056 FX TALKS
talked about a lot in the design media. In my opinion, this becoming the norm for commercial projects is still some way off due to budgets and limited availability of quality products/materials. I believe this will drive more radical thinking and intelligent design over the coming decade.
Could you recommend a book/article/blog that inspired your thinking? I’m a big fan of the Australian blog YellowTrace, as there’s always something inspiring to look at and read on there. I am also a big fan of magazines and subscribe to Living Etc amongst others, which I draw a lot of design inspiration from early in the morning.
Who are the radical thinkers who inspire you now? (Not necessarily forever or for a lifetime – just now!)
I find kids’ imaginations incredibly inspiring; with many years of experience it can be very easy to write off ideas on the basis of what you perceive to be achievable. With materials and technologies developing more quickly than ever before, what was not possible five years ago could be entirely possible now. This highlights the value of having some younger people in your team as well as constantly challenging your own thinking and preconceptions.
Who outside the industry can architects and designers learn from?
As above, I think we can learn a lot from the naive and creative minds of kids. Beyond that, I believe we can learn best from non-designers. Ultimately, they make up the majority of the end users for our designs, something that’s so easy to forget when surrounded by other creatives! Focusing on the end user provides clarity when designing and helps to define our briefs. So learning what will appeal to, and
work for, them is crucial. Often for us this is the hospitality operator and their team.
Could you name two buildings/pieces of furniture that you consider radical designs of their time, or perhaps still to this day? I love the Phillips Exeter Academy Library, Exeter, New Hampshire, by Lewis Kahn. Khan was a master of form and in my opinion played a radical role in the modernist movement. I also consider Te Find house by Found Associates a radical building. It consists of a small, traditional cottage in Cotswold stone with a huge radical extension, if you could call it that; radical because on the face of it it goes against all the heritage principles of making modern additions subservient to the host building in terms of scale, but in my opinion it works and is a masterclass in how to do it. I’m sure not all would agree but I think it is very good!
What will lead the way for more radical thinking in your/our field?
Te idea of materials and furniture having a second life through repurposing has been gaining traction for a number of years and is
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