Materialism Rivisited: Bjarke Ingels

On the occasion of the Milano Design Week 2025, the Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with Domus will host Bjarke Ingels, Guest Editor of Domus 2025.

The meeting’s theme will be Materialism Rivisited. From the Stone Age to the Digital Age, human history has been shaped by the ability to harness and transform matter. Architecture is not merely a reflection of culture but a material force that actively constructs the world. Rather than a symbol of consumerism, materialism can be reclaimed as the foundation of design, craftsmanship, and spatial creation. By exploring the dynamic interplay between materials, technology, and human ideals, it becomes possible to rethink the built environment as a space for diversity, dialogue, and new ways of living. In this light, materialism is no longer about passive consumption but about actively shaping our collective future where opposing visions, ideas, and values find common ground in the very matter that forms our world. Conflicting ideas, united by matter.

The event will be introduced by Donatella Sciuto, Rector of the Politecnico di Milano and Giovanna Mazzocchi President of Domus for institutional greetings and Walter Mariotti, Editorial Director of Domus together with Emilio Faroldi, Vice Rector of the Politecnico di Milano will interview Bjarke Ingels.

For those attending, three days of free access to the Domus Digital Archive for browsing and reading all the Domus issues: let’s discover the key figures and events that have shaped the history of architecture, art and design from 1928 to the present day. The promotion is available until 21st April 2025. For details click here.

Bjarke Ingels
Bjarke Ingels founded BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group in 2005 after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2000 and working at OMA in Rotterdam. Bjarke believes the architectural profession is best explained with the traditional Danish word for design: Formgivning. As the name suggests it literally means form giving.
Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine, Bjarke is involved in designing and building public institutions, neighborhoods and cities world-wide including The Prague Philharmonic, The Chinese National Natural History Museum in Beijing, Zurich Airport, The Woven City in Japan and Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan. He is working with NASA and ICON Technologies to design the first permanent human habitat on the Moon. Bjarke is a Knight of the French Order des Arts et des Lettres and a Knight of the Danish Order of Dannebrog. In 2021, he was made member of the EU’s New European Bauhaus’ High Level Roundtable and since 2023 he has served as an advisor to the King of Bhutan. He is an Honorary Fellow by the AIA, the RIBA and the RAIC. Bjarke has won numerous awards including the Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion, The French Academy of Architectures Gold Medal, the Aga Khan Award and the Louis I. Kahn Memorial Award. The Wall Street Journal recognized Bjarke as Innovator of the Year in 2011, the same year he received the Danish Crown Prince Couple’s Culture Prize. 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. He has spoken at 10 Downing Street, the Danish Parliament and the World Economic Forum.

The event is free with registration required.

 It will be possible to access the classroom starting from 4.15 pm.