Bjarke Ingels is considered one of the greatest architects of our time, with projects such as the BIG U, which contains a plan to fortify the whole south tip of Manhattan against future storms and rising sea levels. His architectural vision evolves around a philosophy that could be described as a pragmatic utopianism, combining everyday needs with sustainable solutions to the climatic challenges.

We live in the anthropogenic age, where humans don’t adapt to life, but life adapts to human needs, Ingels explains, which makes his advice to young architects designing tomorrow’s world simple and clear. The key for young architects is to acquire the tools and language to comprehend the human needs outside of the architectural bubble, and understand that they are here to accommodate - and not to be accommodated.

Bjarke Ingels (born 1974) is a renowned Danish architect and founding partner of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group located in Copenhagen and New York. In 2013 BIG was chosen to redesign the Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum and research complex in Washington, a project which will be implemented over a period of 20 years. His projects include The Mountain, a residential complex in Copenhagen, and the innovative Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore. In 2004 he received the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and the Danish Crown Prince’s Culture Prize in 2011. Moreover, BIG received Architizer’s Firm of the Year Award in 2014.

Bjarke Ingels was interviewed by Kasper Bech Dyg in New York in December 2014.

Camera: Pierce Jackson
Produced and edited by: Kasper Bech Dyg

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2015

Supported by Nordea-fonden