5. L: Adaptability while not abandoning your sensibility.
6. B: As mentioned above, we think about architecture as an inclusive discipline. We are not interested in architecture exclusively as a vehicle for social change, nor as one that is exclusively self referential, formal, or sensational. Rather, we argue for a practice of design, which can evolve, absorb, and react to change; one that understands and remembers architecture's physical place in the world, as well as it's cultural role. This is the lesson of the economic crisis.
Thomas Behnisch(Behnisch Architekten, Germany)
4. In response to your question regarding contemporary architecture, not only due to the financial crisis, but also due to some other crises, such as the environmental crisis, contemporary architecture is in a phase of rapid change. Whilst some years ago the debate was really only about formal architectural issues, it has meanwhile become more and more content-driven. Already before the financial crisis we realized that architecture, whilst being the most prominent artefact human beings create - you cannot avoid architecture, architecture and our build environment are everywhere, we are surrounded by it and it creates the identity of our urban centres, of our cities, and the identity of our history - we became aware that architecture today can do more than merely being formal. The debate has become content-driven. Sustainability, the usability of buildings and so on are in the focus of the debate right now. Lately, due to the financial crisis, we realized that not only is fossil fuel a limited resource, but also that money have become a limited resource - a value of our nations.
Also, the rapid change in our societies towards urbanization is creating new challenges for city planners and architects alike. So in my opinion, architecture is at a turning point. We learned that we have to see architecture not only as iconic, but also in a broader context. From city planning, the public realm to buildings, the task is not seen as tayloristic as it has been in the past; it is now seen in a more integrated way. Architects have to work closer with sociologists, urbanists, city planners, landscapers, other scientists and engineers, to create more realistic buildings that respond to the questions of the challenges we face today. I am confident that many architects have understood these new challenges.
Dietmar Feichtinger(Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes, France)
1. The impact of the economic crisis on our practice is slowly showing effects. The most visible effect is an enormous field of candidates for any kind of architectural competition. The process for ongoing projects has always had more or less difficult phases. Nowadays, the crisis is made responsible for the difficulties.
2. There is more discussion with the client about what is essential. The financial arguments are stronger than ever today. The good side is that there is less wasting. The bad side is that quality has its costs, and there is no magic answer without the means necessary for good architecture.
3. These very visible mega projects are a minor part in architectural production today. This is a phenomenon of no importance. They lead to superficial architectural debates we should not waste our time with.
4. Rethinking the hierarchy in the project goals is always useful. There is a process going on, which attempts to define the importance of sustainable building: Higher investing costs for longer lasting and better buildings is the only answer possible. This means less projects, since there is less money available.
5. Generous natural light and natural ventilation are essential themes.
Splitterwerk(Austria)
1. There are more chances now for SPLITTERWERK than ever before because there is more demand placed on innovation, more demand placed on quality, more demand placed on change, and the bad and the big are dying.
2. No differences by regions.
3. It's a boring discussion and debate.
4. Architecture is changing now because modernism is the classicism of the 21st Century, capitalism and modernism are dying, stock and abstract art will disappear, "Form follows function and less is more" is dead, the decorated shed is dead, and there are no more morphings anymore. In the future, architectural figuralism will appear, and form will follow picture.
5. Sustainability using smart materials, smart technology, smart environments, smart skins, smart buildings, smart urbanism, smart nature, and smart poetry.
6. The picture is the ornament, is the building, is the medium, is the message!
Chris Wilkinson(Wilkinson Eyre Architects, UK)
1. We have lost out financially in Dubai and we have had several commercial projects put on hold in the UK, as well as a major mixed development project in Russia. We are concentrating on cultural, leisure, education, transport, and masterplanning projects.
2. Our work in China and Singapore is ongoing, and we have some projects in the Middle East, but not in Dubai. In Russia we have had a couple of projects put on hold, but we still have one ongoing project, which we hope will proceed. In the UK there are still new projects coming forward in the education, leisure, and infrastructure sectors.
3. In recent years, architecture has become more international and this has attracted a desire for star architects to help put projects on the map. I believe the danger of this is the loss of individuality related to place. The best architects respond to context, but some impose their style on every project, regardless of context.
4. Architecture is in a process of continual change and evolution. It reflects the attitudes and politics of the day. Of course, this global economic crisis will have an effect on moderating excesses, but good design always wins through.
5. Sustainability, function, clear rationale, and economy of means.
6. My attitudes have not changed, and my approach to every project is still based on finding beautiful design solutions, specifically related to the brief and site context.
