ARCHITECT’S FOCUS
TODD SCHLIEMANN
When designing a new home for the Natural History Museum of Utah, Ennead partner Todd Schliemanrn decided to let the landscape take centre stage. He tells Magali Robathan how he approached the project
How did you begin your career? My father was an architect, so as a child I sat at his drafting table and used his equipment. I grew up in the 1960s, when architecture wasn’t just about designing buildings; it was a way of life. Architecture was a complete experience – it was about furniture and plates, how you served your food and lived your life. It had a powerful infl u- ence on me. It was also a time before computers;
there were no video games, so in my spare time I made things. I studied architecture at Cornell
University. After graduating, I taught architecture briefl y and then came to New York in 1979. I’ve been here ever since. When I started working at the Polshek Partnership, there were only seven people working for the fi rm. Now it has a new name, I am one of the founding partners, and there are 170 people working for the fi rm. [It became Ennead Architects in 2010].
What is your approach to architecture? My philosophy is that buildings must serve people. Architecture is the mother of the arts. Its power is both intellec- tual and emotional. Not only must it incorporate sound construction and beautiful aesthetics, but it also has to touch people and make their lives bet- ter. There are many different ways to do this, because each project is different. The infl uences that you bring to bear on the buildings are all varied, but in the end architecture is a cultural statement. It has to be responsive to people.
How did you get involved with the Natural History Museum of Utah? I had designed the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, so when the directors of the Natural History Museum of Utah started thinking about creating a new building, they sent us an invitation to
The copper cladding blends with the landscape
interview. I went through several inter- views, and they selected us.
What were the aims of the new building? The Natural History Museum of Utah was previously housed on the University of Utah’s campus in an old library building, which was not at all suitable. The stacks that had contained books were storage for the Museum’s collections, it wasn’t air-conditioned, and there wasn’t enough space to exhibit or tell stories or teach. So fi rst and foremost, they wanted the right facility to house their collection, which is substantial. Then they wanted the
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PHOTOS OF NHMU: © JEFF GOLDBERG/ESTO
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