BIG: Big Maze

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) designed Big Maze, a giant wooden maze for the west court of the National Building Museum in Washington DC.

A life-size indoor maze by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group at the National Building Museum in Washington, offers a glimpse into the upcoming BIG exhibition at the museum in early 2015.

“As you travel deeper into a maze, your path typically becomes more convoluted. What if we invert this scenario and create a panopticon that brings clarity and visual understanding upon reaching the heart of the labyrinth? From outside, the maze’s cube-like form hides the final reveal behind its 5 meter tall walls. On the inside the walls slowly descend towards the center which concludes with a grand reveal – a 360 degree understanding from where you came and where you shall go.” explains founding partner Bjarke Ingels.

BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
BIG, Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC


Big Maze at the National Building Museum, Washington DC
Program: installation
Architects: BIG, Bjarke Ingels Group
Project Leader: Chi-Chi Lin
Team: Ziad Shehab, Thea Gasseholm, Annette Miller
Collaborators: CoStar Group, Clark Construction Group, DAVIS Construction, Glass Construction, Grunley Construction Company, SIGAL Construction Corporation, GCS, The Home Depot Foundation, ACECO, Robert Silman Associates, Cumming Construction, VJ Associates, Hargrove
Client: National Building Museum
Area: 346 sqm
Completion: 2014