WeWork, the global network of cosharing workspaces with office locations in 65 cities and 21 countries, announced today that Bjarke Ingels, the Founding Partner and Creative Director of the architectural firm BIG, is now its Chief Architect.
Ingels will continue in his current capacities at BIG, which has offices in New York, London, and Copenhagen. But he will also advise and develop WeWork’s design vision and “language” for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods.
The eight-year-old WeWork generated $900 million in revenue in 2017, a year it opened 90 buildings around the world. The company told Bloomberg that it wants double its office buildings to 400 by the end of 2018. The company’s scale has allowed WeWork to get its construction costs down to around $5,000 per desk, which at bigger locations could save more than $100,000. WeWork also has $4.4 billion in investment capital from Japan's SoftBank to play with.
Coincidentally, WeWork got started around the same time that Ingels relocated to New York from his native Denmark. Both WeWork and BIG have since been high-profile juggernauts. “They have accomplished incredible things and … are committed to continuing their trajectory to places we can only imagine,” said Ingels about WeWork. “I am very excited to contribute with my insights and ideas to extend their community-oriented vision to ground-up buildings and urban neighborhoods.”
Adam Neumann, WeWork’s Co-founder and CEO, says that Ingels has changed the way he and his company think about architecture. “His designs inspire as much as surprise.” As WeWork’s Chief Architect, Ingels “will help us reimagine and reshape the future of our spaces, our company, and ultimately our cities,” predicts Neumann.
Related Stories
| Apr 2, 2012
Sachse Construction helps complete Salt Lake City’s City Creek Center
Sachse was hired to complete store build-outs at City Creek Center.
| Apr 2, 2012
Culver joins Sasaki as managing director
Culver will work closely with Sasaki firm leaders on issues of strategy, marketing, and business development.
| Apr 2, 2012
EB-5 investment funds new Miramar, Fla. business complex
Riviera Point Holdings breaks ground on $17 million office center.
| Mar 30, 2012
New windows and doors revitalize older buildings
With their improved aesthetics, energy efficiency, and durability, replacement windows and doors can add significant value to a renovation project.
| Mar 30, 2012
18 handy tablet apps for AEC professionals
Check out these helpful apps for everyday design and construction tasks. Our favorite: MagicPlan, which uses GPS to help you measure and draw a floor plan of any room.
| Mar 29, 2012
U.K.’s Manchester Airport tower constructed in nine days
Time-lapse video shows construction workers on the jobsite for 222 continuous hours.
| Mar 29, 2012
Roller shade operating system wins IF Product Design Award
Design experts in the iF jury recognized the engineering invested in the RB 500 Roller Shade, including a metal clutch with a patented construction, a durable zamac housing with polished finish, and a chain drive unit that excels in maximum operating comfort.
| Mar 29, 2012
Lehigh engineering student wins Thornton Tomasetti Foundation Awards Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student in structural engineering deemed by the department to have the potential to make an impact in the field professionally.
| Mar 29, 2012
Construction completed on Las Vegas’ newest performing arts center
The Smith Center will be the first major multi-purpose performance center in the U.S. to earn Silver LEED certification.
| Mar 29, 2012
Apartments provide permanent housing for California homeless
Gonzalez Goodale Architects designed complex to embrace community and engender sense of pride among residents.
