BIG

Subterms

    Latest story

    113 Shares119 Views

    BIG opens Los Angeles office in renovated 1920s building

    by

    Danish architecture studio BIG has opened an office in Santa Monica in a renovated 1928 Spanish revival building designed by iconic Los Angeles architect Paul R Williams.

    The 1928 building was refurbished by the team, many of whom will be joining the freshly minted BIG Los Angeles team – recruited both from the New York office and from the local “talent pool”.
    BIG has opened an office in a 1928 Paul R Williams building in Santa MonicaBIG, the architecture studio established by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will be anchored in the Californian city by partner Leon Rost.
    For the renovation, the studio kept many of the original Spanish revival details of the original structure including the expressive reliefs on the facade.
    Some of the plaster detailing was kept, but the office largely has an unfinished lookSome of the interior plasterwork was maintained as well. The primary second-floor workspace was opened up, and much of the walls were peeled back to reveal the wooden structure and enhanced mechanical system.

    Unfinished concrete columns are located in th middle of the space, with thick wooden rafters intersected by skylights.
    The office layout is open, with large spanning desks and folded Roulade chairs by KiBiSi, which Ingels is also a partner of.
    The office will help expand the studio’s West Coast presenceAccording to Rost, the studio plans to continue to update the space with samples of technology such as solar panels from the studio’s local projects, many of which are in late states. These projects include Claremont McKenna College Robert Day Sciences Center.
    “We’ve also designed an interior layout that preserves the original interior plasterwork from 1928 and intentionally chose a location that is close to public transport,” Rost told Dezeen.
    “As a Japanese Californian I am excited to root BIG on the Pacific Coast. In the city of storytelling, big dreams and a pioneer spirit, I am certain LA will be a fertile frontier for continued experimentation. You could say BIG – though born in Copenhagen – has always been an Angeleno at heart.”

    BIG unveils twisted skyscraper designed “in the tradition of Flatiron”

    The office is the studio’s second in the United States, after its New York office opened in 2010.
    The studio has a significant presence on the West Coast, and is currently in the process of completing a large mix-used development on an industrial site in Downtown Los Angeles and is working with British studio Heatherwick on a Google headquarters in the San Francisco Bay area.
    The studio will be under the direction of partner Leon RostBIG New York partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann told Dezeen that the move has come from the “considerable” amount of West Coast work the studio has had since opening in the United States.
    “Having also once called Los Angeles home – I attended UCLA in the 1990s – I am super excited to bring ‘Scand-American’ thinking to our future work within the Pacific Rim region,” said Bergmann.
    Other significant projects on the West Coast by BIG include the impressively massed Vancouver House skyscraper in Vancouver, Canada.
    The photography is by Pooya AleDavood.  

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 100 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Bentley curates Scandinavian architecture and design travel experience

      by

      Promotion: in 2023 Bentley Motors launched an architecture and design-centred travel experience around Scandinavia, with highlights that included a stay at Wingårdhs’ forest hotel in Sweden and a tour of BIG’s studio in Copenhagen.

      The Extraordinary Journey Scandinavia tour was one of a series of curated travel experiences presented by Bentley in 2023, offering the opportunity to explore attractive destinations from behind the wheel of its luxury cars.
      The five-day, four-night tour started in Stockholm, where guests were collected from the airport in a chauffeured Bentley and taken to their first night’s stay in the world-renowned Ett Hem hotel.
      The first night’s stay was at Stockholm’s Ett Hem hotelWith interiors created by designer Ilse Crawford, the hotel is known for merging luxury with a feeling of home, with spaces that encourage guests to relax and mingle as if at a manor house.
      The hotel hosted a welcome reception, dinner in the library and a nightcap for the small party of guests on day one to get to know each other.

