On the heels of the summer blockbuster BIG Maze, which attracted more than 50,000 visitors, BIG returns to the National Building Museum with a behind-the-scenes look at the studio’s creative process. The exhibition, Hot to Cold: An Odyssey of Architectural Adaptation, travels from the hottest to the coldest parts of our planet and explores how BIG´s designs are shaped by their cultural and climatic contexts. More than 60 architectural models, mock-ups and prototypes are suspended at the second-floor balconies of the museum’s historic Great Hall, turning the architecture of the National Building Museum into the architecture of the exhibition.
As the visitors move through the exhibition, they learn about the harsh demands of climatic extremes, where architecture becomes more about shading from the heat or sheltering from the cold. The milder or more temperate environments often leave more room for other factors, such as culture, program, politics and legislation to shape the buildings.
"Architecture never happens in the clinical conditions of a lab. It is always responding to a series of existing conditions – the context, the culture, the landscape, the climate. Our climate is the one thing we can’t escape – the one condition we always have to respond to. Hot to Cold is conceived as a colorful exploration of how architecture evolves in response to its context and climate and as an artistic contemplation of how life in return reacts to the framework created by the architecture. I can’t imagine a greater venue than the National Building Museum for this journey, looking back at our work and massive transformation over the last six years from both sides of the Atlantic”, says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
Hot to Cold encompasses 60 of BIG’s recent projects of which 20 are premiered for the first time, captured by Iwan Baan´s masterful photography. The exhibition also features films that describe life as it occurs within and around BIG’s buildings in a gallery on the museum’s second floor. Films by Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine, Kaspar Astrup Schroder, WAAITT and Squint/Opera document the life that emerges once the cranes have left and the buildings are complete. The accompanying catalog by Taschen is designed in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Stefan Sagmeister and is available now at the National Building Museum Shop in-person and online, as well as for preorder on Amazon.
Curator Susan Piedmont-Palladino says that BIG extended its singular design sensibility to the creation of this exhibition: “What’s so special about Hot to Cold is that BIG has perceived the National Building Museum more as a site for a project, rather than as a venue for an exhibition. That means that the sunlight, the sounds, and the sights of the Great Hall will all be part of the context of the display, just as they are for a building in the city. BIG has a very distinctive voice, and our visitors will have a very direct experience, as if the architect is talking, telling stories directly to them.”
Related Stories
| Jun 24, 2014
From Babylon to Sydney: The evolution of the modern workspace [infographic]
This infographic, made by Sunica de Klerk and originally posted by ArchDaily, shows the evolution of the office from 2400 B.C. to the present day.
| Jun 24, 2014
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announces plans for a Chicago Architecture Biennial
Chicago's mayor Rahm Emanuel announces plan to hold the Chicago Architecture Biennial in late 2015, intended to rival Venice's Biennale.
| Jun 24, 2014
Intuit begins work on LEED Platinum campus addition
Demolition will begin this week as a precursor to construction of Intuit's new addition to its Mountain View, Calif., campus. The first of two additions, a 185,000-sf building on Marine Way, is expected to begin construction in August.
| Jun 23, 2014
5 new designs unveiled for Make It Right homes at Fort Peck, Mont.
Make It Right, Brad Pitt's foundation that builds homes for people in need, has just revealed five new designs for the Fort Peck (Mont.) Indian Reservation.
| Jun 23, 2014
Gehry's 'glass sail' cultural center for Foundation Louis Vuitton set to open in October
Comissioned by Bernard Arnault, American legendary architect Frank Gehry's newest structure in Paris for Foundation Louis Vuitton will house eleven galleries and an auditorium for performing arts.
| Jun 23, 2014
Power of IPD: Is integrated project delivery truly a transformative delivery model?
Now that many of the first-generation IPD projects have been completed, CBRE Healthcare's Tim McCurley and Stephen Powell ponder the lessons learned and pros and cons of the industry's newest delivery model.
| Jun 23, 2014
Lilker Associates launches Lighting Group; David Cyr announced as Director
New division rounds out building systems services offerings for the Manhattan-based consulting firm.
| Jun 23, 2014
Berlin House of One will accommodate Muslims, Jews, and Christians
The building will rise on the ruins of a 13th-century Christian church that was damaged during WWII and eventually demolished.
| Jun 22, 2014
5 ways to improve your firm’s branding efforts
Establishing, conveying, and maintaining a powerful brand is a critical component of an AEC firm’s marketing strategy. Here are five strategies to make a greater impact with your firm’s branding efforts.
Sponsored | | Jun 22, 2014
JW Marriott Indianapolis redefines city’s skyline
The 34-story JW Marriott is both the largest and tallest hotel in Indianapolis. One of the most prestigious hotels in the city, the JW Marriott has hosted celebrities and NFL teams alike.