BIG’s construction sites: an interview with Giulio Rigoni
BIG’s construction sites: an interview with Giulio Rigoni by Bruna Bonavita and Gabriele Bianchi
Giulio Rigoni is a Senior Project Architect and Associate at the international studio BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group. He graduated in architecture from IUAV in Venice with A. Cornoldi in 2004, after an Erasmus year in Germany, with a thesis on the reconstruction of Ground Zero in New York, USA.
Giulio began his professional career at the SAMA studio in Marostica (VI), collaborating with the renowned Swiss architect Luigi Snozzi. After this brief experience, he moved to Locarno in 2006, where he met the famous Swiss architect Livio Vacchini. Following a 5-year professional training at this studio, during which he was in charge of the architectural direction of the new waste-to-energy plant project for the Canton of Ticino, he started a collaboration with the Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron in Basel from 2011 to 2014, before joining BIG in 2017.He served as Assistant to Prof. Muck Petzet at the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture - USI, Switzerland, from 2015 to 2017. Since 2017, he has been managing the SPFF - S. Pellegrino Flagship Factory project for BIG from Italy in the role of Project Architect/Project Manager.
Through his experience directing various, complex, and large-scale architectural projects and managing construction sites at some of the most important studios in the world, Architect Giulio has presented several projects and their respective construction sites from the Danish studio BIG, emphasizing the construction process and the synergy between the concept design and its construction on-site, during the Special Lecture on January 22, 2025, sparking the curiosity and interest of students in the Off-Site Technologies for Architecture course.
BB: BIG's projects are often characterized by their bold and innovative designs. How do you ensure that the construction processes align with the original creative vision while managing the practical constraints of building on-site?
GR: Designing in phases is important, and the most innovative part is concept design. It begins by thinking from the client’s brief and understanding how to develop the volumetrics and architectural space. The site analysis, from a climatic perspective and the challenges it brings, is the first phase of architectural development. Additionally, BIG gives a lot of importance to the culture and the architectural approach of the place where the construction is taking place, as well as the economic conditions imposed on the project. These parameters are then translated into volumes. Another aspect of the design development is Community Engagement, a key characteristic of BIG’s approach.
The architectural project must be an investment that has a positive impact on the community where it is located (for example, the “Big U” project in Manhattan, NY, USA). Once this phase is complete, the Preliminary Design phase begins, with constant support from local regulations experts who are always up to date. Another fundamental aspect is Sustainability, and BIG invests a lot of knowledge, energy, and know-how into life cycle assessment (LCA) to create sustainable, resilient projects that blend creativity with sustainability.
GB: Considering your extensive experience in managing large construction sites for complex projects, what pieces of advice would you give young architects like us to approach this crucial and delicate phase of the architectural process?
GR: This is my job, and I have focused more on the construction management and site phase than the concept design during my career. The choice must be very personal, and one must be able to find construction solutions for large projects. My advice is to try many different environments to understand where you are most suited to play a particular role in the development of an architectural project, as opposed to another.
BB: One of BIG's most iconic projects, the CopenHill in Copenhagen, is both an energy plant and a ski slope. Could you share some of the unique challenges faced during its construction, and how your team addressed them?
GR: This building is important to me because it’s one of the reasons I went to work for BIG. One of my first important jobs was the management of a waste-to-energy plant construction site in Switzerland for the Vacchini studio, thus starting my international career with this project. Referring to this experience, when I saw CopenHill, I was shocked; I asked myself how it was possible to construct and complete a project like this from a technological and safety standpoint, but especially how it was accepted by the local community. After those four and a half years working at Vacchini, I thought I had seen it all, but I was immediately proven wrong! After visiting the CopenHill construction site twice, I immediately felt a strong attraction to this innovative type of construction... When I found out that BIG was looking for an architectural director for the new S. Pellegrino factory in Italy, I applied because I wanted to meet them!
GB: In the CityLife Gate project in Milan, the design’s dynamic curvatures and open spaces create a seamless interaction between architecture and public life. What innovative construction techniques or materials were utilized to achieve this complex geometry while maintaining structural efficiency?
GR: The sail, which is the defining element of this project, underwent several changes during the design process and is still a hot topic to discuss and understand how to realize it. The sail was the element that helped BIG win the competition for the CityLife district, which involved two towers. The studio decided to design two buildings shorter than the existing towers in the area to "complete" the neighborhood rather than designing two new tall towers that would compete with the others. The goal was to create a tray that elevated the existing three towers, and this element became the winning factor in the competition! Despite the project undergoing various economic modifications, the sail that covers this portico has never been questioned for its solid and identity-defining concept. What has been in question is the architectural and structural technology to achieve it: initially, it was conceived in pre-stressed concrete, but later it became entirely in wood. Through a mock-up, the actual realization of this portico is being defined.