Rok Oman(OFIS Arhitekti, Slovenia)
Our personal observation is that the global economic tsunami had to happen. The overall global situation showed us that human greed has no limits, and that the crisis is just a mirror pointed at all of us. So, for the future of the global society we would have to reconsider and analyze acts and work models from the past. Furthermore, from today’s mistakes we can plan a new way forward, and results should be seen very soon. This also stands relevant for contemporary architecture, and it will add an extra challenge to the architect’s design process. We would like to point out that the economical crisis did not have impact on our practice. There are several reasons why…so we would like present our 10 “OFIS-BIBLE” commandments:
1. Never go with the flow. We never searched for new scary rising markets like China, Dubai, Russia etc...
2. Use common sense in every step of the work through all processes in the office.
3. Use the saying, “Keep the distance to maintain the difference” in the everyday practice; it is our common motto, which, in the present situation, also has a much wider meaning.
4. Never listen to major(ity) opinions. Have your own opinion.
5. Do your work-projects if you believe in them… otherwise is better not doing them at all.
6. Have limits as advantages in your work.
7. Try not to do projects with people you don’t like personally.
8. Also be happy with small projects, otherwise you will never get bigger ones.
9. Never try or want not to become a big office just because you would like to become big; you will loose touch with projects, become a slave of your own office, and your projects will also loose originality.
10. Your architecture is your ID; don’t try to explain it, others should appreciate it. Most explanations from the star architects sound so banal that it would be better not to pay attention to them….
Julien De Smedt(JDS ARCHITECTS, Denmark)
1. We are more conscious about the economy and we are more proactive in seeking work... paradoxically the outcome is rather good...
2. Some projects have been put on hold and are still on hold, others have started again...
3. I think the outcome of the crisis will oblige people to be more conscious, cautious, and reasonable financially, which in architectural terms will probably generate less extravaganza of forms, and which I believe is for the better... there have a been a lot of silly, ugly, and completely irrelevant things done during the past 10 years...
4. I am not sure what you mean by topography of architecture, but in terms of the architects?scene there will definitely be a change, as many offices are sinking and new ones are emerging...
5. Society, economy, ecology....
6. We were never interested in absurd excesses, and we will continue to seek an enthusiastic approach to architecture... our work aims at core issues, not at frivolous shapes...
James von Klemperer(Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC, USA)
1. KPF has been very fortunate during this difficult time in maintaining a healthy practice. Our firm's work is diversified both geographically and in program type. We have focused on making sure that we continue to do the best work possible for our repeat clients. Our Asian work, in Korea, China, Hong Kong, and India has remained very strong. Also, I believe we are now doing some of our best design work in the history of our firm.
2. The most challenging region for us has been our own home turf of the United States. Here, we have put our energies into long-term plans for larger projects, which should materialize when the economy strengthens a few years from now. We are investing in these future opportunities.
3. We are seeing a trend towards mega projects. We are still actively involved with the New Songdo City project in Korea, we are designing a similarly-sized new city in China, and we are moving ahead with two super tall towers (over 500 meters). These projects are so large that they span across the dip in the economic cycle. We also see government projects, which are by nature very large and ambitious, picking up the slack. Mega projects can allow for environmental innovations due to the efficiency of aggregating and coordinating programs and services.
4. I expect that we will see a return to basic values of modernism: clean form, inventive interpretation of program, analysis of social issues, and development of new material applications. We see a swing away from the irrational exuberance which characterized much design of the last decade.
5. Since most of our current work involves large urban programs, the most important issues for us are: Density; Infrastructure; Scale; Connectivity; Public space.
6. The economic crisis has resulted in a change in the way we view some aspects of our world. In recent years, complex financial instruments and practices have increasingly commoditized real estate. In many cases, short term returns dominated the assessment of a building's value. Today, our society is returning to the appreciation of more intrinsic qualities of architecture. These qualities include: long lasting material viability; flexibility and usefulness of program; and beauty of spatial proportion (Firmness Commodity and Delight).
Brad Cloepfil(Allied Works Architecture, USA)
1.I don’t know of any firm, large or small, that hasn’t been affected by it. We’re fortunate in that we’ve been able to maintain our offices in Portland and New York City, and that all of our current projects are continuing to move forward. The crisis has definitely challenged us to be more efficient in our operations and to clarify our goals as a practice. Any effort that doesn’t support the kind of office we want to be needs to be reconsidered. At the same time, we have to remain open and proactive about seeking out work that we might have otherwise overlooked.
2. All of our projects come with limited budgets and careful oversight of project costs. This is especially true for our public and institutional work. That is a trend that is likely to continue. Projects that depend on public support and private contributions have had to revise their overall fundraising targets, and we have had to adjust our designs accordingly.
Even so, in regions that have been hit especially hard and earlier than the rest of the country, like the Midwest, we’ve been able to get our work built, regardless of the changes that were necessary along the way. The University of Michigan Museum of Art recently opened in Ann Arbor. While there has been some debate about the value of the arts in a down economy, the project was widely praised as being the right project at the right time. It was designed to elegantly serve the needs of the museum’s collection and the community over the long term, not to be short-lived and sensational.
