“At that particular time, when I was working with Zaha, deconstructivism sort of destroyed everything, but it hasn’t been set aside yet, although we feel there are certain challenges we’re all facing globally: sustainability and the complexity of integrating everything into architecture are other aspects related to that. The present is a bit confusing because I cannot recognise the values I am searching for in any project – I see a lot of ‘in your face’ advertisements of shapes and
If you don’t have social skills – the ability to work in a group and be open to other people’s views and opinions – you won’t work in a group like Snøhetta. You can be as good an architect you want but if you lack social abilities, this is not a smart place to start working at. Martin Gran: Design as a discipline at Snøhetta is relatively new. It’s been going on for ten years and Snøhetta has a history of thirty years. We
What’s important for you when you meet a young architect? I need that sparkle in the eyes! I need to understand that there is a passion about architecture! If that’s not there, it’s difficult. Of course, they need to be skilled, good with computers and 3D modeling, so they should deal with a large spectrum of different media. But I need the sparkle! Juergen Mayer H.: Architecture is more than building. It concerns a certain spatial language that captures the
I can well remember the year 1999: we had nothing to do, no job at all and we wanted to open a pizza place as a family business because architecture didn’t work at all. We had thought about this for a week but decided to return to architecture. I think it is very important that you have some people with you from the beginning of your career because that helps you grow. I think the moments when you start questioning
“As a landscape architect and a planner, architecture has a more timeless notion to me. What we should make is creating good cities and living environments that people are happy with now and one hundred years from now, places that are easy to transform and can gradually change themselves.“ Andreea Robu-Movilă: How did it all start? M.K.: We started working in the Netherlands and had really good projects for a young office. That was a big opportunity to learn a lot,
“I think you really have to be passionate. It is not a job – to be an architect is a way of life. You work all the time, you really don’t stop, but it is not a problem because it is what one chooses to do.“ Antonio Virga: When I went to Paris after my Bachelor’s Degree, I worked as an interior designer and I also worked a lot in the fashion industry for Dior, Céline, Givenchy. So I drew
“I think artificial intelligence will make everything much faster. You’ll have decision support tools: we’re developing one ourselves at the moment, we’re working on the first 7D BIM project we don’t believe it’s been done anywhere in the world before, which is a BIM model that will have whole life cost and whole carbon data embedded in the model, so as you develop it from concept through design, through construction, through to occupation and use, it can automatically tell your
“ I truly believe that in order to make good architecture you have to completely change your personality as an architect. Ten or twenty years ago we were artists: now we are advisers. Architecture needs much more complex personalities right now. Because of the financial crisis, a lot of the investors’ trust in architecture is gone and the social responsibility is high for architects. They have to able to change people’s way of thinking on ethical behavior.“ Gergely Paulinyi: Architecture means
“When I was at OMA we had a small PR team and today at MVRDV I have editors from big media that work for me. We now pay for photographs, writing and we’re doing work that in the past was done by journalists in the editing studios. Of course, it is expensive and while you can’t afford to pay for it as a small office or firm, you should still do these things by learning how to communicate, to write
“I think architects, journalists, attorneys or politicians are people who must adapt to current changes and nowadays changes are faster (…) However, you must not lose your common sense because it lasts forever.” Fernando Menis: I think I represent a combination of pragmatism: I love good engineering and structures and this was my father’s influence because he was exactly like that, and idealism that I got from my mother, you cannot know whether she says something real or pure fiction. I
