BIG to transform Copenhagen plazas with meteorite strike design

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has won a competition to transform three major public plazas in Copenhagen's Ørestad district with "The Impact," an innovative design that reimagines 50,000 square meters of urban space through a dramatic "crack" resembling a meteorite strike, connecting DR Concert Hall, Bella Arena, and Royal Arena with flowing water, light, and native vegetation.

The Urban Kintsugi Concept

The Impact's design philosophy draws inspiration from kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, transforming imperfections into beautiful features. Bjarke Ingels describes this urban adaptation as creating "accelerated patina on the otherwise very new district," where "cracks and fractures" become golden pathways that allow "light, water, and nature to animate the plazas." Rather than adding more surfaces to Copenhagen's urban fabric, BIG's approach subtracts and reveals, breaking open "perfect, finished surfaces" to create space for diverse life forms and activities.big+1

This concept manifests differently across each plaza: DR Concert Hall features an urban pool with tiered seating and floating islands; Bella Arena offers intimate sunken green "rooms" with vegetation climbing building facades; and at Royal Arena, a dramatic sculptural rupture creates gathering spaces for play and social interaction. The golden crack that connects these areas serves as both wayfinding element and metaphorical lifeline, embodying Leonard Cohen's wisdom that Ingels quotes: "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."designboom

Glowing Fault Line Design

The sculptural "crack" that runs across the three plazas functions as more than just a connecting element—it's a dynamic, illuminated fault line that transforms with time and seasons. This glowing incision serves as the project's visual signature, beginning with meteorite-like installations at Fields Mall that establish the narrative of cosmic impact. From this origin point, the golden crack travels across streets and squares, culminating at Royal Arena in a dramatic urban void repurposed for community gathering.designboom

The fault line's design incorporates both practical and aesthetic elements: it manages rainwater through open channels and topographic basins, guides pedestrian movement with luminous green lines that intertwine public paths, and creates a continuous visual language that unifies the otherwise distinct plaza designs. Throughout the day and across seasons, the crack's appearance shifts as light, water, and vegetation interact, creating an ever-changing urban experience that BIG describes as bringing "life between the buildings" to Copenhagen's Ørestad district, a neighborhood where the firm completed their iconic 8 House residential project 15 years earlier.big+2

Ørestad's Architectural Evolution

Ørestad represents Copenhagen's most ambitious urban development project, transforming what was once nothing but green fields into a laboratory for experimental architecture and urban design. The district has evolved through distinct phases since its inception, with signature buildings by renowned architects defining its character. BIG's presence has been particularly influential, beginning with the VM Houses and The Mountain, continuing with the celebrated 8 House (completed in 2010), and now extending to The Impact project—marking a two-decade architectural journey in the area.walktheroom+2

Despite its architectural ambitions, Ørestad has faced challenges in creating cohesive urban spaces. The Arenakvarteret (Arena Quarter) introduced a more human-scale approach with low-rise buildings adjacent to major venues like the Royal Arena (opened in 2016). Recent interventions like Public—where Scandinavian design meets "quiet luxury" in a thoughtfully reinvented building—and the proposed urban spaces for Ørestad South demonstrate ongoing efforts to balance bold architectural statements with livable environments that foster community interaction and address the "luck of sense of identity" that has challenged this rapidly developed district.3xn+2