3. Good architecture and good design have the capacity to enrich, enliven and add value to our cities, environments and institutions. That is without question. However, when any one building or project, or the design vision of the architect becomes more important than the uses and activities it supports, then you have a problem.
On the economic side, the desire to invest in a brand name or signature style of building as a marketing strategy has always seemed shortsighted. Architecture is a slow and labor-intensive undertaking. Styles are likely to change from the initial conception of a project to its completion. Unless one is considering the long-term best interests of the building’s users and the surrounding community, both economically and socially, there is always the potential to be obsolete before the building is ever in the ground.
5. Specificity, Localization, Flexibility, Endurance.
Emphasize specificity as opposed to mass-production. While there may be efficiencies up front in large-scale production and distribution systems, these efficiencies in architecture never measure up to what was lost because the ‘fit’ was wrong for the place or purpose.
Seek out localized, scaled-down solutions as opposed to larger centralized systems. This allows for a greater diversity of architectural expression and a closer connection with the community and environment without relying on outside infrastructure.
Employ flexible design strategies that can elegantly adapt to new purposes and new technologies. At the same time, the buildings we create must be resilient enough to assert their own character, and not be anonymous or placeless.
Create enduring architecture. While here has been a recent emphasis on green building practices and rating systems, longevity is equally important but harder to quantify. The most responsible way to build is to build well, to create something that has the longest usable life span, and maintains its value, both culturally and economically, for generations to come.
6. The only course of action that seems right is to build in a manner that is of one’s time and place. The more responsive and open to influence you are as an architect, the closer you can get to the essence of a context or condition. At the same time, in times of growth or recession, we are part of a long continuum, and we should not be afraid to add our own voice to the dialogue, and try to offer our own lessons to the next generation of builders.
Joel Sanders(Joel Sanders Architect, USA)
1. As an architect who combines teaching with practice and runs a design studio that executes a mix of public and private commissions, my practice has been impacted, but fortunately not devastated by the economic crisis. But now that projects currently in construction are nearing completion, I, like many of my U.S. colleagues, recognize the need to shift the way I go about procuring new work. Prospective commissions seem to be shifting from the private to the public sector. Competition for far fewer projects is fierce, and there are less resources to spend on marketing and out-reach. In short, a field that is already notoriously competitive and low paying, has become even more so.
2. While a few projects at my office have been terminated or put on hold, the economic downturn has for the most part impacted the way I work with existing clients who are understandably anxious about fees and budgets. For example, fast-tracked/high end residential and commercial projects initiated during the height of the pre-recession economy have had their construction and marketing budgets cut. At the same time, I am beginning to see a new crop of clients interested in taking advantage of more competitive fees and construction prices.
3. The bubble economy was a mixed blessing. High-profile projects designed by signature "star architects" heightened public awareness and openness to innovative design created by international practitioners. But all too often, architects were enlisted for the wrong reasons; hired to enhance the brand value of public institutions or private developments, architects found themselves under pressure to create high-profile, photogenic buildings whose formal innovations were only skin deep-too often, design invention sponsored conservative programs, perpetuating the status quo.
4. Hopefully the dangerous lessons of the past will encourage critical reflection that leads architects to realign the core values that shape both how we design and how we conduct business with clients, consultants, and one another. In short, architects need to renew their commitment to the public realm: we must invent bold new strategies for deploying advanced digital technologies and techniques at the service of formally and programmatically innovative projects that address pressing social and environmental needs.
5. Green Design: Despite their heightened awareness of environmental concerns, few practitioners today are thinking holistically about the complex intersection between landscape and architecture. For the most part, sustainable architecture and sustainable landscape are constituted as two parallel fields, each consisting of a list of certified materials and techniques. Moreover, Green design is a product-driven, not design-oriented way of thinking, which more often than not has little programmatic and formal impact on the projects we make. But green design can be a catalyst for creativity. In my own work, I am pursuing a new model of integrated professional practice that I tap into the technical, formal, and programmatic potential of sustainable thinking.
Digital Design: In recent years, architects have mined the potential of digital technologies, making possible new ways of creating, representing, and fabricating buildings. But we need to consider the problem of digital design from a cultural, as well as a formal perspective. How are media technologies transforming the way people interact and engage with one another in the ordinary spaces of our everyday lives(homes, offices, institutions) both public and private? How do virtual interactions on social networks transform embodied encounters in real time and space? Do mobile technologies privatize public space consigning us within isolating media bubbles, or can they be deployed in new and creative ways that foster communities?
