Creating partnerships, "Puzzle House" by BIG and HHF Architects

Bjarke Ingels/ BIG and Simon Frommenwiler/ HHF Architects have teamed up to create an Interactive installation "Puzzle House" a brightly hued house that can be taken apart and rebuilt, to the Switzerland Embassy's backyard, in Copenhagen, in Denmark.

Interactive installation "Puzzle House" by Bjarke Ingels/ BIG and Simon Frommenwiler/ HHF Architects in the garden of the Swiss Embassy in Copenhagen. Photograph by Kaspar Würgler

Swiss and Danish architects built this idea for 3daysofdesign, Denmark’s annual showcase of talents from the worlds of architecture, lighting, furniture and interiors. The project forms part of the embassy’s architecture in residence (AiR) program. A platform that invites Swiss and Danish designers to create pieces that highlight the venue’s landscape, while also pushing forward fresh ideas.

“Switzerland and Denmark both have proud design traditions, and both countries really value innovation, research, education and the creative industries,” sayd Benedikt Wechsler, the Swiss Ambassador to Denmark.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the relations between danish and swiss architects, architecture schools, and manufacturers from the building industry.

The design comprises a series of interlocking elements, which can either be used individually or combined to create a wide variety of configuration. The design seeks to encourage social interaction as most of the elements need to be carried by more than one person in order to be moved.

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BJARKE INGELS

Bjarke Ingels (born in Copenhagen, in 1974) studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen and the School of Architecture of Barcelona, obtaining his degree as an architect in 1998. He is the founder of the BIG architecture studio - (Bjarke Ingels Group), a studio founded in 2005, after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 with his former partner Julien de Smedt, whom he met while working at the prestigious OMA studio in Rotterdam.

Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings worldwide, and currently, his studio is based with venues in Copenhagen and New York. His projects include The Mountain, a residential complex in Copenhagen, and the innovative Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore.

With the PLOT study, he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004, and with BIG he has received numerous awards such as the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009. Other prizes are the Culture Prize of the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2011; Along with his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

In 2018, Bjarke received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog granted by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to give lectures at places such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street or the World Economic Forum. In 2018, Bjarke was appointed Chief Architectural Advisor by WeWork to advise and develop the design vision and language of the company for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods around the world.

HHF architects. Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann and Simon Frommenwiler

HHF architects is an architectural firm established by Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann and Simon Frommenwiler.

Tilo Herlach. He born in 1972 in Zurich, Switzerland. Between 1992 and 1998, Studies in Architecture at ETH Zurich and ETH Lausanne; Masters at ETH Zurich with Prof. Ruggero Tropeano. 1998-2003 Collaboration with d-company, Bern and Rolf Furrer Architekten, Basel. 2003 Founding of HHF architects, Basel. Since 2006 member of the "Board for Urban Planning SIA Basel". Since 2007 Board member of the Berlin Chamber of Architects. 2010 BSA member. 2011 Visiting professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.

Simon Hartmann. He born in 1974 in Bern, Switzerland. Between 1994 and 2000, Studies in Architecture at ETH Lausanne, TU Berlin and ETH Zurich; Masters at EPF Lausanne with Prof. V. Mangeat. 2000-2003 Collaboration with Rolf Furrer Architekten, Basel. 2002-2007 Teaching assistant at the ETH Studio Basel with Prof. Jaques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Roger Diener, Marcel Meili. 2003 Founding of HHF architects, Babel. 2009-2011 Professor at the HTA Fribourg. 2010 BSA member. 2011 Visiting professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Since 2011 Professor at the Joint Master of Architecture course, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Simon Frommenwiler. He born in 1972 in London, United Kingdom. Between 1994 and 2000, Studies in Architecture at ETH Zurich; Masters with Prof. H. Kollhoff. 1997-2003 Collaborations with Bearth & Deplazes, Chur and Skidmore Owings & Merrill, New York, USA. 2003 Founding of HHF architects, Basel. 2005-2007 Teaching assistant at ETH Lausanne with Prof. Harry Gugger. 2010 BSA member. 2011 Professor at the Joint Master of Architecture course, Fribourg. 2011 Visiting professor at the ENSA Strasbourg, France.