052 FX TALKS
Left Dumas’s 19 the century classic is a tale of retribution
Far left Richard Rogers’s Lloyds of London building is one of the more eye-catching structures in the centre of the UK city
Below The Getty Centre is well-known for its fantastic views of Los Angeles
I think best…
with other people. I’m definitely suited to collaboration and the way ideas develop when everyone’s sparking together.
Te thought that keeps me up at night… is how to keep everything in balance.
Te thought that gets me out of bed each day is…
Who outside the industry can architects and designers learn from?
I can only speak for myself here, but music first of all has always been such a big part of my life and has influenced me in so many ways – the way you feel and react to solving a problem; the person behind the music and what is it that drives them politically or motivationally, lyrics and how the listener interprets them. Most of the greatest and worst moments in my life have a soundtrack, from Nick Drake to Guy Garvey, Stewart Copeland or Frankie Knuckles. A song leaves a footprint and, in a similar way, the buildings we build and the spaces we design have an afterlife and embody certain messages and atmospheres long after they are completed. Te number one teacher for all of us, however, has to be nature. If we could start again in our development of towns and cities, industry and culture, how differently would we design by respecting nature’s eco systems better and harmonising with it, rather than trying to control it and superimposing our needs over it?
What will lead the way for more radical thinking in the field?
I believe the future will be led by a convergence of the next generation, for whom a sustainability mindset is a given, combined with technological advances – very much against the background context of the climate crisis.
Could you recommend a book/article/blog that inspired your thinking? Te Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas had a huge effect on me in the sense of encouraging me to believe I could achieve things by being driven, by planning and then getting up and getting on with it.
Could you name two buildings or pieces of furniture that you consider radical designs of their time – or perhaps still to this day? Te B3 or Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer was a starting point for a student piece I did that still
resonates, building a living space out of scrap materials. Its beautiful simplicity was completely revolutionary – stripped down and elemental – even slightly trashy in a way. It’s a constant reminder not to overdress or overdesign.
I was lucky enough to live and work in California for a while early in my career and the influence of my time there always stays with me in terms of the joy of light and simple forms. Te Getty Center by architect Richard Meier was a place I went to again and again. Tis series of buildings is such a beautiful example of how to use a single material and yet exploit its various textures through the way it’s cut and shaped. It manipulates the beautiful Californian sun so perfectly, with forms extended through reflections in the surrounding pools. It’s stunning.
I think best with… a pencil.
I think best… first thing in the morning.
enthusiasm for what lies ahead, whether that’s work, climbing a mountain or spending time with my family. On a rare unenthusiastic day when life has the upper hand, it’s a sense of responsibility that does it.
Do you like to think with or think against? With, definitely.
If you weren’t a designer, where do you think your way of thinking would have led you? Another area of creativity. I’d probably have been a drummer in a band.
Could you describe radical thinking in three words?
Strength, belief, purpose.
What’s the most radical thing you’ve come across today or this week?
At the time of writing, I’d probably say the act of Patagonia boss Yvon Chouinard handing over his company to a charitable trust with any profit not reinvested in running the business going to fighting climate change. Te vision of earth being ‘our only shareholder’ is a vision we all need to share in order to survive and thrive into the future.
fxtalks.co.uk
Videos of previous speakers can be viewed at
fxtalks.co.uk
TOP LETF: QQ7 /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM LEFT: MILA ZED /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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