People

Bjarke Ingels is the founder of BIG. His work is driven by the belief that architecture can be a tool for turning fiction into fact - merging pragmatic solutions with utopian possibilities. Since founding BIG in 2005, Ingels has led projects that redefine typologies and challenge conventional constraints. From the figure-eight loop of 8 House in Copenhagen, to the hybrid pyramid-courtyard of VIA 57 West in Manhattan, to the skiable waste-to-energy plant CopenHill, his work proposes that sustainable cities can not only be better for the environment, but also more enjoyable to live in. BIG’s portfolio includes global collaborations with companies like Google, LEGO, and Toyota, as well as public projects such as the Smithsonian Master Plan, the Prague Philharmonic - a cultural landmark for music in motion - and Zurich Airport, the world’s largest timber building, redefining both scale and sustainability in aviation architecture. Across all scales, Ingels advocates for hedonistic sustainability, an approach where ecological responsibility and human enjoyment are not at odds, but mutually reinforcing. He has taught at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, and is the author of Yes Is More, a graphic monograph on BIG’s design philosophy. His recognitions include the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (Denmark), Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), the French National Grand Prix for Architecture (Grande Médaille d’Or), the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, the Louis I. Kahn Award, and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, as well as being named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.

Sheela Maini Søgaard is Chief Executive Officer and Partner at BIG. She manages the health and growth of Bjarke Ingels Group’s studio offices globally along with its internationally represented team of 800+ designers and staff. Since joining BIG in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer, overseeing the development of the organization and its strategic priorities, Sheela has transformed BIG from Bjarke Ingels’ Danish architectural firm into an internationally acclaimed company led by design, community and innovation. Sheela’s professional experiences prior to BIG include leading business development for Danish culinary entrepreneur and noma co-founder Claus Meyer, market management and product development at GN Resound, and consultancy at McKinsey & Company. Sheela complements her professional work by serving as board member of The Bikuben Foundation and Adjunct Professor with Copenhagen Business School. In 2022, the Danish Association of Managers and Executives honored Sheela with the title of CEO of the Year; in 2019, Fast Company named Sheela on the Most Creative People in Business list; and in 2017, Danish media Berlingske Business featured her as one of the Top 100 Female Executives in Denmark.

Agustin Perez-Torres is a Partner at BIG, leading work throughout North America and South America. His range of design interests and expertise varies from architecture and interiors to urban master planning, which are all rooted in his design approach of placemaking, elevating community, celebrating culture and innovation. Agustin has led the development of the Cultural District of Miraya in Saudi Arabia, a future forward place that will redefine the possibilities for art and culture for international artisans and travelers; Vancouver House in Canada, a residential project that has attracted international attention for its environmentally conscious design, innovation and beauty; and other experiences in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Previously, Agustin worked for OMA, where he designed the Taipei Performing Arts Center in Taiwan and the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice. In addition to his design work, he also has experience as an architectural journalist and has assisted with the organization of architectural exhibitions.

Alexandru joined BIG in 2018 as a Senior Urban Designer and was made a Partner in 2024. Alexandru is the Head of Urban Design for the London Studio and has extensive experience with Urban Design and Masterplanning projects across the UK and Middle East. He has led or helped lead a variety of work for many types of clients in varied locations, from remote resort islands, to temporary global expositions, to entirely new cities and urban regenerations. Among his current projects, he is creating a 60km2 mixed-use community focussed on a man-made geographic feature in a major Middle Eastern City, a sensitive urban regeneration scheme that knits together pieces of a fragmented historic neighbourhood with sensitive new interventions to create a viable and future-proofed district for the local community, and a new island-based urban centre on the coast of a city along the Persian Gulf. He also has led our multi-year involvement for Oxagon, NEOM’s new industrial port and city on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Alexandru received his MA in Landscape Urbanism from Kingston University, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, London and his MSc in Urban Design and March and BA in Architecture from the Polytechnic University, Faculty of Architecture, Timisoara, Romania. He is currently a Teaching Fellow at The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London.

