AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.06.2003, Qupperneq 44

Quality is the only compromise
that a practice like mine cannot
afford to make; your work is who
you are and the only way you
become known as a firm that
produces innovative ideas. My
office is about the work of two
principals, Ben and myself; we
stay personally involved in every
project and that of course limits
the amount of work that we can
produce. We do not take every
job that is offered to us because
we like the nature of our office
and do not want to change it. We
are a design studio, not a corpo-
rate architectural office.
Your personal design methods
can also be seen in today’s con-
text with the ever-enlarging
emphasis on the computer as
somewhat outdated and obso-
lete; you persist on making
models ‘the good, old-fashioned
way’ and drawing by hand is still
your only design tool and way of
communication and expression.
My office relies on the latest
technology available.
Our design approach is to learn
from as many processes as we
have available to us. We use
computers to study and develop
designs, and for all our produc-
tion. However, I like to test all
designs by using physical mod-
els, and I personally prefer to
sketch by hand as opposed to
using the computer. I find that
drawing with the computer taps
into a more pragmatic side of my
brain.
One characteristic of your
design career has been the con-
stant and fluctuating shift in
scale, from residential to large
public projects. Is there an inner
necessity at work there in your
insistence of still making smaller
structures, which due to
extreme handling of detail
appear obviously to be very
demanding and time consum-
ing?
Small projects are extremely
demanding on an office that is
set up to do large-scale projects,
but also they are extremely
satisfying. I benefit from this con-
stant change in scale, it keeps
my mind in check.
Do conflicts, either internally or
with the outside world, ever
arise due to the dynamic and
ultra-modern look your work has
despite its execution in the most
delicate historical context, such
as the French Quarter of
Shanghai where preservation
plays a large role?
Not everybody can accept mod-
ern design. However, there is a
large enough percentage of peo-
ple that cannot live without it
because it is part of their cultural
makeup. Some of these people
are my best clients.
Conflicts do arise when you start
to deal with the approval process
of public structures that influence
the way cities are experienced
but good sign is not about the
way the buildings look. It is about
the way buildings work. If the
building works with the city, then
you have a strong case.
You seemed to have developed
an interest in lceland and have
become a somewhat frequent
visitor. Icelanders have a saying:
perception is in the guest’s eye.
From that point of view, where
to you see the major fauits and
yet the most promising fate of
your capitol city, Reykjavík?
It is not unusual for visitors to feel
at ease in lceland. I am among
those who experience the need
to come back again and again.
It is my intention to keep a place
in Reykjavik because I enjoy the
simplicity of the city and the
strong personality of its people.
Reykjavik’s most important
characteristic is its relationship to
the water’s edge. I would like to
see more opportunities for public
activities along the water, and I
would like to see a stronger rela-
tionship between downtown and
the water’s edge. Unfortunately,
as in many other cities in the
world, Reykjavik has started
to build commercial malls that
bring with them an artificial envi-
ronment that competes with the
commerce and culture of its
downtown. It is most important to
develop those areas of the city
that poses the essence of the
place. As in most cities in the
world, Reykjavik’s essence
is found in its geographical make-
up. ■
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