BIG-Bjarke Ingels Interview: “Design to have Positive Side Effects”
In his interview on Louisiana Channel, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels discusses the interactive relationship between humans and the environment. He talks about how humans used to adapt to the environment in their earlier stages and then started to adapt the environment to their needs by erecting buildings, modifying landscapes, and transforming forests into farms. All of that, according to Ingles, has deeply influenced the geological nature of Earth, leading to deforestation, climate change, and other alarming phenomena.
However, Ingles believes that humans are capable of making change. He says that “if we have the power to radically transform our planet by accident, imagine what we can do if we are actually trying to do it.”
He explains that humans have been traced back to 60,000 years ago, which makes for a lot of experimenting that we need to learn form. He believes that we can achieve comfort the same way our ancestors have. He criticizes modernism for its failure to respond to the variety in ethnicity, culture, and natural environment. Then, he emphasizes the importance of study trips in understanding different cultures and learning from them. He believes that we can take from each other’s example what suits us and adapt it in a way that integrates with our environment and culture.
