Bjarke Ingels

Founder & Architect, BIG

Business Leader •
TED Speaker

Theory meets pragmatism meets optimism in Bjarke Ingels’ architecture. His big-think approach is informed by a hands-on, ground-up understanding of the needs of a building’s occupants and surroundings.

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"Bjarke was great. He had a really good presentation on the project he's working on. We had around 700 architects to see him. He really understood the project and he has a lot to offer in his expertise. He has a great vision for innovating."

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Bjarke Ingels's 2025 biography

Bjarke Ingels’ Background

Ingels founded BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) in 2005 after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 and working at OMA in Rotterdam. He defines architecture as the art and science of making sure our cities and buildings fit with the way we want to live our lives. Through careful analysis of various parameters from local culture and climate, everchanging patterns of contemporary life, to the ebbs and flows of the global economy, Bjarke believes in the idea of information-driven-design as the driving force for his design process.

Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine in 2016, Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings globally.

In 2018, Bjarke received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Dannebrog bestowed by Her Majesty the Queen Margrethe II. In 2011, Wall Street Journal named Bjarke The Innovator of the Year; he received the Danish Crown Prince’s Culture Prize in 2011; the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004; and the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009.

Alongside his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to hold lectures in venues such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street, the World Economic Forum and many more.

In 2018, Bjarke was named Chief Architectural Advisor by WeWork to advise and develop the firm’s design vision and language for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods globally.