the lend lease / architects’ journal awards Interview 6
Christine Murray speaks to Dan Labbad, CEO-EMEA at Lend Lease’s headquarters at Regent’s Place, London
CM: Lend Lease has supported the Royal Academy Architecture Awards for almost two decades. What do you feel is the continued importance of this event? DL: It started for different reasons. We were trying to support the concept of architecture and the arts within the broader community. Tat certainly hasn’t changed but I do think we’ve built on this. From our perspective, the role that architecture plays in shaping what we do as a developer, investor and a builder is extremely important. I also want to ensure that we promote the importance of architecture so that our clients and partners realise that it’s essential for us in the way we deliver our projects. So, if anything, the emphasis has become more acute today, especially because I want to be sure that within Lend Lease our people appreciate the importance of it in what they are shaping.
CM: What do you value when it comes to building design? DL: I enjoy working with architects who can absorb a set of stakeholder interests and that use their talents to articulate that in the way that they design, as opposed to those who have a myopic view of what design should be. Identity and place are so important and represent a great responsibility, as what you create as a developer isn’t only physical, but also social.
CM: What do you look for in an architect? DL: Humility, so as to be honest in the way you represent your art. I look for an architect who can engage and listen, but also isn’t afraid to push back. And what I also respect in an architect is the courage to resist commercial conditioning.
CM: What, in your experience, is the profile of British architects internationally? DL: I think that there’s a sophistication in the UK market because of what it represents, it’s a microcosm of the world. It absorbs so many influences and is
informed by diversity more than anywhere else. London in particular is the canvas for how we should be shaping our cities. Tere are many challenges, but in terms of its density, its human scale and its architecture, it really is a fantastic canvas. British architects still have an excellent international standing.
CM: In an industry that is increasingly technology driven, what is the importance of the older crafts such as sketching or model-making in architecture? DL: It comes down to the difference between creating something with a pencil or with a computer. Both are tools. But there’s a rawness with the pencil. Te simple tools allow craft to happen. I think craft represents the rawness of human innovation and human creativity, and there’s beauty in that. It’s similar to taking a photograph on film, when you don’t know the end result until you develop it, versus an automatic digital camera. While I don’t want to take anything away from the power of technology, in my mind there’s a beauty in the rawness of the basic tool versus the more modern one.
CM: One of the Royal Academy Architecture Awards is for new talent. Why does Lend Lease see supporting new talent as so important? DL: Te award for new talent allows us to discover creativity from places unknown. It’s important that we continue to seek out new examples of creativity and, in turn, innovation. In my mind it is the commercialisation of new ideas which keeps the industry, and its ability to export, fresh. Tere is nothing more important in ensuring our future economic viability than fostering creativity at the grassroots.
CM: Do you think people appreciate architecture and see it as value for money? DL: I think that some people don’t really see the value in good design. Te buildings that we’re creating will be around for a long time. What would have happened if
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