Michel Rojkind(rojkind arquitectos, Mexico)
1. As in most parts of the world, most of our projects went through a numb phase that is in the process of finding a new direction, but still most of them have shut down. The way we have been responding to these new issues has been with the added value of rethinking what a project is for. What and who will it benefit if we do them, besides the financial strategy. Can the project raise new issues?
If today a project is not able to interweave the important actors (private investors, public, government, community, etc...) for the overall benefit, it will not stand a chance to be built. It is our moral responsibility to make sure that projects have enough essence and soul, and do not stay in the superficial side of what is liked or not liked.
2. Of course, now there is a sense of looking within; to find what we can do with what we have here, today, and not splurge.
3. This will change dramatically; I think that these mega companies will want to brand now what there buildings are capable of doing, all the benefits that they will bring to the community in terms of wellness and sustainability. And by this I mean not only buildings that are able to produce their own energy, but also what they are capable of giving to others. To me, this is the future.
And as I mentioned before, it is our responsibility as architects to make projects happen for the right reasons; we are becoming first strategists that later design architecture, and this is something that did not happen before.
4. It is already changing! The truly intelligent architecture will see the light and will be built. How are "we" as strategists bringing more people to the project; that is, how much can we "enhance" the project by bringing the right people together! The power of collaborations!
5. Collaboration, Enhancement, Re-thinking, Community, Future, Conscience.
6. There is no turning point, we need to learn how to evolve and learn what makes us better as cities, communities, and people. The more conscious we are, the better solutions we are able to give, and we don't need to be experts in all the fields, that? why we need to collaborate with financial advisors, urban planners, graphic designers, sociologists. anyone who is capable of bringing a powerful and fresh input to the final equation.
Giancarlo Mazzanti Sierra(Giancarlo Mazzanti Arquitectos, Columbia)
1. Our practice is mainly based on public buildings in areas of high economical and social deterioration, where we work with low budgets. Therefore this practice has not been affected until now. The development of private and high budget projects in Colombia have been affected. A social practice of architecture implies the development of alternative energies, and the use of low technology materials, and of easy development and acquisition. Our aim is to experiment with low cost materials, under conditions that allow the development of a more sustainable architecture.
2. In developing countries, we are used to work with precarious budgets and situations, which has prevented the crisis from having a very strong effect. Governments are investing in social and public projects to help improve the conditions and effects of the crisis; therefore, for the past year it has been possible to increase the number of public buildings that serve the communities.
3. The important issue is not who is producing this architecture, but what is the sense of this production, at whom it is directed, and what are its social and construction objectives in a world that is becoming more sustainable every day, with less consumption of energy.
4. Undoubtedly architecture will change, but it will not be sustainable if social and economical conditions will remain the way they are at present. It is necessary to change our relation with the planet, a self-conscious attitude allowing the thinking over of the relations with the environment, of social relations, and of subjective constructions, something that Felix Guattari calls the "ecosophy", a new ethical-political articulation.
5. The question is how we are going to live on the planet from now on, and how architecture should become a mechanism to improve these living conditions. Only a political, social, and cultural transformation, a re-orienting of the objectives of material and non-material goods, will build new ways of living and thinking about the world, construction, and new architectures more in accordance with the planet.
6. This new architecture should be thinking more in terms of what it is capable of producing, its environment, its actions, its effects, and how new methods of living are produced; as opposed to an architecture considering only its self-purpose, either as formal or functional construction. The purpose of architecture does not consist in itself, but in its capacity of building of social or environmental well-being. The discussion should not be based on aesthetic aspects, but on how to induce effects, actions, and events. These tools will permit the developing of forms, patterns, and organizations, operating to induce new and more creative forms of conduct. The reason for inducing effects is to project or to wish transformations produced by architecture. The result of this architecture is not the dreamed aesthetic product, but the physical, social, sensorial effects; the product of the projects, an ACTING architecture, is defined by what it does, and not by its substance.
Lee Kleeman(Gansam Partners, Korea)
1. A lot of what we do and pursue has high sensitivity. We did fairly okay the first half of the year, but ran into many problems in the second half. Not many orders came in. We are trying to gear toward government jobs, but it isn't easy. We have tried to stick to the fundamentals of architecture but, after a few years, growth-promoting policies follow social trends. Perhaps that is our instinct. After enduring through the second half of the year, things are now calmer. We are thinking about what we need to do, and which designs we need to seek.
2. Sticking to the basics of architecture and establishing a solid client base based on trust is our strategy. In the past, this client base made up 70~80% of our business, but due to competition, the number dropped to 60%. The private business side is sensitive to the economy, placing many projects on hold or canceling them. The sporadic projects, such as turnkey or PF projects, are not interesting. Such jobs are unreliable. There isn't much for the architects to do.
