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The Function of Architecture Jensen, Boris Brorman

Published in: Conditions

Publication date: 2010

Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record

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Citation for pulished version (APA): Jensen, B. B. (2010). The Function of Architecture: Interview with Farshid Moussavi. Conditions, (4), 92-96.

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Download date: 28. Sep. 2021

The INTERVIEW

Function CONDITIONS

of

Architecture Boris Brorman Jensen met with Farshid Moussavi at Harvard Graduate School of Design to discuss the production of added value and how architectural practice, research and teaching, influence and stimulate each other.

Boris Brorman Jensen: This it produces culture. We have to look issue of CONDITIONS is focusing on at how built forms or objects perform. Farshid Moussavi possibilities to expand the ambitions This does not mean that it doesn’t is an architect and educator, and co- beyond the given assignment. So the matter how it is made, but we have to founder of Foreign Office Architects question is, do you think architecture connect the production of architecture (FOA). Since 2006, Farshid Moussavi should try to engage? What is the right to how they perform. has been Professor in Practice of Architecture at . strategy to ensure the production of com- She was trained at Harvard Graduate mon value within architecture? BBJ: Ok! Let’s relate this to your own School of Design, University College practice. Fifteen years ago you won the , and Dundee University. She has taught at the Academy of Fine Farshid Moussavi: I just gave a competition for the Yokohama Interna- Arts in Vienna where she acted as talk at Columbia University basically tional Port Terminal. The competition Head of the Architecture Institute, addressing this issue. I presented the brief asked for a ferry terminal. They the Architectural Association, the Berlage Institute, and the Hoger research I have been doing through got that, but they also got a new type of Architecture Institute, and in the my teaching at the GSD: “The Func- urban landscape, a looping boardwalk, United States at Harvard, Columbia, tion of Ornament” and “The Function and a complex structure employing a Princeton Universities, and at the University of California in Los Ange- of Form”. I was trying to explain the whole set of different activities. Is this les. Moussavi's research has been overriding ambition behind these strategy of added value something you materialised in two books: Function two books. How we define the word deliberately looked for, or was it more a of Ornament (2006) and The Func- tion of Form (2009), both developed ‘function’ and how we understand the result of your design process? through her seminars at Harvard' function of architecture. If we claim Graduate School of Design. Mous- that architecture plays a role in society FM: No, I would say it was absolute savi serves on the RIBA Awards Panel, the Steering committee of the Aga we are basically also saying it has a deliberate. It was our first project so I Khan Award for Architecture. She is function in society. Since the begin- have to admit that it was more intui- a member of the Board of Trustees ning of early 20th century we have tive. We got a brief and a site, but of of the Whitechapel Gallery as well as the Board of Trustees of The Archi- understood function as utility. Focus course we wanted to add value. That is tecture Foundation in London. has been on utility and the object in why you enter international competi- its own terms, and I think we need to tions. It is because there is an ambi- do if we are committed to claim that tion beyond just delivering the basic architecture is a cultural activity and requirements. It is about how you put that architecture produces culture. resources and requirements together in Architecture doesn’t represent culture, a way that gives certain added values.

93 conditions #4 The waterfront of Yokohama is an We were not necessarily thinking while we were building the terminal? what happened! Nobody asked us for were thinking of the pier not just as was supposed to shift the centre to the where you could come in contact with was absolute deliberate. We looked at important feature. It’s a harbour, but meet. All we knew was that there was Chris Vant Hoff entirely naively. And what happened close to one of the train stations that other leisure development that was perhaps 20 minutes walk away. We the pier as an opportunity. It would harbour. So we saw the building of the water and where people could there were not any places in the city that was supposed to be built and the the relationship between the terminal become a second pole connecting this broader possible picture of the city. going to be a new leisure development a piece of urban design and we did it a space in between. And in fact that’s and a public space – we would activate a terminal but as a leisure destination about it with enough distance, but it ‘Neue Staatsgalerie’ inStuttgart. Iwas The terminal has become a kind of The city started to develop the space BBJ: Well myfirstexperienceofadded instantly fascinatedby thewayhecon- value withinarchitecture wasasa basically becomes a part ofthecity.basically becomes apart ofthecity’sbecomes apart infrastruc- ture. Theinnerspaceofthebuilding nects publicspacewiththemuseum’s sculpture garden andhow thebuilding student whenIvisitedJames Sterling’s residential projects with no public it is located. I think architecture has in between and now people walk from on what you are building; for example, destination. I think good architecture the angle of the building itself all have to and view over other buildings and the way the building is placed, the way to a lesser or greater degree depending has always done this. Buildings do this the leisure development to the pier. always done that. Don’t you think so? an impact on the context in which access are obviously more limited. But shadows may fall on it, its proximity B ase

