Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a dynamic economic hub in the south of Bhutan, and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a Danish architecture and design firm, yesterday announced that BIG will open an office in Bhutan to drive work on GMC, to serve as a hub for its business in South Asia and to help foster the next generation of design talent in the Himalayan Kingdom.

At a ceremony held in Thimphu on December 16, Mun Leong Liew, CEO, Gelephu Mindfulness City, Dr. Lotay Tshering, Governor, Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG, and Giulia Frittoli, Partner in Charge of the GMC project for BIG, signed an agreement to set up BIG South Asia office registered in GMC.

 “I first learned about the King’s vision for Gelephu Mindfulness City when I found myself seated next to His Majesty at a dinner in Copenhagen in the summer of 2023. His vision was instantly inspiring: an entirely new kind of city rooted in Bhutanese values and Vajrayana Buddhist principles for the nature, culture and people inhabiting it—ideas that resonated deeply with my own philosophies of architecture and design, calling me to journey to Bhutan to learn more,” Bjarke Ingels said.

He said that the GMC has since grown from a beautiful dream to a rapidly developing reality. “With the launch of our GMC studio, we will ensure that we can be there at the centre of the action as the idea and the city continue to grow. “As always, our new studio will combine local and global talent as we hope to help grow a new generation of Bhutanese designers, architects and engineers to give form to this ever-evolving vision of Bhutan.”

BIG Chief Executive Officer Sheela Maini Søgaard added: “As we continue to help lay the foundation for Gelephu Mindfulness City’s thriving business and innovation environment, opening our office in Bhutan feels like a thrilling and natural next step. This new studio will allow us to deepen our connection to Bhutan and embrace its cultural richness while also strengthening our regional presence in South and Southeast Asia. BIG Bhutan will not only mark the beginning of the next chapter for BIG, but it will also be a step toward bringing the vision for GMC to life.”

BIG Bhutan will be staffed with local Bhutanese talent and an international cohort, with experienced designers and engineers relocating to join the office from across the world. They will be drawn by a combination of the romance and mystery that mention of Bhutan still conjures and the opportunity to work on a greenfield City project that stands apart from any they have encountered before.

The office will also host a learning centre where young Bhutanese will work and study alongside international graduates and interns to learn how to meaningfully participate in the global architecture and design sector.

GMC CEO Liew said: “We are excited to conclude this agreement with BIG, which becomes the first international company to adopt GMC as its legal domicile. The significance of this agreement for the Kingdom of Bhutan cannot be overstated, as it lays the cornerstone for an edifice of enterprise and commerce that will emerge from the southern plains of Bhutan over the coming five to ten years and beyond.”

 “BIG has been an integral partner in bringing GMC to life since its earliest days, and I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on the masterplan design – no matter what form the City ultimately takes, the functional bridges across Gelephu’s numerous winding rivers – including an airport runway bridge – will always be the design identity that represents the City in my mind.”

The GMC-registered office brings BIG’s total number of locations worldwide to nine, putting GMC in the ranks of global design capitals such as Copenhagen, London, New York and Shanghai. In addition to leading BIG’s work on the GMC project, the new office will serve as a nerve centre for the company’s activities across South Asia.