Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-08-10)

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BJARKE INGELS GROUP. NOMADE: COURTESY NOMADE

DESIGN Bloomberg Pursuits August 10, 2020

Part of Ingels’s preoccupation with outdoor

space is his interest in biophilia, which

posits that humans who experience changes

in light, weather, and seasons “are more

productive and healthy,” he says. “The more

access you have to greenery, if only visually,

the fewer your sick days and the higher

your productivity.”

According to a 2009 Norwegian study,

blocking out nature results in negative

effects. Ingels says future generations

of buildings, including his own, will have

“almost an extra layer to the facade, but

outdoors, where you have access to fresh

air and plants.” One such project of his, King

Toronto, is already under construction. “It’s

essentially a mountain, where every home

has a terrace with a tree on it,” he says.

The added benefit of plants on an exterior

is that the nature, in theory, creates a “shade

for a glass facade,” he says. “You don’t have

to have tinted or mirrored glass,” because the

foliage creates a barrier to sunlight.

“In thepast,therewasa globalagreement

on what‘high-end’meant,”Ingelssays.

Developers(andconsumers)required“a

checklistoffeaturesandmaterials.”Is

thebathroomcoveredinmarblewitha

standalonebathtub?Is a kitchenloadedup

withcommercial-gradeappliances?Criteria

alongthoselinesareontheirway out, he

suggests,tobereplacedwith“personality,

character,andauthenticity.”

Hepointstoa hotelhedidn’tdesign, the

NômadeinTulum,Mexico,which is set in the

jungleandfeaturestentsnestled in groves of

palmtrees.“Withthatabundance of greenery

youcanallowpeopletoliverelatively close

tooneanotherwithoutimpacting their

privacy,”hesays.Yes,heacknowledges, the

roomsarecomfortableandpleasant, but it’s

notthekindofluxuryyoufindat the Ritz.

Therealpointis thatpeopleneed to “sense

thecareofthedesigner.”

Eventually,peoplewillleavetheirapartment

and return to work. When they do, Ingels

wants to change what they see when they

step out the door. Earlier this year he released

plans for Toyota Woven City, a commission

from the car company set on a 175-acre plot

at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan.

“Every third street is a classic street” with

room for cars, albeit ones that are mostly

electric, Ingels says. Another one of the three

street types is a recreational promenade,

wherepeoplecanridebikesandscooters.

The final, he says, “will be like a park, with

grass and trees.” Residents will be able to

walk from one end of town to the other—or

wherever they need to go—without ever

leaving green space.

“It turned out that this would be the

perfect scenario of a post-Covid reimagining

of a city,” he says. “When a space isn’t

dominated by vehicles, it becomes additional

outdoor space for people to enjoy.” <BW>

RETHINKING

LUXURY

REDESIGNED THOROUGHFARES

BIOPHILIA

A tent at the Nômade in Tulum

King Toronto, which will feature

trees on the terraces

A rendering of Toyota

Woven City