COPENHAGEN – Danish firm BIG has been selected recipient of the 2012 AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture, for its design of the 8 House in Copenhagen.
The structure was Denmark’s largest private development ever constructed it includes shops, restaurant, an art gallery, offices, childcare centre, educational facilities and apartments. Spanning 60,386-sq-m, the bow-tie shaped building combines three types of residential housing and 10,219-sq-m of retail and office space.
Architect Bjarke Ingels says ‘architectural alchemy’ was his design approach for the structure. ‘The idea was that by mixing traditional ingredients, retail, row-houses and apartments in untraditional ways, we would create added value if not gold,’ Ingels says.
The AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture is organized by the American Institute of Architects and recognizes achievements that elevate the quality of architecture.
