Rising star architect, champion of "hedonistic sustainability"
A Danish architect, one of the hottest of the new generation, whose firm is called BIG. He came from Koolhaas’s OMA, but developed a more optimistic, playful, and down-to-earth style. He champions "hedonistic sustainability": that green, sustainable architecture need not be grim sacrifice but can be fun, joyful, and life-enhancing. His most famous work is a waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen — on its roof he built a real ski slope, turning the "dirtiest" of municipal facilities into a playground for citizens. He is skilled at explaining complex design logic with clear, humorous diagrams, making architecture something anyone can understand and want to join in.
Copenhagen needed a waste-to-energy plant — usually such facilities are ugly and unwanted, the classic "not in my backyard." Ingels laid a real ski slope on its huge sloping roof. Citizens enjoy skiing while beneath them the plant turns waste into power. With this stroke of genius he proved that "green" and "fun" need not be opposed — the most practical sustainability can also be the most enjoyable.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.