Bjarke Ingels headed home for latest project: Aarhus Island

Bjarke Ingels is headed home for his latest project: Aarhus Island, a waterside development in Denmark's second-largest city. The mixed-use development will implement Ingels' signature angled look in its residential towers, with stepped towers that rise to defined peaks. 

According to ArchPaper, these towers will include over 200 residential units. A sizable boardwalk will wrap around the development, which will include not only the residential units but also an amphitheater, retail and dining, floating swimming pools, and a sandy, beach-like area. Work is slated to begin next year, with the first components of Aarhus Island opening in 2017.

BIG´s design for Bassin 7 in Århus, Denmark, will breathe life into the harborfront of Denmark´s second largest city by creating a new public promenade for its citizens. Rather than developing private residences and activating the remaining space between the buildings once residents have moved in, a series of recreational and cultural activities, including a beach zone, a theater and café will transform the area and create an entirely new neighborhood in Århus.

The new public promenade claims the water´s edge as public realm, stretching from the very tip of the waterfront towards the city center, and connects to the existing boat harbor to the west as well as the nearby town square, Nikoline Kochs Plads. The promenade meanders through the plot, creating pockets of new public spaces while blurring the boundaries between the city and water.

Seven unique buildings, each different in shape and size, will populate the site over time. The residential buildings will adapt to their immediate surroundings and will be composed of low-, mid-, and high-rise structures to ensure intimacy, life and activity at street level. Every building has a private courtyard for the residents, while the streets remain entirely public.

By designing the public space as the first step, the masterplan carefully mixes public programs with private residences, creating a new dynamic urban area where public and private realms converge.