Abstract of Bjarke Ingels Group (BiG)

Adapting and improvising is a key concept that the Bjarke Ingels Group (BiG) incorporates into their architectural practice. The practices’ latest publication of YES IS MORE is an exploration through ‘the stories of behind the scenes and how our projects have evolved actually through adaptation and improvisation ’. The publication makes key references to the adaption qualities explored by Sir Charles Darwin and President Barack Obama, where both hold similar perspectives on pursuing adaption. This is a fundamental element on how BiG consider and approach each design proposal.


The concepts of adaption and improvisation have strong links to the processes of urbanisation, where they use the process of adaption to improve the qualities of urban living. This is displayed throughout the projects of The Maritime Youth House – PLOT and Mountain Dwellings both of Copenhagen. Both projects represent multi-functional design elements/systems, for example PLOT is about the adaption of a sailing club to incorporate a public youth house and Mountain Dwellings is about the adaption of a design to accommodate for housing, parking and public art. It is possible to make connections of adaption to both post-modernism and phenomenology periods through their adaption and incorporation of visual material aspects and the use of colliding spaces, both of these aspects have been represented within the previous projects outlined.

Although it is reasonable to suggest that the Bjarke Ingels Group holds certain negative connotations, due to their approach to design. This is due to the eccentric curiosities that they explore in their conceptual ideas. A result of having only completed sixteen projects, this is compared to the sixty four potential design concepts that they have recognised. It is due to this imbalance between completed projects and concepts/ideas that the Bjarke Ingels Group are yet to achieve the recognition of being an elite contemporary architectural practice.


(Images Missing in Blog)

References:


Bjarke Ingels Group Website - http://www.big.dk [accessed constantly throughout assignment]

Bjarke Ingels, 3 warp architecture tales - http://www.ted.com/talks/bjarke_ingels_3_warp_speed_architecture_tales.html [accessed

15/08/10]

Google Images [accessed 16/08/10]
Ingels, Bjarke, www.ted.com/talks/bjarke_ingels_3_warp_speed_architecture_tales.html [accessed 15/08/10]