3. The so-called "star architects", who make up the top 1% of the world? architects, are being taken advantage of for commercial marketing. Star architects are used to sell commercially; getting on the bandwagon and treating that as the only way to do business and following it is too dangerous. The remaining 99% of architects have made a good impact on the society, and are devoted to enhancing the quality of life and the public domain. But that isn? interesting to the mass media; and this is quite misleading.
4. The biggest mistake committed by modern architecture has been a mad increase of its worth. Capitalistic logic is multiplying the worth two or even three-fold. Modern architecture has sympathized with this tendency and has continued to follow the madness. That has lead to designs that are detached from their essence. Commercialism runs rampant through their designs. On the other hand, however, there are architectural pieces that inspire people. This only means that there are groups of architects who work diligently on the other side of the spectrum: the outer boundary of commercialism. There might come a time in the distant future when such works will be assessed as valuable and labeled as works that had opened up the 2nd Renaissance in architecture. What we now see is the essence of architecture, with all the bubbles of madness removed; it is an architecture used to reform the living conditions of the people.
5. Architects from my generation have been schooled about Western architecture. We had placed a new value on Western architecture at the time. At its fundamental level, traditional Korean architecture is one that adapts to nature. It is naturalism at its best. Viewed from a Western architectural point of view, traditional Korean architecture looks "misplaced" and inconvenient. However, we are seeing something else. We are noticing and sensing its intrinsic value.
The project to pursue is to unearth those qualities and adapt them into our works. Every blade of grass and tree needs to be valued. Through an environmentally-friendly Korean architecture, we need to showcase and share the grace and beauty of nature.
Moon Jinho(designcamp moonpark dmp, Korea)
1. Due to the economic crisis, about 1/4 of the work we had at the end of the year had to be halted temporarily. We had discussion sessions among all the employees at the end of the year and the beginning of this year, where frank opinions were exchanged on how to weather through these difficult times. We looked back at ourselves, how we came together 18 months ago with a goal of doing good high quality designs. We reminded ourselves how we overcame tough times, where we had nothing but our dreams. So this economic recession cannot be the straw that breaks the camel's back for us. Because we know how we were together in our choices and in fighting against storms, we are and will always be one, whether we succeed or fail. What I mean is restructuring like you see in other companies is unthinkable for us. We tried to use the vacuum created by the economic downturn for self-development and recharging ourselves. Teams took turns in taking about 15 days of paid vacations. The time was very useful in redoubling our commitment and courage to weather through the current storm. On top of that, most of the work put on hold is now starting again - as if we are waking up in the spring after a long winter slumber. We also have added new projects. It feels like the economy has hit bottom and is rebounding.
2. Of course, you cannot deny that architecture rooted in capital or power has existed throughout the history with its own motivation and objectives - although separated from the architecture for life. It served as the meeting place of historic architectural work and work by masters. There are many who are concerned about using star international architects for large projects in Korea, and such a trend is indeed regrettable. I just hope something positive will come out of it. I hope it acts as added motivation to Korean architects to do better and grow stronger through competition. In the early days, when I was working as the president at my previous company, even when the project was attractive, if the proposal required partnership with a foreign architect, I always turned it down. But my attitude changed after few years, because I could see how such a partnership could help our young architects. Since then, I have been sending young designers to our partner offices overseas. I think Korean firms will also soon go international. I hope that around the time when we are finishing up the Seoul Performing Arts Center, we will be invited to submit our design for an opera house somewhere in Europe or America.
6. I hope dmp grows as a firm that is good in design as well as in our knowledge system. It is better to have a culture that can create excellent design, rather than have few excellent designers. Rather than just creating outputs with sleek forms or exterior, it is better to have a work that is a natural output of our struggle for creative and fresh process each time. We are trying to expand our knowledge universe. We do not want to zero-in on architecture alone, but we also want to become versed in literature, history, philosophy, and other areas of humanities, as well as in other forms of arts. Eco-friendly design is not something we are discovering now, but a responsibility that we were always aware of and that is being put into practice now.
Cho Minsuk(Mass Studies, Korea)
1. The current economic crisis has taught us that we will continue to see a series of disappointing results, whether we are in a boom or in a bust, unless there is a profound change. In our office, the most urgent challenge we face arises from within, rather than from external ones. Prior to survive financially as a company, we take the challenge, somewhat voluntarily, as part of our daily operation to continue being sustainable as a creative entity. Therefore, the present economic crisis is not completely negative for us, in a way that it gives us an opportunity to take a step back and ponder upon what is most important to us. We have tried our best to find a possible minimum common ground between architecture and the economic system, while securing the possible maximum autonomy in what we do. The biggest issue architects deal with is that they should be able to practice at their own pace, at least in their work place, sometimes beyond the system that dominates society. Coexist in it, but with a freedom not to agree on everything. At the same time, they have to maintain alternative operating methods for architects?unique motivations and sense of value, which at times can be contradicting. To do so, is to envision a world, an even better one, catalyzed by subtle architectural ideas.
