BIG was engaged to create symbiosis between old and new in both stylistic and atmospheric terms housing community activities and support rooms, a large hall that has the power to unite, inspire and create space for the parish to come together. BIGs proposal is based on the existing architecture of the church. The geometry is formed as an extension of one of the church’s four wings, with all the new functions placed at ground level.
Running from January through August , Hot to Cold marked BIGs first major North-American exhibition offering a behind-the-scenes look at BIGs creative process and how the studios designs are shaped by cultural and climatic contexts. More than architectural models, mock-ups and prototypes were suspended at the second-floor balconies of the museums historic Great Hall, turning the architecture of the National Building Museum into the architecture of the exhibition.
Like Astana, which is located in the heart of the Kazakh mainland, the library would be integrated into the heart of a recreated Kazakh landscape. The park around the library is designed like a living library of trees, plants, minerals and rocks allowing visitors to experience a cross section of Kazakhstan’s natural landscape, and personally experience the capital’s transition across the country from Almaty to Astana.
The project includes the restoration of the Daily Express Building grade II* listed building. The headquarters of the newspaper once the epicenter of the newspaper industry and one of London’s finest Art Deco interiors will for the first time in its history be given a stand-alone status. The project will provide inclusive public access to the original art deco lobby, as well as the exterior roof amenities that include views of the surrounding city.
Located in the visual axis of the Notre Dame Cathedral in a dense context of university buildings from different historical periods, BIG proposes a building geometry that adapts to the specific conditions of all adjoining sides, optimized for daylight, views and accessibility. The three-dimensional envelope retracts from the neighboring facades, opens up towards the square of Institut du Monde Arabe and the park, and folds into a publicly accessible rooftop landscape, resulting in an adapted sculptural building volume.