Beneath the slopes, whirring furnaces, steam, and turbines convert , tons of waste annually into enough clean energy to deliver electricity and district heating for , homes. The power plant&#;s infrastructure, from ventilation shafts to air-intakes, helps create the varied topography of a mountain; a man-made landscape created in the encounter between the needs from below and the desires from above.

Copenhagen’s harbor has transformed from an industrial port and traffic junction to being the cultural and social heart of the city. The Copenhagen Harbor Bath has been instrumental in this evolution. It extends one of the city&#;s most popular parks over the water by incorporating the practical needs and demands for accessibility, safety, and programmatic flexibility. In , the Harbor Bath was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as one of the Best Sports Facilities in the world.

The new building would provide the physical environment for collaboration and idea sharing through the internal mix of open workplaces, amenities and informal meeting spaces. Large stairwells between the floors form cascading double-height communal spaces throughout the headquarters. These continuous spaces enhance connectivity between different departments and amenities, which may include basketball courts, a running track, a cafeteria and screening rooms. The amenity floors are located so they can feed directly out onto the roof top parks.

The bow tie-shaped National Theatre of Albania is a -in- cultural venue tailored to Tirana’s thriving theatre and performance art scene. Located in the cultural and administrative heart of downtown Tirana, adjacent to the iconic Skanderbeg Square, the National Opera and the National Art Gallery, the new building replaces an aging theatre building which no longer met the needs of the actors, guests or the general public.

BIG&#;s design for the new ground up building is rooted in the local character of the area, taking advantage of the contextually defined building envelope while creating continuously cascading work environments that will connect Googlers across multiple floors. By opening up the ground floor and activating the roofscape, the light and airy workspaces are sandwiched between the terraced gardens on the roof, and market halls, auditoria and shops on the ground.