters…” “Roof canopy of BIG + heatherwick’s google HQ campus revealed in new aerial pictures” | Designboom |
| 00:18:21 | “…kind of almost like pixelated solar dome that creates a…” “BIG solar dome wins competition for new JRC site in Seville” | European Commission |
| 00:21:05 | “…and the building is founded on energy piles…” “Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Geotechnical Engineering” | ICE Virtual Library |
| 00:24:04 | “…aggregate that starts making the case for the photovoltaic cladding…” “Thermal regulation of photovoltaic cladding” | Science Direct |
| 00:17:46 | “…the integration of photovoltaics into the architecture…” “Photovoltaics” | Wikipedia |
Host
Nirmal Kishnani
Producer
Maxime Flores
Managing editor
Kruti Choksi Kothari
Senior communications executive
Sana Gupta
Senior editor
Tyler Yeo
Art director
Alexander Melck | Phlogiston
Sound technician and editor
Kelvin Brown | Phlogiston
Video editor
Guellor Muguruka | Phlogiston
Graphic designer
Stian van Wyk | Phlogiston
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