Andreas is the Design Director of BIG London and a member of the practice’s global Board of Directors. He has worked with us since our founding and led projects of all typologies and sizes in locations around the world, with a focus on Europe and the Middle East. Key recent work includes Google’s new UK Headquarters, which is now in the final stages of construction in Central London, Ocean House, a luxury residential development on the Palm in Dubai, Saadiyat Island Cultural Masterplan and a variety of related assets in the museum district of Abu Dhabi, and the new Chedi Wadi Safar Hotel, a contextually-sensitive boutique resort in Riyadh. In Amsterdam, he completed the riverside Sluishuis residential development, where residents can access their homes by car, foot or boat, and in Denmark the Aarhus Harbour Masterplan, a mixed-use redevelopment of a disused industrial site featuring housing, a hotel, a theatre, public spaces and harbour bath. He has also been responsible for the Qiddiya Master Plan, an entertainment-focused city for 600,000 people west of the Saudi Arabian capital, MÉCA, a sculpted cultural centre in France, and the 220-meter-tall and environmentally responsive Shenzhen Energy Mansion Headquarters in China. Andreas has spearheaded many of BIG’s strategic planning projects with a focus on sustainability, including Plan for the Planet, our ongoing research program to create a blueprint for a carbon-neutral planet, as well as Loop City and Mars Science City. In addition to his architectural and master planning work, Andreas lectures internationally on the practice’s current research and projects. He has also taught at the Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, the AHO School of Architecture in Oslo, and served as Studio Director at the Strelka Institute for Architecture and Urbanism in Moscow.

Andy joined BIG in 2016 as Technical Director of the London office and has been a Partner since 2021. He has over 35 years of experience in the design and construction of large-scale projects, with a particular focus on the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Andy has led some of BIG’s most prominent projects, including East Side Tower in Berlin and all BIG’s London projects. These include Google’s new UK Headquarters in Kings Cross, 120 Fleet Street, Red Lion Court and Canada Water Dockside. More recently, his responsibilities include hospitality projects in Saudi Arabia and the competition-winning Kosovo Opera and Ballet Theatre in Pristina. He continues to oversee the technical design and delivery of all London Studio projects, including the Citywave project in Milan; and leads professional development programmes for London staff. Prior to joining BIG, Andy spent two decades at Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners. He led many high-profile projects, including The Leadenhall Building in the City of London (AKA ‘The Cheesegrater’). Andy is a UK Registered Architect and a Member of the RIBA. He received his Diploma in Architecture and ARB registration from The University of Westminster in 1993 whilst working at Michael Hopkins & Partners.

Beat Schenk is a Partner bringing 35+ years of professional expertise of architectural detailing, conceptual technical analysis, code, zoning, work plans, project scheduling, building systems research, construction administration, and life safety and accessibility compliance reviews to all phases of a project. Beat’s experience in North America, Europe and the Middle East includes an array of typologies, such as healthcare, educational, commercial, residential, cultural and science projects. Beat has led numerous high-profile projects, including the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (BIG U) and VIA 57 West residential tower in New York; Telus Sky residential tower in Calgary; and Vancouver House. Prior to his current role at BIG, he worked for various architecture firms on healthcare, educational and cultural projects around the globe.

Brian Yang joined BIG in 2007 and was named Partner in 2015. He has worked closely with Bjarke Ingels on a wide range of projects such as an energy efficient skyscraper completed in 2017 in Shenzhen, the 8 House - a new typology of residential building completed in 2010 in Copenhagen. He has been the Project Leader on a number of competition winning proposals, including the Amager Bakke / Copenhill waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen that doubles as a ski slope, Kistefos Art Museum completed in 2019 in Oslo that bridges cross a river, and the LEGO House, which opened its doors to critical acclaim in 2017. Most recently, he has been the partner-in-charge for a 280m tall mixed-use tower in the heart of Singapore that completed in 2022, and a winning scheme of Vltava Philharmonic Prague. With a background in energy efficiency research as well as undergraduate studies in economics, Brian brings additional focus on environmental and economic sustainability into all of his projects. Prior to joining BIG, Brian worked at a number of practices internationally, and while at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, led a project team for a pavilion exhibited at the 2009 Gwangju Design Biennale in South Korea.