3. Personally, I hope that this economic crisis eliminates terms such as "starchitect","premium city", and "cultural powerhouse", which are all bubble-like and even exploitative. However, we should avoid to being over-dramatized or opportunistic tendencies whenever radical transformations, such as current situation, occur. It is very timely that Slavoj Zizek said, "You [architects] are at your worst when you make ideological pronouncements that assert your ethical superiority", in a recent architectural event. Regardless cyclical external phenomena, architects' criticality should be expressed in their own various ways, through the accumulation of projects throughout a longer time period than in a single cycle of current economic system. Surely it is a good time to contemplate on both the meaningful experiments/achievements and the challenges/failures made by the star-system and the mega-projects that prevailed before the crisis. This catastrophe may lead to the abolition of the star-system itself, or to the creation of even bigger (or more genuine) stars. Or, there may be a third alternative that is more sustainable.
Lee Jung-myon(Baum Architects, Korea)
1. I have been at the helm of Baum Architects since October last year, when I returned from the U.S. I have worked in New York for 10 years and witnessed the impact of the financial crisis first-hand. Many firms had to cut down the number of staff from over 100 to just 10. In particular, stricter credit screening for home buyers directly hit companies that had many housing projects in their pipeline. I think the impact on Korea is relatively smaller. But I am concerned whether it is really going to be okay. The impact we have felt so far is delay in the payment date, as the construction schedule was postponed due to the current crisis. Fortunately, no project has been canceled as of yet.
2. The F3 project in Songdo, within the Incheon Free Economic Zone, has been delayed. The housing complex in Lijing and the hospital in Shenzhen are also slow in their progress.
3. In the past, a building was judged by its design and functions. But now, the building itself has become a tool of advertisement and promotion. Demand for super tall buildings cannot be explained by simple economics, as the construction cost is triple that of conventional skyscrapers. Same for low rises, whose keywords are 'eco-friendly' and 'non-standard'. The answer is in their promotional value. I think it is a very positive and encouraging sign that so much attention is now being paid to building design that can fundamentally change the image of a company or individual, as well as to the architects that delivered such solution. We need forward-looking architects to increase national competitiveness. Korea needs to invest in young and talented architects, as well as architects that run small studios. I think architects need to take the leadership position for other areas to follow. But strong images that grab public attention and provoke concern should be distinguished from good design. But it would take some time before the two can really be separated. In Korea, judgment on turnkey project is made in a very short time, so decisions are just made based on the coolness of the image. If you have the basics where you can separate the real from fake, images with just well-packaged exterior will disappear.
6. We are a big studio, but we take care up to detail design. We are continuously investing to upgrade the quality of that phase. We are also interested in materials and engineering methods required for eco-friendly and non-standardized design. But in Korea, design firms, builders and building owners are only interested in external packaging, without really thinking about the realization process involved. What I mean is that they are ignoring the very basics of architecture. Lastly, I hope that a star architect can come out of Baum Architects. I want to create an environment where architects can really focus on their job, and their job alone.
Yoo Kerl(iArc Architects, Korea)
1. There are no specific changes in relation to the economic crisis, but in the case of iARC, it is always prepared to take on new situations. It strives to become a knowledge-based group that constantly utilizes modern technology and, from it, yields value. The intention to reduce the needed knowledge has been strengthened due to the economic crisis. For this, the objectives have been changed to specialized areas, such as design computation group, sustainable design group, and value-based design group.
2. Since we didn't do residential architecture, we weren't greatly affected. Should the demands for residential environment change due to the economic crisis, we are ready to enter the residential architecture market. We certainly have been planning for it. Also, rather than focusing on a structural high rise, we are more interested in a vertical living and working environment.
3. Rather than judging this phenomenon, the architect must contemplate why the quality of the grand project is falling. Only the architect is fit to coordinate the project from the beginning. Rather than working as a manager of space-time or financial background who plans, designs, supervises and oversees move-ins, the architect must understand the project holistically in order for the quality of the project to get better. By helping the architects build their ability and in helping them build their credibility in society, more opportunities can come along.
Those that need star architects rely on brand names, but brand isn't everything there is in actual architecture. The architectural industry must have the ability to be constructively critical of works completed by star architects. For instance, there are many magazines that cover stories about the works of star architects, but none that can actually and objectively analyze and assess their works. Like in the case of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, too much money was spent using star architects. That's because star architects are needed in small businesses and firms, and not just in big projects with huge budgets. That is why the architectural industry needs to have a keen understanding of the market demand that requires star architects.
