At the tip of Sundmolen in Copenhagen, BIG’s new 4,488 m2 headquarters stands among warehouses and maritime infrastructure. Completed in the spring of 2024, the HQ is one of the studio’s first realized examples of BIG’s integrated LEAPP approach – a collaboration between BIG’s internal Landscape, Engineering, Architecture, Planning, and Product Design teams. The building is made of Uni-Green concrete developed in close collaboration with Unicon. 

Located on a narrow pier in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn neighborhood, BIG's new headquarters is a 27-meter-tall, 7-story structure, anchored in the harbor’s industrial heritage. Following two years of construction in collaboration with LM Byg, Unicon, Energy Machines, El-Team Vest, Eiler Thomsen, and HB Trapper, the building is the home of BIG's 300 Copenhagen-based employees. Designed to achieve DGNB Gold, the building integrates solar and geothermal energy systems that contribute to a 60% reliance on renewable energy. Combined with passive design strategies such as natural ventilation, the geothermal energy system provides 84% of the building’s heat demand and 100% of the cooling demand. 

The building embodies the first application of Uni-Green concrete, developed in collaboration with Unicon, where a portion of the cement clinker is replaced with calcined clay and lime filler, representing a CO2 reduction of approximately 25% compared to an equivalent traditional concrete mix. Tested and developed during construction, BIG HQ stands as a testament to the durability and potential of Uni-Green, as well as a pioneer project not only in terms of materials, but also in building methods - pushing the boundaries for the possibilities of concrete. 

“The idea behind LEAPP is an architecture practice as a renaissance, interdisciplinary body of people and knowledge - LEAPP being the acronym for Landscape, Engineering, Architecture, Product, and Planning. Every single aspect of LEAPP has been involved in