Bigamy: Bjarke Ingels' Philosophy

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Bigamy

Bjarke Ingels Group is an architectural firm that truly suits its acronym. The projects pursued by this firm are notoriously large in nature, not just that but also incredibly innovative and sometimes even merging fiction with reality.

Recognised by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential individuals of 2016, Bjarke Ingels, who founded the firm back in 2006, is known for his twisted, sloping designs that accommodate for sustainable and livable spaces. He has a sweeping portfolio from schools to skyscrapers, well as recently working on the Google Inc. HQ. But perhaps what is most interesting is his heartfelt philosophy that underlines all of his work.

Ingels describes it as ‘Bigamy’; taking multiple designable elements that may not seemingly fit together, and merging them together to create a new creation or genre. This is the thinking that allows Ingels to step out of the accepted parameters of architecture, and in doing so, bring life to new ideas that previously seemed impossible or unheard of. He encourages us to treat our environment with a playful perspective of exploration, constantly building and shaping it and reinventing it, as we would in a virtual reality game.

A great example of this ideal in practice is a project orchestrated in Copenhagen; The Mountain. Although Denmark is largely flat, Ingels persists to prove that anything is possible. The Mountain is a multistory car park that houses a number of homes on top, scaling diagonally down. It provides the ultimate convenience of parking directly outside one’s home, whilst also offering penthouse views and rooftop gardens.

Another is what has been coined as a ‘courtscraper’. BIG’s first project in the US is a magnificent structure that combines Manhattan skyscrapers with Copenhagen garden courtyards. By merging the two, the area gains the benefit of the urban greenery of a courtyard, as well as the extreme density and compactness of a skyscraper. The result is a warped hybrid of the two that looks rather fascinating to the eye. Not only that, but because of its sloping shape, residents of the building receive a fantastic amount of daylight.

Both of these include design elements that were previously unheard of. Thus, through his exciting approach to architecture, Ingels shows us what is possible when we play with our perspective. Not only that, but his projects are expressing these expansive ideas every time they are looked upon, broadening the barriers of what is feasible in our minds.

To learn more about BIG Architects check out their page.