Architect, Founder Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke believes the architectural profession is best explained with the traditional Danish word for design: Formgivning. As the name suggests it literally means form giving. When you design something, you give form to that which has not yet been given form – you are shaping the future. When you design a space, a building or a city, you are giving form to the world you yourself would want to living in.
Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, Bjarke is known for groundbreaking projects that push the boundaries of architecture and urbanism. His recent work includes the Prague Philharmonic, The Chinese National Natural History Museum in Beijing, Zurich Airport, The Woven City in Japan, and Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan. He is also collaborating with NASA and ICON Technologies to design the first permanent human habitat on the Moon.
His contributions to architecture and culture have earned him numerous accolades. Bjarke is a Knight of the French Order of Arts et des Lettres and a Knight of the Danish Order of Dannebrog. He was appointed to the EU’s New European Bauhaus High-Level Roundtable in 2021 and, since 2023, has served as an advisor to the King of Bhutan. He is an Honorary Fellow of the AIA, RIBA, and RAIC. His awards include the Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion, The French Academy of Architecture’s Gold Medal, the Aga Khan Award, and the Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award. In 2011, The Wall Street Journal named him Innovator of the Year, the same year he received the Danish Crown Prince Couple’s Culture Prize.
Bjarke is also an esteemed educator, having taught at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Rice Universities. He holds an honorary professorship at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen. His thought leadership has taken him to 10 Downing Street, the Danish Parliament, and the World Economic Forum, where he has spoken about architecture’s role in shaping a sustainable and innovative future.
Ph. REFORM Sofie Mathiassen
