bjarke ingels – DesignApplause

the shortlist announced for ohare international airport renovation.

Nov 15, 2018

above > the foster epstein moreno jv proposal

the city of chicago recently announced a $8.5 billion renovation of o’hare international airport including a new terminal that will be the centerpiece of the largest expansion in o’hare’s history.

to jump-start this vision, twelve global architectural firms were asked to submit proposals including danish architect bjarke ingels, studio fuksas of italy, chicago firms, gensler, hok, perkins + will, and chicago architect helmut jahn, who designed the stunning terminal 1 which opened in 1986.

a shortlist of five firms are highlighted below. two design contracts will be awarded: the winning team will design the global terminal and concourse. the second-place finisher is expected to design the satellite concourses. the eight-year project, made possible by the end of a 35-year lease with the airlines, would be paid for with future airline fees, and therefore would not require taxpayer dollars.

[ design objectives ]
> expand terminal and gate space
> replace aged infrastructure with state-of-the art systems
> introduce new technology and security innovations
> integrate domestic and international to create a seamless passenger experience
> enhance the passenger experience
> incorporate sustainability and enhanced accessibility features
> reflect the legacy of chicago’s innovation, architecture, and it’s diversity

[ scope of work ]
> increasing the airport’s overall footprint from 5.5 to 8.9 million sq ft.
> tearing down 55-year-old terminal 2 and creating a new global terminal
> adding 25% gate capacity at existing gates to accommodate larger aircraft
> increasing gate count from 185 to 235
> adding two new remote satellite concourses
> adding a tunnel to a new parking facility foreshadowing a future new terminal
> renovating terminals 1,3, and 5

while affirming the 14 project design objectives and scope of work expectations DesignApplause considers the heart of this project is replacing a 55-year-old terminal with a cutting-edge architectural solution that’s categorically a part of every world’s-best discussion.

[ uniquely different ] two concepts stand out: studio ord features ample neighborhoods and greenspace not seen elsewhere in terminals. foster epstein moreno jv boasts a world-first column-less concept under an extraordinary shell with a span of 550 feet.

[ wow factor ] one concept dominates: foster epstein moreno jv a space that pushes the limits of technology and truly lifts the spirits.

[ pro vs con ] what stands out…only one concept with zero con: foster epstein moreno jv.

[ shortlisted firms ]

above > the fentress-exp-brook-garza joint venture’s globally-minded terminal design for chicago provides an elegant, spacious, and sustainable gateway to connect chicagoans and the world with speed and efficiency. soaring spaces sparkle with sunlight and lift the human spirit. daylight and spatial composition guide passengers intuitively and purposefully. the latest technological advances shape a smart, seamless, comfortable, and unencumbered experience. from arrival to departure, every element of the new terminal is crafted to elevate the passenger, making their journey inspiring, engaging, stirring, and fun. our vision is to return the romance of air travel to all who pass through chicago’s o’hare.

above > foster epstein moreno jv / a joint venture led by foster + partners and chicago-based firms epstein and moreno. our design is based upon a sequence of memorable and distinctive spaces that create a gateway to chicago with architecture that is open, transparent, inclusive, welcoming and functional, in turn resolving the sophisticated security, airport and airline requirements in a way that meets the needs of both employees and passengers. three arches frame the landside of the building, merging into a grand single arch on the airside, thus dissolving the barrier between inside and out and allowing the spectacle of the airfield to be visible to all who pass through the gateway, and recapturing the romance associated with air travel.

above > studio ord / chicago is a city defined by motion; confluence – of our river, of trail networks, of railroads – has shaped our most vibrant civic spaces. studio ord’s elegant and efficient design for the o’hare global terminal and global concourse unifies the airport’s campus by converging seamless lines of motion across three terminals around a spectacular central oculus. this confluence becomes orchard field – a vibrant neighborhood that combines abundant green spaces with distinctive landmarks, bespoke retail pavilions, and diverse activity zones. richly layered and easily navigable, it captures the unique character of chicago and redefines o’hare as a 21st century international destination.

above > som / we have delivered global excellence in this great city, shaping chicago’s skyline, neighborhoods and public realm for more than 80 years. it’s said that our chicago buildings turn “pragmatism into poetry.”

our elegantly undulating o’hare global terminal aims to be the world’s best, through optimal functional planning, great design, and keen practicality – all quintessential chicago qualities.

we infuse the muscular heritage of chicago architecture and engineering with many lessons from the natural environment, to increase human comfort, save energy and define a distinctive sense of place. this can be chicago’s next great building and our new gateway to the world.

above > santiago calatrava, llc / o’hare’s global terminal by santiago calatrava is a masterwork of modern terminal architecture. with a glass façade and dramatic shell-like roof soaring over the approach road, the building unifies the terminal complex while establishing itself as its centerpiece.

inside, vaulted, light-filled spaces celebrate both the grandeur and simplicity of bygone travel as customers move easily to and from gate areas enlivened by chicago-focused concessions in an airy, park-like setting.

convenient links to adjacent terminals, satellite concourses, and public transit support a future vision plan that transforms the area opposite the terminal into a vibrant hotel, retail and business complex.

somewhat unusual is the jury is not being disclosed, not even to the architects. please stay tuned.

lego house in billund denmark. architects bjarke ingels group (big).