units aerial

view BBJ: LouisKahnoncesaidthat: “The purpose ofarchitecture isnotsocial FM: I think that statement can be FM: Ithinkyou are right,butI’m Museum inStuttgart was(ifyou like) It mightberooted inLeCorbusier’s something tosociety? should architecture tooffer alwaystry Carpenter Centre… reform!” Do you thinkheisright,or role. AndIagree thattheSterling it’s abouttheconnectionbetween the include publicspace. You couldsay not sayingthatwe are allthetime instead ofliftingthebuildingoff more internaltotheproject. Ithink under it,peoplewere allowed togo one ofthefirstgrandprojects where looking for new waysinwhichwelooking fornew ture acriticaldiscipline.Thisiswhat that’s basicallywhatmakesarchitec- through it. Well I’m notquitesure. the ground andlettingthecityflow building andthecontext.It could gives architecture a social and cultural also beaboutaddingvalue thatis aggregation interior Base units aggregation

Evangelos Kotsioris aerial view interior

misinterpreted. I think the word that maybe we could argue that archi- they sit in their context, each one of reform is somehow problematic. I tecture has a more powerful social role us relates to those sets of sensations believe that architects do impact the now than at any other time. When differently. This gives certain elasticity social, mental and political realm that people have interest in the social as- to architecture. Postmodernism’s exer- we are part of. I really believe so. Ar- pect of architecture, they always come cise of adding symbols was, in a way, chitecture and the built environment up with some kind of mechanism limiting to architecture. Architecture give us experiences that affect the way where architecture becomes social; is abstract and pluralistic by nature. It we think. It constantly influences the for example, the addition of symbols connects to everyone differently. This way we conduct ourselves therefore to architecture in order to relate it to fact, coupled with the great diversity making it a social activity. I just don’t society. But we don’t have a shared of our society, makes architecture believe in the reform bit, especially understanding, common culture or an incredibly powerful field. In a in the light of the world that we live even mental reading of these things. society that lacks wholeness, common in today. I don’t think it is possible Therefore to rely on these one-to-one memory, common understanding, to guarantee that people will perceive commutations between what architec- suddenly architecture has an ability to architecture in the same way. We will ture is and how it performs is prob- unite. I compare it to going to a movie all be affected by it because we occupy lematic. However, I am very interested or a concert. When we go to concerts it, we go around it, we go through it, in architecture’s affective role. I think we all listen to the same music. But etc. but I don’t think we can guarantee buildings affect and transmit certain how do we translate and interpret the how people will perceive it. The idea sensations that are pre-individual. concert? The sensations that the music of a ‘reform’ is somehow based on a Buildings are there before the moment projects into the concert hall – how kind of ideology that what is hap- the individual comes in and perceives do we translate that? We don’t know. pening is bad and this alternative is a them, or absorbs them into their ex- But it influences us all, and that is why better way to do it. I just don’t think perience. You can imagine a two-stage we go. If I go to a movie that has a sad that we can adopt such a casual propo- process that transmits these forms or ending I always end up crying, but if sition that suggests such a limited and effects. As a consequence of how they I look around there are people sitting confining solution. I think there is a are made and assembled, what they there perfectly happy. These are great more loose relationship between peo- are made out of, their scale, the way examples of how we each are affected ple and architecture. However, I think they transmit light and sound, the way differently by things that perform in