Catherine Huang joined BIG in 2007 and became partner in 2017. She has worked closely with Bjarke Ingels across a wide range of projects and typologies such as the Danish Pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai Expo, an energy efficient skyscraper currently completed in Shenzhen, a low energy masterplan in Toronto, and residential projects such as Dortheavej 2 in Copenhagen and 79 & PARK in Stockholm, that enhance the urban fabric by creating shared social spaces as a byproduct of the design. She was the Design Leader for Hualien Residences, a residential masterplan in Taiwan that seeks to blur the line between natural landscape and the built environment. At the moment Cat is the Partner in Charge for the Suzhou Art Museum in Suzhou, China. Prior to joining BIG, she drew on undergraduate degree in molecular biology during her time at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design to conduct research into new models of sustainability for the urban realm.

Daniel Sundlin’s approach to design is anchored in holistic thinking around the synergies of community, economy, ecology and sustainability. His array of design interests and expertise varies in scale from product design, interiors and architecture to master planning. Daniel began working at BIG Copenhagen in 2008, and in 2010 he opened BIG’s first office outside of Denmark with the establishment of BIG New York. Daniel is a Partner at BIG and has worked on The Heights Public School in Arlington, Virginia; VIA 57 West residential building in Manhattan; Wildflower Film Studios in New York City; and the sustainable Google Bay View campus in California. Daniel’s work expands to the urban scale with the East Side Coastal Resiliency project (the BIG U), a master plan to protect 10 miles of Manhattan’s coastline. His urban design projects span the globe, including Penang South Islands in Malaysia and OCEANIX Busan, a sustainable floating city prototype in collaboration with the United Nations. Daniel complements his professional work with involvement in academia as a guest critic with various universities and an instructor at New York Institute of Technology.

Daria Pahhota is the Managing Director of the BIG New York City office and became a Partner at BIG in 2021. In her role, Daria leads the office’s general management and operations, as well as studio vision and alignment for all business operations, including business development, human resources, staffing, community and legal coordination. She supports the development and promotion of the firm’s values and long-term goals alongside BIG’s international community, strengthening global coherence and working closely with project managers, managing directors and BIG Partners. Daria first joined BIG in 2008 and previously led all of the firm’s internal and external communication efforts at the strategic, tactical and operational levels. She brings over 15 years of experience in corporate communications, project management, media relations, branding and events to BIG. Through her work supporting BIG and our clients, the firm has seen tremendous growth in press and media coverage as well as a broader recognition and awareness of the company and brand, product and people. During Daria’s two years as the Global Communications Leader at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, she oversaw a 20+ person PR team and worked on the roll-out for the National Museum of the U.S. Army and launch of the Moynihan Train Hall - one of the most monumental civic projects undertaken in New York City in a generation. Daria is also a board member at Madame Architect, a digital magazine and media start-up celebrating women in the AEC industry.

David Zahle is a Partner at BIG and has been Project and Design Architect for many of BIG’s award-winning and built projects. Since BIG inception in 2006, David Zahle has been responsible for delivering imaginative and pioneering designs for buildings such as Copenhill, a waste-to energy plant with a ski slope on the roof, The Maritime Museum, The Twist Museum and the sustainable Vestre factory. His focus is predominately on culture projects and sustainability, but he has also been responsible for a wide range of residential and commercial buildings. His award-winning projects range from concert houses, museums, housing, hotels, offices, factories, to landscape. He has been responsible for projects in all scales from private houses, to public squares, over large scale projects of more than 100.000m2 to masterplans for millions of m2. Through thorough analysis David challenges conventional perspectives of what a building can be in itself and for the city around it. He is dedicated to creating a more equitable future through good design. David is an experienced speaker and is invited to give lectures all over the world.

