Jakob Lange, Bjarne Ingels Group

An architect’s blueprint for designing sustainable cities.

What if sustainable cities were not just better for the environment, but for people, too?

This question is guiding a new generation of architects. Among them is Jakob Lange – a Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). As he explains, “hedonistic sustainability” is the belief that designing for the planet should also add joy to people's lives.

BIG’s work brings this philosophy to life. In Copenhagen, a waste-to-energy plant has been transformed into CopenHill: a power station that doubles as a public park, complete with a ski slope on its roof.

While these kinds of projects have higher up-front costs, sustainable buildings can pay back that extra investment in a matter of years.

Designing tomorrow's cities, however, requires more than just cash flow. Jakob remarks that while the mindset of building more sustainably is shifting, there is still a heavy burden on architects to push developers and politicians to change the way they think.

If the world is to meet its climate goals, we must increase the urgency of transforming our cities. We are all stakeholders in our future, so let us take bigger, bolder steps in creating it.

Bjarke Ingels Group designed the landmark CopenHill waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen. To find out more about their work, visit their website.