BIG H₂O: Spatial Solutions On, Within and Under Water | Kai-Uwe Bergmann

Water has always shaped how cities are built, inhabited and sustained. In this keynote at the Holcim Foundation Forum 2025, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), explores how architecture and urban design can respond to a future increasingly defined by water. Through a global selection of BIG’s past and current projects—ranging from Urban Rigger in Copenhagen to nature-integrated infrastructure in Bhutan, and the visionary Oceanix floating city proposal—the presentation examines spatial solutions located on, within and above water. These projects reflect new ways of addressing housing, climate adaptation and displacement in water-bound environments. The talk highlights water’s essential role as a resource, energy system and living ecosystem, drawing lessons from historical settlements that evolved in balance with water. By rethinking how cities engage with aquatic environments, the session offers forward-looking strategies for climate resilience and a more balanced relationship between the built and natural world. Recorded at the Holcim Foundation Forum 2025.