28/10/13

Architects Who Listen - Point of View - September 2013

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POINT OF VIEW / SEPTEMBER 2013 / ARCHITECTS WHO LISTEN

Sep 17 , 2013

Point of View
THE METROPOLIS BLOG

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Examining contemporary life through design, architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, crafts, planning, and preservation. Categories Point Of View (163) A New Humanism (35) A New Way of Designing (8) Architects (185) Art (68) Behind the Cover (25) Bookshelf (105) Business (29) Cities & Urban Areas (179) Conferences (24) Craftsmanship (45) Creative Culture (2) Design (303) Education (52) Exhibitions (31) Films (20) First Person (161) From the Classroom (13) Greenbuild (6) Green Design (29) Icon or Eyesore? (0)

Architects Who Listen

Sh er in Wi ng

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Buddhist Meditation Metta Vihara, Bureau SLA. Courtesy www.bureausla.nl

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Of course, there are many ways of listening. During an interview with Michael Rotondi of Roto Architecture on his work in sacred spaces, he noted that listening is an activity that engages him completely. The first thing was to stop thinking about designing a signature architecture, he said. Instead I try to listen to whomever Im working with and then try to jump over my own shadow when Im designing.

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Architects Who Listen - Point of View - September 2013

I love people. I love listening to their stories. You get a lot more information from people when you ask questions to listen and not turn everything into your own story. Like you listen and say oh, that reminds me of the time, and youre off talking about yourself. If you really want to learn, thats the last thing you want to do is talk about yourself. So when I was working with American Indians, the elders made it clear that I was there to listen to their stories and convert their stories into buildings.

To p 5 S t o ries 1. Remembering Frank Lloyd Wrights Bijou 2. The Real Problem with Chinas Ghost Towns 3. Creativity Is Stranger Than Fiction 4. The Fountainhead All Over Again 5. Toward Resilient Architectures 2: Why Green Often Isn't
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Xiyuan Monastery University, Suzhou, Roto Architecture. Courtesy Michael Rotondi

This, then, is the key. Listening to the clients needs for such practical information as to how spaces will be used and cost limitations, to more abstract information such as philosophies and cultural narratives, are essential to shaping each of these architects work. One, particular style of listening is not more effective than another, but what repeatedly arises in each of their explanations is that they follow some of the basics of empathizing with others. The results? These projects expresses less the architects style, more the needs of their clients--in utterly unique ways.

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Sherin Wing writes on social issues as well as topics in architecture, urbanism, and design. She is a frequent contributor to Archinect, Architect Magazine and other publications. She is also coauthor of The Real Architects Handbook. She received her PhD from UCLA. Follow Sherin on Twitter at @SherinWing . Previous 1 2

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Silence is Golden
Paul Makovsky

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