4. Architecture is usually slow, but the society changes rapidly. Changes that surface from crisis are a byproduct of rapid changes that didn't happen because of the crises. Changes are natural in a capitalistic, free, competitive market. But due to our collectivist mentality in this society, we fear or resist changes. Architecture must change along with social conditions and circumstances. Rather than crisis changing architecture, changes that bring about crisis is what changes architecture.
Yoon Sehan(Haeahn Architecture, Korea)
2. Most of the developmental businesses and private demands have been stagnant. Due to the economic crisis, for the first time in 20 years since the firm's establishment, a wage freeze policy has been implemented. We are paying a close attention to the present situation, participating in the base system, meaning "Turnkey", together with developmental businesses and we are in the process of carrying out overseas projects. As far as overseas offices are concerned, we have branch offices in New York and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Fortunately, Uzbekistan has a conservative economic structure; therefore, it has narrowly escaped the aftermath of the world economic crisis. Presently we are concentrating on projects surrounding the Russian territory.
3. Star architects were created because that was what the market demanded. It is important that the architects devote themselves to their work, but they also have to be able to package their work to make it marketable. The world has become flat, and it shows the characteristic of simultaneity. The competition takes place worldwide. Due to the worldwide economic crisis, a merging and restructuring of planning/designing companies is taking place. In order to survive, each architect has to have his or her own strategy.
4. An architect such as Peter Zumthor is getting a lot of attention, and the idea of regionalism will dominate. He will continue to experiment with individualistic and unique things that set him apart from the rest of the world. It is questionable whether ostentatious elements will decrease. The simultaneity of exchanging information and expansion will enlarge the architectural topography.
5. We need to search for art and artistic value. Its particularity and differentiality will be recognized in the world. In order to accommodate open-mindedness and continuous stimulation, it has to be founded upon open-mindedness and culture.
6. We have paid a great attention to environmental issues. We need to maintain a frame of mind to view society through city planning, therefore we continue to study. We want to have a competitive edge in the international arena and want to work independently.
Choi Eun(Heerim Architects & Planners Co., Ltd., Korea)
1. One of the immediate things we did was to reduce the night shift. We can expect two results: First, we can reduce the labor cost, which takes up 40% of company operation. Second, due to an increase in personal time to study and enjoy cultural activities, people will have more opportunities to think creatively. It is time for us to change our way of thinking and customs during this economic crisis.
2. Presently we have branch offices in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, and Dubai. In the case of Dubai, they expected a crisis in the beginning of 2008. Therefore, when many projects came in from Dubai, they either found a partner or began working after they collected money in advance. Among the overseas projects, there are some that have been stopped temporarily due to the construction company’s problems, but none of them are in real danger. Furthermore, no project has been cancelled.
In the case of Korea, other than the projects that were planned between last December and February of this year, private projects have decreased significantly. However, the situation has become better since March. In general, the public/community projects are the main work being done. Looking at the projects in terms of types, “turnkey” ones have increased significantly, and private projects have decreased dramatically.
3. There is a course on Japanese architecture at Harvard and at Columbia University. This is because between 1970s and 1990s Japan rose as one of the influential countries in the world. Japan has strategically fostered architecture companies and architects such as Ando Tadado and Nikken Sekkei to accept global architecture and to reflect Japanese traditional philosophy and their needs. We also need to think in the long term.
4. The topography of modern architecture varies in terms of style, size, and project characteristics. Depending on the field, pruning will be necessary. Presently there are over 8,000 designing/architecture offices, and the number of architecture major graduates is equivalent to the number of all of the architecture graduates in the United States. We need to focus on quality, not quantity, and control the number of students.
5. We need to have a good business mindset and management. Not only business owners, but each individual needs have a good business mindset. I believe that a design consultant who is flexible and knows how to handle situation is the future prototype of an architect.
6. We have created a study group composed of the best design team in order to conduct research on Korean design trends. In order for an architecture company to become a design company, not an outsourcing of a construction enterprise, we need to foster core human power and ensure design consultants. Externally, it must be eco friendly, but the concept of eco friendly has changed. Even if it means costing more money, we need to look at this in the long run. The eco friendly architecture is reducing the usage of energy by systematic and technical areas to design buildings that will last.
Kengo Kuma(Kengo Kuma & Associates, Japan)
1. Some projects have been on halt or slowed down, but we rather welcome this state, as we need to take time on thinking about them.
2. We saw little influence on the projects in China. We were largely hit for the ones in the US. The one in Japan was a resort project in Okinawa, the southernmost island of Japan.
