The 2016 Richard F. Hansen Lecture was presented by Kai-Uwe Bergmann to announce the Richard F. Hansen prize winners and to explain how the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) tackles its projects to perform on a level between modernism and vernacular architecture.

The lecture took place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the College of Design’s Kocimski Auditorium.

Bergmann served as the guest juror for the Richard F. Hansen Prize competition for students, alongside Chair of Architecture Deborah Hauptmann and Des Moines architect Erin Olson-Douglas.

The winners, Daniel Morley and his partner, were announced and congratulated at the start of the lecture. The duo received a $2,000 cash prize for their design of an algae house and research center.

Bergmann focused on BIG’s way of creating projects and buildings that not only fit their environment but also help it. These projects include climate all across the spectrum, from the deserts of Qatar to the snow-covered slopes of Denmark.

One of the projects Bergmann is working on is the “Dryline” of Manhattan. The project is a park built around the island’s coastline to help prevent damages from natural disasters. The group has been granted enough funding for seven of the 10 miles of coastline, all of which are currently under construction.

Bergmann’s main point of the lecture was to give students a different view on architecture in today’s world. Through its projects, BIG has not only made buildings for its clients but has also educated the public on why they need a certain type of structure instead of another.

The lecture gave insight to the idea that architects need to build for everybody, not just the wealthy. They need to create an affordable, eco-friendly environment.

The majority of attendees were architecture students, along with professors and chairpeople of the College of Design.

Megan Zeien and Jake Spangler, both sophomores in architecture, explained what inspired them the most from the lecture.

“BIG is a huge architecture firm and I wanted to know more about how its studios work,” Zeien said. “To be told that it’s OK to take risks and to push boundaries is something I think we need to hear.”

“He’s iconic,” Spangler said. “His quote about not sticking to the status quo is something I say to myself and others every day.”

Bergmann ended the lecture with a few words of enlightenment for architecture students and others within the field of design who had attended.

“Think about how to use your skill set to create new possibilities,” Bergmann said. “You’ve seen us at BIG make our dreams come true, and I hope you make yours come true as well.”