I.P. WOMEN, STEEL AND ARCHITECTURE “TRANSFORMING TOMORROW” TOMORROW” “TRANSFORMING REFLECTIONS ON ODILE DECQ WINKA DUBBELDAM ZAHA HADID EVA JIRICNA CARME PINOS RENATA SEMIN BENEDETTA TAGLIABUE In collaboration with ELISABETTA www.constructalia.com TERRAGNI transforming tomorrow Building & Construction Support ArcelorMittal has set up a team of professionals dedicated to the construction market: BCS (Building & Construction Support). This team supports developers, architects, engineers and contractors throughout their projects from design to completion. 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The Plan and Andrea Pontiggia stop short of this in their volume fully dedicated to women architects - intellectual provoca- tion though it is; nor do they posit any redeeming function by female creativi- ty against the Italian (not only Italian) backdrop crying out for a transfusion of architectural competence, of whatever gender. But it is a pleasing thought that the female contribution, no less creative than men’s but perhaps borne on a different sensibility and sense of politics (more service than power), might here bring forth the true value of architecture. In its broadest sense that means competence drawing support from creativity and creativity fed chiefly by competence - two inseparable ingredients alike needed if we are to attain the desired result: enhancement of our urban warp and woof by conservative renovation of past beauty and, above all, qualified invention of something new. An old commonplace - old but still relevant - describes Italy as a disfigured country gutted by surveyors. That category may include shining examples of professionalism and public spirit, but it here stands for all that is ugly, defac- ing our towns and, probably more important, our countryside. In the light of such stereotypes it becomes highly symbolic that the international archi- tecture congress is taking place in Turin: never before have so many Italian editorial towns - Milan, of course, but also Rome, Naples, Turin itself, Bologna, Genoa and many others - been on the receiving end of ongoing renovation plans that have the potential to upgrade the whole townscape. It is essential we seize this opportunity for the enormous social, even more than economic, promise it holds. For that to happen the planning must adhere to the strictest canons of archi- tecture (as both science and art). Best practices demand that we proceed by international competitions, that every operation be thrown open to the broadest resources of the profession. The important thing is that - amid the inevitable aesthetic controversy surrounding any project - the results should be inspired by architectural quality; that we should avoid complacent short- cuts, half-measures or makeshift solutions. Unfortunately that is not always or everywhere guaranteed. There have been many warning signs of a return to old methods, the deplorable subordination of quality to misguided “raison d’état” - often not even making economic sense. Though not alone of its kind, the example of the new Milan Fair at Rho-Pero - designed by Massimiliano Fuksas - confirms authoritatively that such a doughty work of international import must draw on ‘different’ expertise from what tends to be offered by the otherwise excellent building scene in Milan, or the rest of Italy. A transfusion of know-how from respectful, broad-ranging, aware employ- ment of our professional architect resources. With all the civil, and of course aesthetic, ambition that such an approach entails. Milan, with the wealth of projects surrounding Expo 2015, will be Italy’s first and foremost testing ground for the new approach. What we must ensure is a new method of managing the major works of town development, on the part of local authorities, central state authorities, and of course private enterprise. The contribution of leading worldwide women stars of architecture could be of enormous help in ushering in such a new method. May it prove so. It will be the crowning achievement of this editorial venture. Sergio Luciano Editor in Chief, Economy* * Economy represents today the most important weekly economic magazine in Italy 002 For some years now the “female factor” has been a central feature of our society and politics. No government or parliament, at least in Europe, can ignore the question of internal balance between men and women. The same goes for industry and all walks of life, including the armed forces, once a purely male preserve. When Mike Nichols directed the film “Career Woman” in 1988 - one of the great Harrison Ford parts - and catapulted Melanie Griffith to the Olympus of Hollywood, the context was a different one and the film far from obvious. It was entertainment, of course, but committed enough on women and women’s careers. One smiles to watch it now: our society has moved on and the fact that Griffith goes from humble secretary to manager is no longer anything out of the ordinary. “The devil dresses Prada” (to stay with the cinema) directed by David Frankel in 2006, and starring an extraordinary Meryl Streep, tells of a change of equilibrium taken to extremes: women in power, men virtually eclipsed. There are many famous examples, from German chancellor Angela Merkel, head of a historically chauvinist country, to our own Emma Marcegaglia, a welcome breath of fresh air as neo-President of Italian entrepreneurs. The world of architecture is no stranger to such developments in our civilization and many architects of world calibre are women. This prompted the idea (hatched in liaison with creative journalist Andrea Pontiggia who devised the questions) of giving women the floor in an unu- sual and in some respects provocative interview going beyond the classic subjects of architecture to touch on the more intimate aspects of an architect’s ego. The questions aim not so much to probe as to open up points for discussion, instant viewpoints for free-wheeling development. We hope to provide an open spread of impressions, together forming a broad, if not complete, body of opinion. That is also why the idea prompting the layout of the pocket edition of The Plan was simply to pool the answers and not collect the interviews one by one. Each question is followed by the answer or reaction of each architect. The whole picture is more complete than an individual approach; it forms a transversal critique. The women architects enlisted were chosen on reputation, but also to extend the geographical panorama as wide as possible, with room alongside the big stars for lesser known talents of future renown. The mix of countries, cultures, genera- tions and widely divergent approaches to the world of architecture gives food for thought about the reality of being an architect and woman in full career amid today’s world of work - a revealing glimpse of what our society is really like. Being in the vanguard of contemporary architecture means creating, experimenting and research- ing. The worlds of design, art, graphics and fashion interweave more and more with architecture, while innovations in materials and technology are opening up new and possibly endless scope for creativity. That is one more reason why an architect’s job nowadays is inseparable from industry and manufacturing. In order to innovate at this point in time, an architect must be backed by the compa- nies that produce the materials or building systems. This makes ArcelorMittal doubly welcome as the sponsor of our publishing venture. Side by side with answers from nine women architects, we have a tenth ‘voice-over’: a world leader in steel manufacturing presenting its products as a credible and real response to important demands. Steel is a never-ending source of amazement with incredible potential for structural projects or avant-garde roofing and cladding. Another welcome partnership of minds is with Economy, “hosting” The Plan as in 2007, and thereby recognizing architecture as a major turbine of the economy. Architecture means production, culture, tourism; it comes to mean urban renaissance. Enjoy! Nicola Leonardi Editor in Chief, The Plan THE PLAN, issued bimonthly, is one of the most authoritative international architecture journals.