At BIG we practice knowledge driven design. To stretch the boundaries of the physical, financial, regulatory and environmental limits of design, we need to surround ourselves with the best experts in the fields outside our own expertise in architecture. With an in-house team of engineers, we have learned how much more impactful our design thinking gets – having this expertise internally is the inevitable step towards the silo shattering interdisciplinary design innovation that we want to bring to the world.

BIG E covers a wide range of disciplines including structural and MEP engineering as well as indoor climate, daylight and energy analysis. We work closely with our architects and designers from conception to completion and focus on creating an engineering story which compliments and reinforces the architectural narrative.

BIG E not only considers what structural solutions are economic and buildable but, more importantly, how our knowledge of forces and materials can support our investigations and architecture. Statical studies show how the flow of force may shape the building form, how the disposition of columns may help to delineate between different functions or how the arrangement of roof beams may modify natural light.

Our solutions are often developed from the bottom-up as a direct consequence of site-specific environmental conditions. Technical simulations are used to understand the complex interaction between the built environment and the natural environment, such as daylight, acoustic comfort, shadow casting, solar radiation to inform a wide variety of architectural concerns ranging from the overall massing and orientation of the building to the specification of the ventilation system and facade.