Aug 26, 2017

above > drone view of nearly completed site taken august 2017 / courtesy lego / lego house opens september 2017

beautiful.

below > narrative from big website
type > competition
client > lego
size > 39, 370 sqft / 12,000 m2
location > billund denmark
status > completed 2017

“lego house is a literal manifestation of the infinite possibilities of the lego brick. through systematic creativity children of all ages are empowered witht the toools to create their own worlds and to inhabit them through play.

at its finest – that is what architecture – and lego play – is all about: enabling people to imagine new worlds that are more exciting and expressive than the status quo – and to provide them with the skills to make them reality. this is what children do every day with lego bricks = and this is what we have done today at lego house with actual bricks, taking billund a step closer towards becoming the capital of children.” bjarke ingels

the 23 m tall lego house is conceived as an urban space as much as an experience center. 21 overlapping blocks are placed like individual buildings, framing a 2,000 m2 lego square that is illuminated through cracks and gaps between volumes. above the square, a cluster of galleries overlap to create a continuous sequence of exhibitions. each gallery is color-coded in lego’s primary colors.

the first and second floors include four play zones that represent: red is creative, blue is cognitive, green is social, and yellow is emotional. some of the rooftops can be accessed via pixelated public staircases that double as informal auditoria for people watching or seating for performances.

the vault – located underneath lego square – is where children and afols (adult fans of lego) can witness the first edition of almost every lego set ever made, including the new 774-piece, 197-step kit replicating the stacked-block formation of the lego house.

above > courtesy of lego

[ lego ] [ big ] [ photography > iwan baan / kim christensen ]

bjarke ingels envisions new washington redskins sports stadium.

Mar 11, 2016

above/below> concept model for new washington redskin football stadium

trending and talented danish architect bjarke ingels hit the air ways today on 60 minutes to talk about another big – bjarke ingels group concept, this time a spec proposal for a new football stadium for the washington redskins.

in the past 24 months sports stadium proposals have been sensitive topics [ zaha hadid: national stadium tokyo ] and the architect did himself no favors with a presentation that could be construed as flip: surfing in a stadium-surrounding moat.

“the stadium is designed as much for the tailgating, like the pre-game, as for the game itself,” ingels tells 60 minutes.” tailgating literally becomes a picnic in a park. it can actually make the stadium a more lively destination throughout the year without ruining the turf for the football game.” tailgating is integral to football and off-season multi-purposing an economical and engaging concept though some of the proposed activities do seem better suited for california or hawaii. somewhere in the back of my mind, ingels may be messing with mad-hatter redskins owner, daniel snyder, but then again, maybe not. that said, early on notions to ingels preliminary concepts can be just that as they are imagination-shaping and he’s expert at it, in a signature big way. this would be the first sports stadium designed by big. please, in the next iteration, consider a dome (a super bowl bid) and maybe eschew a beach.

all ‘the spiral’ images courtesy of bjarke ingels group / tishman speyer

this property would do well as select luxury residences. [ big ]

bjarke ingels’ nyc dry line.

Feb 26, 2015

a masterpiece in visual storytelling. engaging, informative, aspirational. [ big ] [ video by squint/opera ]

Menu. Ambiente 2013.

Mar 27, 2013

click > enlarge

[DesignApplause ] We are in the Menu booth at Ambiente talking to CEO Peter Midgaard.
[Peter Midtgaard] I’ve been involved with menu for almost seven years. I’ve been in this business typolgy before and I’ve always liked design, and seven-plus years ago I was looking for a new business opportunity and found Menu to be interesting and bought a part of the shares and ever since have been working as CEO for the company. Menu is basically a family business created and established by Bjarne Hansen’s father Simon Hansen and was called Danish Steel House and produced most of its products in stainless steel. His son Bjarne changed it into a design company with it’s own designers and other designers and has become Menu’s brand image. Menu’s success has soared with this strategy.

[DA] How old is Menu? When did it become design-driven?
[PM] About 33 years old and about 1988 or so. It was quite a coincidence. I don’t know if you remember PETER MENTIONS A VERY FAMOUS MENU PRODUCT AND SAID THAT WAS THE START OF THE MENU DESIGN ERA.

[DA] Are you in the commercial sector in this typology?
[PM] We are moving into it. Not so deep as of yet but we will go deep in contract.

[DA] Why do you wish to go there?
[PM] We are seeing things develop in different ways. If you look at the design business and you look at the mainstream business it’s about price competition and we don’t want to participate in that business model. If we can get into the contract business we can actually go into projects that are expanding us further. We wish to move away from the mainstream part of the business. One of the things that’s helped us is contract.

[DA] Where are your big customers?
[PM] The US is our fourth biggest country and it’s growing very fast. Of the big countries the US is growing the fastest. The biggest country is Denmark but it’s only 30% of our market. We have Germany and Norway and the US.

[DA] Your not a designer but you appreciate and understand design. Do you study trends and are your products timeless?
[PM] Oh, we’re a design company for sure but what we really try to achieve is the common trends. Sometimes we are part of the trend but when we try and do something we don’t look at the trends. We actually try and anticipate what things are going to be like one-and-a-half to two years from now. We would really like to start a trend.

[DA] How many products do you have and what categories do they fall in?
[PM] We have around 400 products which include new products and classic products that have been very successful the past 10-15 years. We have our own categories. One of which we call ‘cozy’ AND AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE… Another category is called ‘ideas’ and that could a candelabra, a stand-alone kind of product that’s difficult to put into families. The ‘ideas’ category is our edgiest you might say. Let me show you an example. Here are candlestick holders that are concrete. It’s seven kilos (15.5 lbs) for the big one. Bjarke Ingels designed the pieces. It’s a very good example of ‘ideas’. Let’s go down here. Here is a series called ‘Pots’ by Benjamin Hubert. The series is for the kitchen and it’s new for Ambiente. And it’s not for the mainstream market.

[DA] Is there anything you wish to say that we haven’t covered?
[PM] In this interview? A thousand things.

weight here | bjarke ingels | 2012

pots | benjamin hubert | 2013