BIG news: new book explores form and function with Bjarke Ingels
Formgiving. An Architectural Future History, a monograph dedicated to the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), published by Taschen, delves into the way the mind of the architect
Bjarke Ingels is having one of his moments. On the eve of publication of the Bjarke Ingels Group’s new monograph, Formgiving. An Architectural Future History, the energetic Dane is doing the rounds promoting a book that conveys his firm’s deep streak of technological optimism. BIG’s talent for form-making is cut with a fondness for acronyms and neologisms; the firm exists within a bubble of its own making where every project is a self-contained futuristic utopia, capable of multiple functions within an iconic identity.
A parking garage doubles up as a cultural hub, a museum is also a bridge, an incinerator is an urban park, etc. etc. Formgiving brings together over 100 of these synthesizations, raising, defining and answering a few big questions along the way and continuing a hunger for publishing as way of building an image.
Within the book itself, built and unbuilt projects sit alongside each other, with each project conjuring up a narrative. These are usually along the lines of how BIG’s approach has exploited a hidden facet within the client’s brief to make the final design something more than what it might otherwise have been. Sometimes these aesthetic kinks writ large, like the ‘marble’ façade of the Collegiate Church Tower in Manhattan or the jumbled Jenga floorplans of Frankfurt’s Omniturm Tower or the playful pile of LEGO for the blockmaker’s Copenhagen community hub.
The typical Bjarke Ingels building subverts its genre, pushing our preconceptions of cookie cutter Modernism with an audacious twist or skew. The firm’s most successful works tend to be low-rise, the point at which landscape and architecture blend together. The remarkable Tirpitz Museum in Denmark splinters a WWII Nazi bunker into the dunes it once dominated, shining light into what was once a very dark corner of the country’s history.
The popularity of big gestures – as opposed to BIG gestures – waxes and wanes with the economic climate, and like many architects of the post-Koolhaas generation, the sophistication of BIG’s visuals often accelerates past such practicalities as detail or nuance. Bjarke Ingels and his team of over 500 architects continue to make a substantial mark on the world. Every now and again, something of the freewheeling spirit and audacity of Ingels’s early work shines through, especially in the projects that fuse landscape with infrastructure. The talents that appeal so much to ultra-short corporate attention spans work better when they’re given space to breathe.
INFORMATION
BIG - Formgiving. An Architectural Future History, Taschen, £40
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Art, culture, watches & jewellery editor Hannah Silver’s gift guide
From a Beryl Cook cushion to an offbeat diamond ring, there's something for everyone on this Wallpaper* editor's gift guide, embracing art, culture and style
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Feldspar makes its mark on Mayfair with a festive pop-up at Corinthia Hotel
Devon-based bone china brand Feldspar makes its first foray into shopkeeping with a pop-up at London’s Corinthia Hotel. Ali Morris speaks with the founders and peeks inside
By Ali Morris Published
-
Dip into Wyld sauna: Liverpool's floating Finnish-style destination for lovers of extreme heat
Wyld sauna has opened in Liverpool, offering the perfect excuse to take a dive into the Nordic wellness tradition
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
Denmark’s BIG has shaped itself the ultimate studio on the quayside in Copenhagen
Bjarke Ingels’ studio BIG has practised what it preaches with a visually sophisticated, low-energy office with playful architectural touches
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph
'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a lovingly compiled photographic portrait of cars and architecture
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a celebration of the European Car of the Year and changing perceptions of modern design, pairing the best buildings of the age with their automotive contemporaries
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Álvaro Siza’s new monograph through the lens of Duccio Malagamba is impactful and immersive
Álvaro Siza and photographer Duccio Malagamba collaborate on a new monograph by Phaidon; ‘Before / After: Álvaro Siza Duccio Malagamba’ celebrates the Portuguese architect's work
By Michael Webb Published
-
Step inside One High Line's sculptural forms in New York
One High Line, the residential building designed by Bjarke Ingels of BIG with interiors by Gabellini Sheppard and Gilles & Boissier, swirls up into the skyline absorbing its New York City context
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Marcio Kogan’s Studio MK27 celebrated in this new monograph from Rizzoli
‘The Architecture of Studio MK27. Lights, camera, action’ is a richly illustrated journey through the evolution of this famed Brazilian architecture studio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Interior sculptor’ Christophe Gevers’ oeuvre is celebrated in new book
‘Christophe Gevers’ is a sleek monograph dedicated to the Belgian's life work as an interior architect, designer, sculptor and inventor, with unseen photography by Jean-Pierre Gabriel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
EPIQ's ‘vertical neighbourhood’ is a dynamic design centred on green space and heritage
In Quito, Ecuador, EPIQ by developer Uribe Schwarzkopf and architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is a dynamic contemporary build that slots into the cityscape
By Tianna Williams Published