3. The situation remains the same, in the sense that mega capitals direct the trend of architectural design world-wide, but the way they influence and the result of the influence is rapidly changing. There was a time when so-called star architects considered themselves as brands, and in mega capitals it was expected that they copied themselves. Today, people are bored with such a way of branding, and mega capitals will soon desert the idea, too. It is hoped for none but for star architects to stop copying themselves and keep denying themselves to evolve further. In order to do so, it is essential for them to deal with "small clients", as opposed to mega capitals. Contrary to the working method with mega capitals, projects must be carried unhurriedly in a flexible manner. Star architects?quality must be thus two-folded.
4. This crisis has shown us that other than as financial asset, architecture has a value that cannot be measured by the economy. Architects must be the ones that create "the other value" for architecture.
5. To have a vision for a long-term, not letting a quick profit get the better of you.
6. Rather than being involved in mega capitals, I am more interested in projects from small clients, working with craftsmen and local materials. In such case, I pay attention particularly to the matter of structure. In such small projects, the structure of the architecture must be different from traditional/existing ones. Otherwise, even if we use local materials with craftsmen, the architecture would end up only superficial, as we see in the Disney Lands. So I am very much interested in structure at the moment, and I am writing a book on it.
Shuhei Endo(Endo Shihei Architect Institute, Japan)
3. Trends are always temporary; I am not much concerned about that.
4. All those things about scale and balance are depended on the necessity of our actions. This might be the time for us to think about the origin and necessity of architecture. Time only with the purpose of desire and longing does not exist anymore.
5. I have two answers for this question: One is the correct recognition of global environmental issues, and the other is a global vision toward history education for children.
6. About the architecture that I practice, the current economic crisis is not a problem for me. Therefore, it has no such elements that would require me to rethink the way I work for now. However, I believe that the structural transformations of the cities with the introduction of new energy sources will inevitably occur in the near future.
Ahmad Djuhara(Djuhara+Djuhara, Indonesia)
1. The world economic crisis is not really having a major impact in Indonesia. This situation forces the supporting financial institutions to hold back a bit in backing up big projects. Some big architectural firms are starting to diminish their staff.
My firm, a small firm of six, does not really affected in a big way, since the customers with enough money seem ready to spend their money for personal interests, such as building their own houses. Now is the best time to build private homes, since the prices of building materials are getting cheaper due to the effort of maintaining a supply sustainability and also due to the lack of demand. In fact, we now are quite busy with small projects.
3. It is true that big ‘starchitects’ have lead us to some new frontiers, which was fun and enjoyable. It is also a fundamental need for our profession, to always have something new to think about and create. But there are so many areas in which one can maintain creativity, which is also true for small-scale projects. You can say that every actor has his own role. Star architects should continue their show, and others could and should do their own parts in other realms of architecture. We, then, can always influence one another.
4. NO! In every situation creative people will survive. Given any circumstances, architects will always find a way to create new things. Even if there is no challenge, some architects will create problems to be solved. And there will always be some great clients to share their dream to realize something.
5. The word “RE”: Rethink, reorganize, redo things differently.
6. Contemporary architecture is always dealing with recent problems. It always has its actuality. In any circumstances, it always has its context to deal with. So I believe that modernity in architecture is always the answer.
Adi Purnomo(mamostudio, Indonesia)
1. This has been a question I've pondered since I decided to open a practice of my own in the year 2000. Since 1998, it is safe to say that our country has gone through and is still in the midst of a social, economic, and political crisis. When the big firms can no longer take employees, there is an opportunity for small firms to step in and serve many small projects. If everyone could be afforded an optimum quality, the nation's landscape or even the architectural practice landscape will be much stronger and have stronger roots.
2. On a big scale, the regional impact is starting to be seen. But on a small and local scale, I don? think it made a huge impact, at least not until today. There are one or two projects that are pending, because people want to be careful in monitoring the situation.
3. Architecture has many faces. It is a mere coincidence that most of the projects being blown-up by the media are huge and expensive or prestigious projects that have strong connections with the movements of local and global economies. Architecture should have been the shape or expression of the variety of life present in the many classes, social, and economical strata. How we approach it, becomes very different from case to case. The question for us is: Apart from capital issues, how can we work on architecture, and realize it?
4. Contemporary architecture will always evolve: Move fast, react fast. Move in great precision, and even more important, perceive in great precision. There are things left behind when the motion gets even faster. The issue that we see is not related to the economical crisis, because thanks to it, the situation is forcing us to look at the local potential that we have.
5. Eventually, space and architecture will always return to daily life and to the issues related to nature. There are things that will eventually return to that, no matter how far exploration has been conducted. In the end, 'locality' becomes a very important term.
6. I personally think that contemporary architecture is something that may emerge out of all the troubles, or even constrains, that lay ahead. The creative process should not be affected by these things. Current architectural practices may not survive the crisis. If architecture is not seen just as projects, the creative process will never die.
