Archinect - Features

A Conversation with Bjarke Ingels on AI, 3D Printing, and the Future of the Architectural Profession

2024-03-19T08:56:00-04:00

It has been almost ten years since Archinect last spoke with Bjarke Ingels. Back then, the topic of conversation was BIG's 'Hot to Cold' exhibition at the National Building Museum. Today, after a decade that has included award-winning Manhattan skyscrapers, floating cities, a Netflix profile, and a Serpentine Pavilion, it's hard to know where to start.

Among the most intriguing recent outputs of BIG's 700-strong team across the United States, Europe, and Asia, however, is their explorations in the field of 3D printing. In collaboration with construction technology specialists ICON, Ingels and his firm have overseen the design and delivery of a wide variety of 3D printed schemes, from a 100-home residential neighborhood and high-end hospitality project, both in Texas, to a Mars simulation habitat developed in collaboration with NASA. Now, in 2024, the team has embarked on its latest 3D printing endeavor: a selection of single-family houses, designed by BIG, to be included in ICON's n...

Ad Astra, Ab Hinc: Jakob Lange on BIG & NASA's Mars Dune Alpha Habitat and the Future of Interstellar Architecture

2021-12-22T11:43:00-05:00

This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise…

The Bard’s characterization of 16th-century England from Richard II could serve as a mantra for those looking towards the future and to the Red Planet as a dazzling high-tec Paradisus where human settlements will eventually give way to sustained habitation as our century turns over into the next, and to — what some feel — will generate better and more just manmade civilizations in this galaxy and beyond.

Such is the case for many architects of a later vintage. Yet, among those vying for a place at the throne of interplanetary building, Bjarke Ingels Group has been one of the most successful. The firm has gained the official sanction of NASA to build the prototype for what may eventually become humankind’s first foray into life on a foreign planet.

While we have to start somewhere, and though small, BIG’s Mars Dune Alpha project could have monumental implications for the future of space building and humanity ...

Trashing the Community-Backed BIG U: East Side Coastal Resilience Moves Forward Despite Local Opposition. Will NYC Miss Another Opportunity to Lead on Climate and Environmental Justice?

2021-07-13T08:28:00-04:00

In late October 2012, Superstorm Sandy crashed into the East Coast. Causing more than $70 billion in damage, the storm ripped buildings from their foundations and flooded streets. In New York City, the hard concrete edge that separates Lower Manhattan from the East River was breached, filling the FDR expressway with brackish water and short-circuiting ConEdison’s 14th Street Substation, causing the much-circulated image of a near-total blackout in all points south. With the freeway flooded and the Lower East Side dark, this unprecedented damage came to represent the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure.

Touring BIG's 2016 Serpentine Pavilion and the new Summer Houses

2016-06-08T13:33:00-04:00

Perched on the lawn of the Serpentine Gallery in London’s Royal Kensington Gardens, the annual Serpentine Pavilion has been a summer highlight for Londoners since its inception in 2000. The first Pavilion, which enjoyed a four-month residency, was created by Zaha Hadid. Since then the site has entertained notable architects including Daniel Libeskind, Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry, and Ai Weiwei with Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

The Denmark™ Organization: Bjarke Ingels Group

2007-10-02T23:00:00-04:00