The publisher Arquitectura Viva has just released a monograph devoted to the Danish studio BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.
The Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, without having turned 40 yet, leads a studio of almost 200 people with offices in Copenhagen, New York and Beijing, and with projects spread throughout Europe, The U.S., Asia and the Middle East. Based on the concept of “social infrastructure,” his work is the product of analyzing the constant political, economic and social changes, which he addresses via a proactive and optimistic architecture.
Number 162 of AV Monographs, devoted to the young office BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), starts out with a text by Ingels himself, in which he explains the studio’s approach to architecture. This introductory piece is followed by 10 works built since 2001, among which are the recently completed Danish Maritime Museum and the Danish Pavilion for Expo Shanghai 2010. (Some of the first projects, including the pool in Copenhagen harbor, the VM Houses and The Mountain, were designed with his ex-partner in PLOT, Julien De Smedt).
The monograph also gathers 15 projects in progress around the globe, including the Greenland National Gallery of Art, Europa City in Paris, the Waste Treatment Plant in Copenhagen, and the Observation Tower in Arizona. All of them have in common their playful and pragmatic vision, and also a clear commitment with sustainable construction.
For more info about BIG, visit big.dk