EN MI CASO, ES EL MATERIAL EL QUE ME ENAMORA: EL YESO, LAS PIEDRAS, LOS LADRILLOS... NO ME ENGANCHA TANTO LA FORMA, SINO EL PROCESO DE ESA OBRA Y CÓMO EVOLUCIONA EN EL TIEMPO.
IN MY CASE, IT IS THE MATERIAL WHAT MAKES ME FALL IN LOVE: PLASTER, STONE, BRICK ... I DON’T GET HOOKED SO MUCH ON THE FORM, BUT ON THE PROCESS OF THE PIECE AND HOW IT EVOLVES OVER TIME.
-The transdisciplinary approach is part of the design methodology, but what happens next? The design methodology guides the creation process. A good way to explain it is through a project in which I am now. With three other architects, we camped and spent the night at the construction site. We carried modeling equipment and developed a concept truly inspired by the landscape, together we created the concept. Then we headed back to the studio and decided to do a quick evaluation in which each one explored two paths to follow. On one hand, this method allows us to properly evaluate a project and, on the other hand, eliminate what does not work and leave only the best approaches. Then comes the selection of one of these paths, followed by a more detailed digital analysis, the creation of models, collaboration with the client ... All this takes time and allows us to obtain a well-informed solution. Our solution is not a “eureka moment”, it is a studied process, and in a large project this period is longer. In many of the smallscale projects -interior, for example-, we go through the same process, but in a shorter time and with a much more focused work. The connection between the ideas we have and the physical possibilities of realizing them is critical, and that is why in the office we also have a carpenter who, if case we have doubts, can quickly evaluate ideas, possibilities and realities. - Let’s talk about the “A house to die in” project... It’s still in process, it has had many objections from the community and some politicians. This is because of its location, in a neighborhood of Oslo considered historic, and even “sacred”, for being the place where Edvard Munch had his studio. A few weeks ago, a proposal to move it came about, and if the client accepts -artist Bjarne Melgaard-, it could finally be built somewhere else ... This project has been evaluated for at least eight years, and the discussion has always been about its location. Such has been the controversy that not even its structure and feasibility have been discussed. Could it be built in another place? It is very interesting, because the new location keeps alive the original spirit of the work. Perhaps that won’t be a limitation in the end …
- Last October (during the AOA’s technology mission to Scandinavia), we saw a presentation of the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Center Pavilion. What is this project about? It’s a very special project for our office, at the international level. It is a lookout point on the Snøhetta mountain, from where reindeer and musk oxen can be observed, the largest of their kind. It is an accessible place within an impressive environment, which defined the essence of the work. That’s why the structure is open and with free entry. The idea was to create a simple refuge, which would allow visitors to find shelter and visually connect with nature. The design is clear in its architectural geometry and with great technological sense. For our office it is also a symbol, since we visit this place in our annual excursion to the top of Snøhetta mountain. - The interior language of the pavilion is different from the exterior. It has a different shape and creates a different atmosphere ... It’s true, the interior is carved in wood, simulating a surface eroded by the wind; it is more organic, soft and fluid, in contrast to the rather rigid and metallic image of the exterior. The commission was to create a place capable of hosting a large group of people. Local wood was used, worked by local carpenters. It is a space of clean lines and creates the shape of an organic core. Less than a year ago we were there with the office group, and it looks absolutely beautiful. - Among the projects under development, the Svart Hotel is particularly interesting, built just above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. What defined your design? Each project presents contextual clues that will allow it to become timeless. And the Svart has this simple circular gesture. We had an initial definition of a sustainable hotel and tourism to guide the main concepts. When we have a structure that slightly touches the ground, when we want a building that produces more energy than it consumes, a large space with the capacity to minimally intervene the site, with minimal
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