BJARKE INGELS / BIG (DK)

Related Projects: Belgrade Design Week Festival 2010

Belgrade Designweek is a masterpiece in the art and science of conference design – and a hell of a good way to spend 3 days in Serbia!

BIG is a Copenhagen and New York based group of architects, designers, builders, and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape design, product design, research and development. The office is currently involved in a large number of projects throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. BIG’s architecture emerges out of a careful analysis of how contemporary life constantly evolves and changes. Not least due to the influence from multicultural exchange, global economical flows and communication technologies that all together require new ways of architectural and urban organization. We believe that in order to deal with today’s challenges, architecture can profitably move into a field that has been largely unexplored. A pragmatic utopian architecture that steers clear of the petrifying pragmatism of boring boxes and the naïve utopian ideas of digital formalism. Like a form of programmatic alchemy we create architecture by mixing conventional ingredients such as living, leisure, working, parking and shopping. By hitting the fertile overlap between pragmatic and utopia, we architects once again find the freedom to change the surface of our planet, to better fit contemporary life forms.

June 2nd 1010, I approach Belgrade from the sky, over green fields, rain-clouds, grey cityscape and cold air. My first impression is - ugh! I am greeted by my hostesses and the rest of the crew and immediately flowers start blooming in my mind. Life is everywhere, and after a few days I leave with an energy boost and a great lift in spirits. I am sad to go but I am sure to return. Belgrade is alive!"

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