      On day two, attendees took the wheel of one of several Bentley models on offer and began the journey south through Sweden’s forests, with Scandinavia’s finest architecture and design destinations guiding the way forward.
      For lunch on day two, attendees stopped at NaturehouseFor lunch, the tour stopped at Naturehouse, a sustainability-focused lakeside spa by Tailor Made Arkitekter that merges the forms of a barn and a greenhouse, before continuing to reach the Trakt Forest Hotel in Småland in the afternoon.
      Designed by Wingårdh architecture studio, the hotel features just five suites that are raised high into the treetops on stilts, giving guests the chance to feel immersed in nature.
      The suites are “a true representation of Bentley’s design values of sustainability, materiality, and innovation” said the brand, and guests had the opportunity to relax in the sauna or hot tub before joining the hotel owners Sandra and Mattias Sälleteg at a drinks reception.
      The evening also included dinner in a forest near the hotel, which was made by Michelin star chef Niklas Ekstedt and celebrated natural ingredients coming together “to create something greater than the sum of its parts”.
      Lunch on day three took place at Wanås Hotel and Sculpture ParkDay three saw the group continue the drive south through Sweden’s forests and stop for lunch at Wanås Hotel and Sculpture Park, built around two converted stone barns with interiors by Kristina Wachtmeister.
      They then drove on through Malmö and across the Öresund Bridge, the longest bridge in Europe, connecting Sweden and Denmark, before switching to chauffeured transport once again for the final stretch of the journey to Copenhagen.
      With accommodation at the Nimb Hotel in Tivoli Gardens, guests had ample opportunity to explore Copenhagen, including dinner at a world-renowned Nordic restaurant and then a city tour hosted by the Danish Architecture Centre.
      Day four included a tour and lunch at Bjarke Ingels Group’s studioThere was also a tour of Bjarke Ingels Group’s studio, hosted by a member of the team who gave insights into their creative practice. Lunch was also held within “the beating heart” of the office.
      Bentley’s Extraordinary Journey continues in the UK in 2024 with a programme where attendees will experience a scenic route starting at Crewe, the home of Bentley Motors, to The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. The UK programme runs from 19 to 22 August and 2 to 5 September.
      For more information and to register interest, visit the Bentley website.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Bentley as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

      Read more: More

    • 100 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Leckie Studio designs penthouse inside BIG's Vancouver skyscraper

      by

      A rainforest-style atrium with a cedar tree lies within a two-storey unit designed by Leckie Studio, located inside the new Vancouver House tower.

      The penthouse is found within the sculptural, 59-storey tower that rises up from a triangular site in downtown Vancouver, near Granville Bridge. The building was designed by architecture firm BIG and was completed last year.
      A rainforest-style atrium sits at the heart of the penthouseThe two-level apartment is on the northwest side of the skyscraper, where it is afforded views of English Bay and the North Shore Mountains.
      The unit’s owner desired an inviting atmosphere and spaces to accommodate natural artefacts and artwork from her travels. She turned to local firm Leckie Studio to oversee the design.
      The apartment has views far-reaching views of Vancouver and beyond
      The team set out to create a layered environment that looked both inward and outward, and was infused with organic elements.
      “Through an iterative design process, the studio and client arrived at a highly bespoke, biophilic design that is attuned to the passage of time,” the team said.
      A kitchen on the lower level features a giant islandThe unit is divided into public and private areas. On the bottom level, one finds a living room, dining area, kitchen and an office. A half-turn stair leads to the upper level, which holds two bedrooms.
      There also is a 167-square-metre roof deck that is accessed via a private elevator.

      Jürgen Vandewalle arranges Ghent penthouse around three blocks of furniture

      “The experience of the penthouse is quite varied, depending on the time of day and which space is being occupied,” said architect Michael Leckie.
      The unit’s focal point is a tall, glazed atrium filled with lush vegetation.
      The atrium runs alongside the stairwell leading to bedroomsActing as the “spine” for the penthouse, the atrium runs alongside the stairwell and extends from the unit’s bottom level all the way to its roof terrace. At the top, it is open to the sky.
      “Conceived as a microcosm of the Pacific Northwest rainforest, its centrepiece is a full-size, red cedar tree that lends a contemplative and grounding element to the onlooking interiors,” the team said.
      Finishes and fixtures are kept minimal in the bathroom”The ecosystem surrounding this tree will be sustained long term by a ‘nurse’ log, which replenishes the space with nutrients from decay.”
      Beyond the atrium, earthy elements are found throughout the dwelling and form a rich backdrop for the client’s belongings.
      Marble lines the walls of the powder roomAmerican black walnut makes up the woodwork in the living room, kitchen and bathing areas. The high-quality wood was also used for the stair treads.
      Travertine was used for flooring and custom-milled bathroom sinks. Smokey grey marble lines the walls in a powder room.
      Blackened-steel accents can be found throughout the apartmentBlackened-steel accents run throughout the unit and act as a counterpoint to the natural materials.
      The penthouse’s sparse furnishings include an oak-topped dining table with a cast-bronze base, and a low-lying, multidirectional sofa that support various postures and orientations.
      A lighting installation from Bocci illuminates the stairwellFloating in the stairwell is a lighting installation from Bocci that evokes a cluster of sparkling fireflies. The piece is made of copper and 122 glass luminaires.
      The rooftop terrace is meant to serve as an extension of the living space. It is fitted with a stainless-steel jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a kitchenette and plenty of seating.
      The lighting installation is made from copper and glassFounded by Michael Leckie in 2015, Leckie Studio has designed a number of residential projects, including mirrored cabins that blend into the forest. The firm also designed Slack’s Vancouver office, located within a repurposed industrial building.
      Photography is by Conrad Brown.

      Read more: More