Bjarke Ingels carried out his first projects in association with Julien de Smedt at the PLOT agency. He founded BIG in 2005.
The exhibition title, Yes is More, is a polysemous play on words, suggesting open-mindedness about commissions and related factors such as budget, site, functions, and clients’ specific, sometimes contradictory requirements.
As part of arc en rêve’s long-term ambition, this event aims to draw attention to a young European architecture firm that considers architectural projects in an incisive, innovative way that does not preclude a sense of humour.
From the public swimming pool in Copenhagen Harbour (2003) to the bike track in the Danish Pavilion at Shanghai Expo (2010) and the Ørestad housing development (2008) built on a gigantic sloping slab, densifying the city at its edges and bringing mountaintops to a flat landscape, BIG’s achievements are powerful architectural experiences. Deliberately removed from “politically correct” minimalist approaches and meaningless digital formalism, this emerging body of work is exuberantly radical.
With its accompanying book, Yes is More is both a manifesto and an invitation to update our vision of architecture and the city, taking a new look at modernity and its utopias.
With “BIG, Yes Is More”, we’re saying a big “Yes!” to more architectural enjoyment!