Sustainable architecture with a fun twist, as conceived by BIG, debuts in New York, focusing on pleasure and long-term environmental responsibility.
In the heart of Lower Manhattan, a groundbreaking project is taking shape, redefining the way cities approach sustainability and urban design. The BIG U, a 10-mile coastal protection system, is more than just a flood barrier—it's a testament to a new approach called hedonistic sustainability, coined by Bjarke Ingels, the visionary behind Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
This innovative concept integrates sustainable development with the pursuit of pleasure, creating environments that are both ecologically responsible and enjoyable for people to use and experience. The BIG U is a prime example of this approach, blending resilience infrastructure with public amenities and recreational spaces to enhance the quality of life in the city.
After the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy, the BIG U was born as a solution to protect Manhattan from storm surges. The project, which runs from East 40th Street around The Battery and up to West 54th Street along the coastline, is transforming the waterfront into accessible, green, and vibrant public spaces.
Parts of the BIG U include "bridging berms" that not only protect neighborhoods but also improve pedestrian access, support diverse plantings, provide better views, and create inviting open spaces along the waterfront. This dual function as both protective infrastructure and pleasurable, sociable urban landscape exemplifies hedonistic sustainability.
Jeremy Alain Siegal, an associate at BIG, emphasizes the importance of the public realm component in projects like the BIG U. He states that it is critical to overall delivery, ensuring that the city's residents and visitors can benefit from the project's amenities and enjoy the improved urban environment.
The first phase of the $2.7bn BIG U project is gearing up for completion next month, setting a new standard for hedonistic sustainability in futureproofing the built world. Taking elements from seemingly opposite sides of the fence to create a new hybrid is a good starting point, according to Ingels.
BIG's commitment to hedonistic sustainability doesn't stop at the BIG U. The firm has also completed projects like the CopenHill waste-to-energy plant in the Danish capital, which features a ski slope, a hiking trail, and the world's highest climbing wall. The steam from the plant is cleaner than the air around it, making it suitable for recreational activities like skiing, hiking, and climbing.
The Plus, a production facility in Norway, is another example of BIG's innovative approach. Designed by BIG and integrated into a forest, The Plus showcases the firm's ability to seamlessly blend buildings into their natural surroundings while still maintaining functionality and sustainability.
Other Danish architects are following in BIG's footsteps, with projects like Tredje Natur's floating car parks and CF Møller's flood defense system that doubles as a nature park. These projects demonstrate the replicability of hedonistic sustainability as an essential part of BIG's schemes, and the firm has even created a toolkit to help other cities apply similar strategies.
Cities such as Bangkok, Venice, Dhaka, and Miami are currently investigating flood and storm defense systems, and it's clear that the future of urban development will see more projects adopting the hedonistic sustainability approach pioneered by Bjarke Ingels and BIG. By focusing on creating enjoyable, sustainable cities, we can ensure that future generations can live, work, and play in environments that are both beautiful and resilient.
[1] "The BIG U: A New Approach to Storm Resilience and Urban Development." Bjarke Ingels Group. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://big.dk/project/the-big-u/ [2] "Hedonistic Sustainability: A New Approach to Urban Development." Bjarke Ingels Group. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://big.dk/concept/hedonistic-sustainability/
- The BIG U, a 10-mile coastal protection system, is an exemplification of environmental-science principles in urban development, blending climate-change resilience with technology and public amenities, thereby creating a model for hedonistic sustainability.
- Essential to futureproofing the built world, hedonistic sustainability—an approach coined by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)—integrates science, technology, and the environmental-science aspects of climate-change mitigation with the pursuit of pleasure, fostering sustainable, enjoyable, and resilient cities for future generations.
