BIG has collaborated with global technology platform for luxury fashion Farfetch and Portuguese real estate developer Castro Group to create "Fuse Valley", a purpose-built urban fashion village on the slopes of the Leça River in Porto, Portugal. The platform's newly unveiled HQ will feature 12 uniquely-designed interconnected buildings that represent the different elements of the company’s organization. The project is set to break ground by early 2023, and open its doors in 2025.
.jpg?1632815641 "© Lucian R, courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group")
.jpg?1632815654 "© Lucian R, courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group")
.jpg?1632815638 "© Lucian R, courtesy of BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group")
The project is nestled within BIG's Fuse Valley site, a master plan of 24 buildings that will be home to various tech companies and startups. The 178,000 sqm art-filled site will also include plazas, parks, and landscaped courtyards. Each building sits on a series of green terraces that connect the main road with the Leça River. Along the riverfront, several public programs and amenities are placed to make the best of the natural resource.
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The roofs of the buildings are placed to form a manmade extension of the hillside, creating slopes and terraces that provide employees and visitors with vast open spaces for leisure. Natural paths extend from the landscape to the roofs, creating flexible platforms for people to circulate around the complex. The facades on the ground floor are receding and chamfered on the corners, creating additional spaces for the public.
Rather than a corporate office complex, Farfetch’s future home in FUSE VALLEY will be a lively urban ensemble bringing every curator, creator, customer and collaborator together in the most innovative new neighborhood of the city. The urban fabric will allow FUSE VALLEY to grow and expand organically, like a natural village. -- Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG
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Each building is designed to compliment its specific program, creating a dynamic interior architectural experience. Each structure houses atelier-like attics with additional ceiling heights and open mezzanines which extend all the way to the ground, creating visual and physical connectivity across all floors. Both the interior and exterior provide a biophilic environment that increase productivity and wellbeing.
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Bjarke Ingels Group has released images of a new 150,000-acre masterplan that would be built from scratch on a desert in Western United States. Titled Telosa, the project aims "to create a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential, and becomes a blueprint for future generations". The project is expected to house over 5 million residents within the next 40 years, with a vision of becoming the most sustainable city in the world.
.jpg?1632815620 "BIG Unveils Design of Urban Fashion Village in Portugal")
.jpg?1632815619 "BIG Unveils Design of Urban Fashion Village in Portugal")