Finn Nørkjær is a Partner at BIG and has collaborated with Bjarke Ingels since he won the competition on his very first project for the Copenhagen Harbour Bath in 2001. Finn has been instrumental in translating Bjarke’s visionary architecture into buildable projects; his thorough attention to detail and ability to work within a given budget has ensured the success of BIG’s built work: the award-winning LEGO House, Tirpitz Museum, and Gammel Hellerup School multi-purpose hall. Some of his latest completed projects include the 4-times named best restaurant of the world noma 2.0 in Copenhagen, Glasir - Torshavns new College, and residential projects; 79&Park in Stockholm, Dortheavej 2 in Copenhagen and NYE in Aarhus. Finn was also Partner-in-Charge of Bassin 7, a masterplan at the Aarhus harbor, where BIG was in charge of 2 residential developments and a hotel and SPA. Finn was the Partner-in-Charge of BIG’s new Headquarter in Copenhagen.

Frederik Lyng joined BIG in 2008 and was named Partner in 2024. He has been leading numerous projects from the competitions, sketch proposals to realization phase from small scale design to large scale development, with a particular focus on projects in Denmark and Scandinavia. Frederik has worked as the design lead for the award-winning Gammel Hellerup School, completed 2013 and the Education Center, Glasir, in the Faroe Islands. Glasir brings together the high school, technical school and business school in Tórshavn, creating a lively and social meeting point for the young people of Faeroe Island. With experience in both small scale design and large scale concept development, Frederik brings great versatility and proficient problem solving skills to any project team. Besides his experience with education projects, Frederik lead the design of the new home of Noma, one of the top restaurants in the world, and cultural projects like Then Twist - Kistefos Museum in Norway, Tirpitz Museum, a 2.500 M2 museum by a bunker from WWII in Western Denmark and The Danish Refugee Museum in Oxbøll. Frederik was Project Lead at BIGs new Headquarters in Nordhavn.

Named BIG Landscape Partner in 2021, Giulia is an instrumental leader within BIG Landscape. Giulia moved to BIG Copenhagen in 2020 after three years at BIG NYC. She is a Senior Landscape Architect with a multi-disciplinary background in urban design, architecture and landscape architecture. Giulia led the proposal for Toyota Woven City, investigating how recent technologies will shape the future of cities in regard to new forms of mobility, sustainability, ecology and human connectivity. Since joined BIG in 2017, Giulia has been leading the BIG landscape team working on various projects that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries by weaving together building and landscape, planning and programming, indoor and outdoor, public and private, to generate unforeseen typologies and synergies between the built and the grown. Prior to BIG, she worked for four years as a Landscape Designer and Urban Planner for the Dutch firm West 8. She has extensive experience in resilient master-planning and public space design at various scales. Giulia has led the design of the Duke University Sculpture Park, as well as the Concept Masterplan for Gulangyu Island in China, which contributed to the site being named a World UNESCO Heritage site. Giulia received her Masters Degree with honors from the Polytechnic University of Milan.

Hanna joined BIG Copenhagen in 2008 and, in 2019, relocated to establish BIG in Barcelona. Hanna is a Partner at BIG and has led some of BIG’s most prominent projects in both the Copenhagen and Barcelona offices, including the award-winning Biosphere, a hospitality experience in northern Sweden, Copenhagen Harbour Bath, and Tirpitz Museum. Her sharp eye for crafting high-quality architectural concepts has been instrumental in securing numerous competition wins, including the Gastronomy Open Ecosystem in San Sebastián, the European Commission’s Joint Research Center in Sevilla, Spain, the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Hungary, and the Fuse Valley & Farfetch headquarters in Portugal. Currently, Hanna is overseeing the construction of the residential development Ellinikon Park Rise in Athens, Greece, the design of the beach club The Drop in Riva, Turkey, and a high-end residential development and hotels in the Middle East. Hanna Johansson’s approach to architecture is rooted in a holistic thinking, integrating community, culture, economy, and sustainability into her work. Her diverse expertise spans scales and programs, from interiors and architecture to master planning, encompassing residential developments, hospitality, office campuses, educational facilities, and cultural institutions. Hanna confidently balances her expertise in planning, concept development, and construction documentation at BIG.

