ARCH–GES–BIG
This is some text inside of a div block.
BIG
Material Intelligence
Surface acting as spatial structure
ARCH–GES–BIG
This is some text inside of a div block.
Surface acting as spatial structure
BIG
ARCH–GES–BIG
Surface acting as spatial structure
Index Code:
ARCH–GES–BIG
Orgin:
Nordic Region
Field Notes:
Concept driving volume • Form kept explicit • Space organized by diagram
Defining Moment:
The VM Houses announced their diagrammatic method — concepts made literal through stacked, twisted, or pulled volumes that remain legible at every scale.

BIG

( 
2000s–present
 )
big

BIG’s work forms a world driven by diagram — space organized through stacking, shifting, and expansive gesture.

Light follows the logic of form.

Planes tilt and fold with graphic clarity.

Interiors behave as adaptable fields.

Edges mark changes of scale and program.

Volume grows directly from concept.

Structure becomes narrative.

Structural Focus

Rule-Based Freedom

Constraints or systems generate variation. Freedom arises through adherence to rules rather than expressive choice.

In BIG’s work, this approach appears where architecture is driven by diagrammatic systems and formal rules rather than stylistic expression.

Position

Rule-Based Freedom

Constraints or systems generate variation. Freedom arises through adherence to rules rather than expressive choice.

In BIG’s work, this approach appears where architecture is driven by diagrammatic systems and formal rules rather than stylistic expression.
Constructed Surfaces
Surfaces are built through layering, joining, and controlled fabrication.
Systems of Clarity
Order and coherence arise through disciplined systems and constraints.
Structure
Structure holds the work through rules, joins, and controlled relationships between parts.
Space
Space is structured through openings, intervals, and boundary conditions.
Gesture
Gesture functions as structure through disciplined, repeatable action.
Architecture
Form organizes space through structure, proportion, and material decision.
High-Tech Architecture
Structure and services are exposed as formal and functional systems.
Parametricism
Computational systems generate continuous formal variation.
Image Credits
Hide Image Credits
Context

All images © their respective rights holders.  
Image rights & attribution →

Observartory

No projects yet.
Structual Relations
The following practices are connected through shared structural decisions in form, material, and spatial logic.

By Structural Focus

ⓘ
How are these related?
Quiet Modernism relates practices through how form is organized rather than how it appears. Connections emerge through shared structural conditions — such as repetition, constraint, spatial organization, material behavior, or duration — even when outcomes differ.

A single grouping may reflect multiple overlapping structural concerns.
Snøhetta
Surface acting as spatial structure
Shigeru Ban
Surface acting as spatial structure

In Dialogue

Back to
The Atlas