95 conditions #4 BBJ: You are bothapracticing architect, How dothesedifferent activitiesaffect a publishingresearcher andateacher. each other? FM: –Practise slow; isgenerallyvery I liketounderstanditasatheoretical field inwhichthoseformsofcritical whether itisby meorsomebodyelse. what otherpeopleare doinginother wider geography. What are you doing with theofficeandseeitagainsta role incitycentres. Almostevery realised how intheUKshopping is why I think it is incredible powerful. its citycentre redeveloped by oneof ing onretail projects attheoffice.I necessarily have tobepragmatic in oneplacehow doesitrelate to interested inarchitecture ifitisnot is ultimatelyaboutpractise!I’m not malls were shifting from the periph- ery totheinnercentre –amoveery that cultures. You canseewhatyou are scaletakes doing projects ofacertain ence ourlives. Ilikeditbepractised, or varying. Itor varying. isthisbroader perspec- doing, how itisevolving changing performative quality that music, film projects whilesimultaneouslywork- problems. For examples,Ididre- the same abstraction and the same these shifts.Ithought itwasimpor- then framediscussions.Theydon’t that Iencounterattheofficeandcan perspective andcompare itwithother places? It allows you toseewhatyou teaching isthatyou canstandback though myinterest inarchitecture fruitful. In theend that Ifind very tive thatteachingbringsintopractise how people were doing it fifteen years back andseeyour project inawider gave themahugetransformational front of us. I think architecture has going toinfluencepeopleandinflu- and contemporary art have. And that academia isthatIbringproblems about comingfrom theofficeinto activity are actualised. What isgreat day and connectwhatyou doevery years.a few What isinteresting about ago. Teaching allows you tostand are doingrightnow inaproject and single city north ofLondonhashad single citynorth search forseveral years onlargeretail The Urban Mall”. Can you tellusa bit They makethemlookasiftheyare BBJ: You are currently doingastudio BBJ: So the ornament researchBBJ: Sotheornament was Khamsi called“The Khamsi Function of Roofs: about whatyou are toachieve? trying big box typology andthecity? big box typology FM: Yes! Theintension istotakethe Department storeDepartment inLondonfor FM: Well theornamentresearch In whatwaywasdoestheirenvelope looking for new interfaces betweenlooking fornewinterfaces the you seetheirrole? here attheGSD togetherwithJames roof, ahighlytechnicalelement that were alsolookingforallkindsof is muchreduced inspacebecauseitis represent theinterior, thenwhatcan research grew outofit.There isa retail architects have introduced ing thatthere are typesofbuildings not opaque.It grew outofrecogniz- is notaboutrepresenting theinterior it dothatismore related totheurban merely andlookatitasame- surface, dium thathasto negotiatebetween urban space.Theyare aninteresting can a building envelope perform that can abuildingenvelope perform other buildings,buildingsthatwere example. There wasanopportunity don’t needwindows andhistorically looking; theyalmostinternalisethe perform intheircontext? perform Where do projects bring intothecity, because project and eventually theornament problem! I ranthisissueasaresearch typologies that are often very large. typologies thatare oftenvery hallsandothers,blank houses, sports halls, retail projects, libraries,storage that are blanktypologies:concerts through transparency? large.Theydisconnect they are very tant tolookattheproblems thesebig to say, iftheenvelope doesn’t have to the factthattheselargeretail projects blank becausetheyare mostlyinward broader scope toit,butitgrew outof grew outofit.But ultimatelywe grain thatisalien.Theyare also very and bringinascaletothehistoric a palaceforexample–theSelfridges space outside?In whatotherways some kindoffacadearchitecture. We are even intriguedandquite The canopydesignatesthespace We are lookingattheecologicalrole It makesahugedifference if you sud- we haven’t hadthespatialsystemor- whereas theshopsbelow change where theactivitywilltakeplace. roofscape is tobeusedontheexterior. needs toalsohave thatflexibilityand into themiddleofcitythatdidn’t city. large. The roof ofamallis very kindofnature anew inthe construct clutter. We are lookingatthemallas denly bringamassive pieceofgreen of coherence tothebricolage-like delighted toseethehustleandbustle exist before. old stylemarkets usedtooperate. We obviously the waypeoplerelate to of abuilding.Part ofthisecologyis low fortheflexibilitythatis required provides anopportunity, notasaway to healtheenvironment butratherto the contextofamallwhere itcanal- there isanambitiontoseetheroof in the spacebelow toorganiseitself the oneelementthatnever changes, the roof isnotdesignedwell, anditis the problem ofmallshasbeenthat that happensinamarket. Historically, the wayitisassembled,becomean the scaleofaroof, thedesignofit, these spaces.How, forexample,does the interiorandexterior. It isa the waycanopyunifiesandgives that happensinamarket becauseof by thefloor, and remain asameans because itchangesallthetime.So below? In awayitissimilartohow ganizing thespacebelow. We expect and sodotheirstorefronts. The roof a landscape,pieceofurbanism.It are very comfortable withtheclutter comfortable are very aesthetic elementthatwillprovide some kindofcoherence tothespace sible landscapeissuesalsoexistifthe andenvironmental. Posstructural - thathastonegotiatebetween surface some kindofcoherence tothespace.