Henriette joined BIG in 2018 as Operations Director and is now a Partner and the Managing Director of BIG’s London office. Since joining, she has been instrumental in the exceptional growth and profitability of the London office and has been actively involved in the decision making and development of all UK, Europe and Middle East related projects. She has over 20 years’ experience within architectural practice from both a design and a management perspective. With a more recent focus on finance and profitability, including fee bidding, contract negotiation, resource and client management from one-off residential commissions to major cultural, leisure and commercial contracts. Henriette was previously the Managing Director at Studio Seilern Architects where she turned a loss-making practice into a profitable one. Prior to this, Henriette was Commercial Director of David Chipperfield Architects, where she was in charge of all aspects of commercial viability and internal management of many prestigious projects.

Jakob Lange joined BIG in 2003 and was named Partner in 2009. Jakob has been instrumental in many of BIG’s most high-profile buildings and technology projects. He successfully led the design and development of Copenhill, an innovative waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen that doubles as a ski slope; The Mountain, an architectural alchemy of residential and parking in Copenhagen; and Urban Rigger, a floating student housing building at the Copenhagen Harbor. Jakob also heads BIG Products, BIG’s product design division, and collaborates with industry-leading companies to create product designs that utilize sustainable materials and advanced production methods, including customized furniture, lighting and innovative building systems to support the studio’s work from the small details to the BIG picture. Working on various project scales, Jakob jointly created the Alphabet of Light, the Vine light, and the Stellar Nebula lamp with long-time collaborator Artemide as well as led the design of Hyperloop’s Pegasus pods with Virgin Hyperloop and its transportation hub in Dubai, defining an entirely new sustainable transportation typology. In 2018, he further completed a 25-meter-diameter inflatable mirrored sphere installation, The Orb, for the annual Burning Man temporary city in the US. and is currently in charge of creating a 3D-printed infrastructure for living on the Moon with NASA.

Jakob Sand joined BIG in 2011 and has since played a central role across the entire project lifecycle, from early concept to built reality. As Partner-in-Charge, he has led and won numerous international competitions, with a strong footprint across Europe and a particular focus on France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Drawing on many years of professional experience in both Paris and Copenhagen, Jakob brings a deep, hands-on understanding of European culture, context, and building practice. He has been instrumental in delivering a series of award-winning landmark projects, including the MÉCA Cultural Center in Bordeaux, the transformation of the Galeries Lafayette flagship store on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and the Cité de l’Innovation at Sorbonne University, also in Paris. His portfolio spans an exceptional range of scales and typologies - from cultural and educational projects to complex infrastructure and major mixed-use developments, as well as transformations - such as the Pont de Bondy metro station, The Circle (a transformative tower project along the Seine river), the Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub in Toulouse, and the New Hamburg Opera.

