Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG, participated in the second edition of the Bread & Heart Festival in Tirana, held from June 3 to 5. Drawing more than 200 architects, urban planners, developers, and professionals from around the world, this year’s edition explored the theme “Landscapes of Abundance,” reflecting a broader perspective on Albania’s future development. On the festival’s public day, Bjarke joined a panel discussion on climate-resilient cities and a conversation linked to his guest editorship of Domus, before delivering a keynote titled “Utopian Pragmatism: Materializing Mindfulness.” BIG’s latest monograph with Phaidon, BIG Atlas, was also presented as part of the festival’s Book Pavilion. The festival brought together a roster of leading global voices in architecture and design, including Francis Kéré, Jeanne Gang, Sumayya Vally, Pierre de Meuron, Reinier de Graaf, Stefano Boeri, Kersten Geers, Benedetta Tagliabue, and Ma Yansong.
