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"Giving Form to the Future by Looking at Both Past and Present": BIG on its Latest Publication Formgiving

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"The future is already here, it's not just very evenly distributed". Starting off with this William Gibson quote, BIG’s latest publication Formgiving looks at the past and present in order to determine the future. Talking of predictions that aren’t so far down the road, but rather than could occur in 5, 10, or 50 years, the book seeks to “give form to the future”, or to what has not taken shape yet.

ArchDaily had to chance to interview Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Partner at BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, and discuss not only the firm’s latest manuscript but the trilogy of publications: Yes is More, an “Archicomic on Architectural Evolution”, Hot to Cold an “Odyssey of Architectural Adaptation”, and Formgiving, an “Architectural Future History”.

"Giving Form to the Future by Looking at Both Past and Present": BIG on its Latest Publication Formgiving - Image 1 of 4"Giving Form to the Future by Looking at Both Past and Present": BIG on its Latest Publication Formgiving - Image 2 of 4"Giving Form to the Future by Looking at Both Past and Present": BIG on its Latest Publication Formgiving - Image 3 of 4"Giving Form to the Future by Looking at Both Past and Present": BIG on its Latest Publication Formgiving - Image 4 of 4Giving Form to the Future by Looking at Both Past and Present: BIG on its Latest Publication Formgiving - More Images+ 32

Kai-Uwe Bergmann on How BIG is Changing to Keep Up with Their Meteoric Growth

Kai-Uwe Bergmann on How BIG is Changing to Keep Up with Their Meteoric Growth - Image 1 of 4
VIΛ 57 West, New York City. Image © Nic Lehoux

BIG is getting even bigger.

The firm’s ever expanding project load – since just last fall, 6 projects have been completed with 7 more under construction – has prompted some major changes and expansions, including the establishment of an in-house engineering department in March and the continued development of the think tank research group, BIG IDEAS.

In this profile for Building Design in Construction Network, BIG Managing Partner and Head of Global Business Development Kai-Uwe Bergmann discusses the upcoming move of the firm’s New York office into their new 52,000-square-foot offices in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dumbo – a space more than double their current location in lower Manhattan – and the shifting role of the practice’s founder and charismatic front man, Bjarke Ingels.