João Albuquerque began his BIGster journey at BIG Copenhagen in 2008, eventually moving to Barcelona in 2019 to support the establishment of a strong foundation for BIG Barcelona. In 2019, he became the Design Director of the Barcelona office and in 2021 was named Partner. Today, João leads projects across Southern Europe, Middle East, India, and South America, such as the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Seville, in Spain, and the Dubai Masterplan in UAE. João thrives within BIG’s collaborative and creative environment, where he regularly leads design teams from early competitions through the Schematic Design and Design Development phases. His work is distinguished by a sharp focus on the intersection of architecture and computational technologies, exploring programming, parametrics, and digital fabrication as tools for innovation. This approach allows him to operate seamlessly across scales - from conceptual design and spatial strategies to technical detailing, fabrication, and construction - ensuring that each project carries forward both BIG’s design vision and its commitment to innovation. João’s experience spans a wide range of typologies: high-rise projects including the completed Shenzhen Energy Mansion in China; education projects such as the Gastronomy Open Ecosystem in San Sebastián, Spain; cultural landmarks such as the Adelaide Contemporary Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao; and large-scale masterplans such as Europa City in Paris and the winning cultural neighborhoods for Qiddya and South Korea; as well as speculative research, including BIG’s vision for a new architectural vernacular for future life on Mars. João completed his Master of Architecture at the University of Sciences and Technology of Coimbra, in Portugal and achieved a post-graduate MAA degree from IAAC in Barcelona, having his thesis project being exhibited at the 2011 Beijing Biennale and the Museu del Disseny of Barcelona.

Kai-Uwe Bergmann is a Partner globally at BIG, bringing his expertise to proposals around the world, including work in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Working out of the New York office, Kai-Uwe coordinates with BIG’s five international offices, helping lead work in over 40 different countries. Licensed as an architect in the U.S. (16 states) and Canada (one province), Kai-Uwe most recently contributed to the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (the BIG U), a resiliency plan that will protect 10 miles of Manhattan’s coastline. Additionally, his work expands to the exhibition and publication of BIG’s literary portfolio by way of Hot to Cold, Yes Is More, Formgiving, and the newest Culture book. He complements his professional work through teaching assignments at Pratt Institute and Georgia Tech. Kai-Uwe is also an AIA Fellow and past board member of the Van Alen Institute, and participates on numerous international juries and in lectures globally on the works of BIG.

Leon Rost is a Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and leads the Los Angeles office, overseeing projects that span large-scale masterplans, workplaces, higher education, and residential design. He oversaw the design of 3 million square feet within Google’s next-generation campus—home to Google Gemini—reimagining the Silicon Valley workplace as a flexible, sustainable, and human-centered environment. He also played a key role in the Athletics Ballpark Masterplan, shaping a vision for an integrated sports district. Additionally, Leon led the visioning of Toyota’s Woven City, a prototype smart city exploring the future of mobility, robotics, and urban life. His expertise in institutional and campus planning includes work on the UC San Diego and Claremont McKenna College campuses, integrating architecture with campus design. His leadership on the Johns Hopkins University Student Center, the university’s first mass timber structure, has shaped a dynamic hub for academic and social life. Beyond large-scale projects, Leon has a strong focus on residential and hospitality design. His work on private homes along the Pacific Coast and Not A Hotel in Setouchi, Japan, creates bespoke spaces deeply connected to their surroundings. Leon’s projects shape how people live, learn, work, and gather, from urban-scale developments to private homes.

Lorenzo joined BIG in 2012 and was made a Partner in 2021. He has been a part of some of the practice’s most important and widely-recognised projects, including Lego House in Denmark, MÉCA cultural arts centre in France and the Omniturm residential and office tower in Germany. In the London studio, he has helped lead the recently completed Edge East Side tower in Berlin, which stands as the city’s tallest inhabitable structure, Google’s new UK Headquarters in Kings Cross, London, and our CityWave project, a curving mixed-use gateway scheme now under construction in Milan. Alongside these, Lorenzo has regularly led our designs for high-profile competitions. Among his recent successes include two new urban regeneration schemes in Saudi Arabia that sensitively integrate existing assets with new development parcels, a floating industrial-focussed port city in the Middle East, and a new cultural and performing arts centre in the GCC. Lorenzo received his Master of Architecture from the University of Florence, Italy, where he complemented his studies with teaching positions in Architectural Design.

Martin Voelkle is a Partner at BIG who focuses on architecture, sustainable construction and technology. Martin has been leading BIG’s collaboration with ICON Build, a developer of advanced construction technologies, including 3D-printed buildings, which are produced with less waste and in a more expedited manner than typical construction methods. Collaborations with ICON have included affordable housing communities, market rate residential, hospitality and event spaces, and NASA’s Project Olympus - a research base that will be the first lunar surface construction on another planetary body. Martin is also leading BIG’s transportation portfolio with the Zurich International Airport Dock A in Switzerland - a design that celebrates the passenger experience and ease of movement by way of its flexible framework constructed of renewable timber, the largest of its kind - and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Central, a reconsideration of the BQE transit corridor through Brooklyn with a focus on accessibility, integration with growing neighborhoods and an incorporated public realm. Martin’s work varies from cultural and infrastructural to residential and commercial, including the Shenzhen Energy Mansion HQ in China; Gowanus active community hub and residence in New York; and the Qianhai Prisma Towers in Shenzhen, China, designed to be a landmark gateway integrated thoughtfully with the existing skyline and public realm. Martin’s design interest and expertise expands to the urban scale with the development of King’s Cross Google HQ in London and Telosa, the vision for a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban planning, expands human potential and becomes a blueprint for future generations and future urban environments. Martin began working at BIG Copenhagen in 2010; he helped build the BIG New York office in 2012; and in 2016 he led the enterprise of BIG’s London office before returning to BIG New York, where he is currently based.

Ole Elkjær-Larsen joined BIG in 2003 and became partner in 2017. Ole has vast experience in project management and controlling of both large and small scale projects. Ole’s experience in developing holistic solutions enables him to transform BIG’s visual architecture into built projects. Ole has been key for the completion of BIG’s initial projects such as the Gammel Hellerup School multi-use hall and academic building completed in 2014, as well as for the award winning 8 House in Ørestad, which he followed through to it’s completion in 2010. With a significant role, Ole supervised the completion of the re-programming and extension of a former warehouse in Basel, completed in 2016, and most recently the Tirpitz Museum that transforms and expands a German WWII bunker fortification into a ground breaking cultural complex, the Michelin restaurant noma 2.0 at Christiania in Copenhagen, and the Faroe Islands Educational Centre in Torshavn, that welcomed the first students in 2018.

Sören Grünert joined BIG in 2010 and is currently a Partner is the Zurich office. In 2015, he was named an Associate. Prior to joining BIG Sören worked as a project architect at GMP International in Beijing and NL Architects in Amsterdam where he managed a wide range of international architectural and research projects. Sören holds a Diploma of Engineering in Architecture from the Technical University of Dresden. He brings extensive experience with building design and urban scale projects, including both concepts and research, to BIG. Sören has been team leader for key projects in America, like VIA 57 West, Rose Rock International Financial Center, and the Hyperloop station and pod design. He also led a number of projects from concept to completion, like 1200 Intrepid, the Honeycomb, and the Sanctuary.

Thomas Christoffersen is a Partner with more than 20 years of industry experience and a long history with BIG. Thomas’s global work varies in typology and project type, including the sustainable Google Bay View campus in California; IQON Residences in Quito, Ecuador; mixed-use towers Vancouver House and Telus Sky in Canada; The Honeycomb Residences in Nassau, Bahamas; and VIA 57 West in New York City. Thomas works with a range of clientele to help tell their brand’s unique story through architecture and design. Of his collaborations, he has worked on Musee Atelier Audemars Piguet in Switzerland; the San Pellegrino Flagship Factory in Bergamo, Italy; and The Spiral commercial tower in New York City with developer Tishman Speyer. Thomas’s focuses are built design, architecture, interiors, products and master planning. Thomas's work is also dedicated to the celebration of the public realm, seen through projects like the Smithsonian Institution Campus Masterplan in Washington D.C. and the Serpentine Pavilion in London. From his professional journey from a BIG Intern all the way to BIG Partner, Bjarke describes Thomas as “an old school architect with a capital A. He’s a great form giver and has an amazing ability to discern between what’s right and what’s wrong, tectonically.” In addition to being a Partner at BIG, Thomas is also a member of the Bjarke Ingels Group Board.