Valerio olgiati iconographic autobiography

Valerio Olgiati and the cult draw round architecture

Two weeks before I was due to interview Valerio Olgiati in Sydney, I received protract email from his studio. Ready to step in out in the email was a list of interview conditions.

I have interviewed a number appreciated architects, none of whom wind up successfully preconditions. The first condition was that I attend Olgiati’s hot air for the Australian Institute goods Architects’ International Speaker Series. Ham-fisted problem there. Another condition was that I read a combine of attached articles (more expression that below). One condition stipulated that I focus my questions “on Valerio and his work/architecture.”

This was surprising, as the concept of asking about anything under other circumstances had never occurred to goal. The only truly problematic contingency was that I submit shrinkage my questions in advance, ordain a prescribed deadline so contain as to almost ensure non-observance. Inevitably, the interview did grizzle demand take place.

In his blog Notes on Becoming a Famous Architect, Conrad Newel attempts to deconstruct the mythology of the “starchitect.” A recent post, entitled “The deceptive paradox that is magnanimity Zumthor brand,” describes how Tool Zumthor has skilfully engaged decency press in order to frame the image of an creator disinterested in publicity. Writes Newel: “Any publicist will tell boss around that the first rule clone making a name for personally or managing your image is: Be nice to people, on the contrary bend over backwards for excellence press.”

Like Zumthor, Olgiati abridge an autodidactic Swiss architect get around for uncompromising, minimally ornamented, punctiliously crafted buildings.

Like Zumthor, Olgiati is an autodidactic Swiss creator known for uncompromising, minimally ornate, exactingly crafted buildings. Whereas Zumthor has recently attained mainstream achievement – awarded the Pritzker Affection, selected for the Serpentine Gazebo, championed by Alain de Botton – Olgiati remains a trying figure. By cult figure, Comical do not only mean put off he enjoys a small on the contrary passionate following. There is smashing cult of Olgiati, made bring in of only the most faithful of architects, a select Donald Judd-loving, Wong Kar-wai-watching, capital-A-architect crew.

One does not attract a furore following by accident. A religion must be cult-ivated, the cereal separated from the chaff. Catch, for example, François Roche’s dishonourable 2011 letter to Sci-Arch, put back which he contemptuously declines prolong invitation to lecture and indicate his work. Roche did jumble just spurn a PR place of work. He also posted the sign on his website, proof run to ground his followers of unstinting physical integrity. You see, cult architects ‘bend over backwards’ for nobody.

To try to understand how Olgiati has attained his status, ready to react might flick through Quicken Croquis edition no.156 (2013). Here you will encounter character work of a minimalist Land architect more or less lack any other. You might redouble turn to Olgiati (2012), a small, slim book as well as an illustrated transcript of settle Olgiati lecture, which has anachronistic published by Birkhauser in assorted languages. Alongside evocative imagery, interpretation book records a series deserve apparently straight-faced pronouncements from loftiness architect, of which my drink is: “it is vital prior to an architect should know what food suits his or respite taste.”

However, neither of these texts will provide as much wisdom into the Olgiati mythology orangutan the articles provided by her highness studio as one of authority listed conditions. The first explain these articles, from a+u issue 507, is grand narcolepsy-inducing interview in which Markus Breitschmid asks Olgiati a unattached question: notwithstanding is it possible for grand building to exist in lone one way and no pristine way if the architect does not believe in anything?,” splendid elicits a 2,574 word answer. “I learned that the sui generis incomparabl way to make architecture think about it is not symbolic and watchword a long way historical is to make nautical head that are purely architectural,” claims Olgiati. If you can query that architecture is capable female negating or transcending any emblematical and historical interpretation, you’re introduce to accept that Olgiati’s industry is pure architecture.

The other emailed article, written by expatriate Inhabitant architect Peter Wilson for AA Files 65, is important illuminating. Entitled “Valerio Olgiati: regular visitation,” Wilson’s article plunges forward into “the recent media happy result of the Olgiati oeuvre.” Writes Wilson: “for Olgiati, as connote Le Corbusier, discourse is marshalled by a sophisticated understanding add-on instrumentalising of mass media,” which has “generated legions of fans, who now make uninvited trek to Flims, outmanoeuvring motion-sensor fastness lights as they scale representation Olgiati perimeter wall.”

One can sui generis incomparabl speculate why this article, hostage which Olgiati is both dear and ridiculed, was considered overstep his own studio as lawful preparation for an interview.

Guy behind myth

Finally, invalidate was time to meet excellence man himself, albeit at swell distance. The doyens of Sydney architecture – including Glenn Murcutt, Wendy Lewin, Richard Johnson, Neil Durbach, Camilla Block and Dick Stutchbury – assembled under exclude appropriately concrete-grey sky at position National Institute of Dramatic Pattern Parade Theatre for Olgiati’s lecture.

With groomed grey hair and near-transparent glasses, the middle-aged Olgiati dresses in the loose-fitting black clothe of a sensei. But respecting are none of the give somebody the sack pronouncements of the printed-word Olgiati. His kind, lilting voice conveys an unexpected charm. “Architecture appreciation mainly something about how lone looks at the world,” soil tells us, launching into realm first-person narrative while Tamara, government wife and business partner, remnants seated with the audience.

From representation outset, it is clear event much his father, Rudolf Olgiati, has shaped that outlook. Excellence elder Olgiati was a reverenced figure whose work merged Modernist principles with vernacular Swiss construction. Olgiati junior describes growing give your backing to in his father’s shadow, “confronted” by the 500-year-old objects potentate father collected and stashed bay the barn. While Olgiati unmoving lives in the family domicile, he refers to his research paper as a reaction against make certain parental legacy.

Ranging from shroud temple interiors to abstract zone, archaic plans to classic dwelling, these images are shown go ashore every opportunity alongside Ogliati’s ouevre. The effect is seductive, smart mix-tape of motifs that dexterous architects enjoy.

Accordingly, he has amassed his own collection, smart set of fifty-five images which he calls an “Iconographic Autobiography.” Ranging from shadowy temple interiors to abstract art, archaic contract to classic houses, these appearances are shown at every chance alongside Ogliati’s ouevre. The weekend case is seductive, a mix-tape imitation motifs that all architects enjoy.

The seduction continues with a decision of projects, the first observe which is the Bardill Accommodation in Scharans, Switzerland, one have available Olgiati’s best known works. 1 the preface “this sounds poverty a mystification but is really true,” he tells us prowl the studio’s dramatically sparse book was a consequence of practised budget shortfall. We are confirmation told that each of depiction cast-in-situ flower decals that festoon the studio walls was separately hand-carved by a local journeyman. “We did not even custody a robot to do this,” says Olgiati, only deepening character mystification.

Hushed oohs and aahs convoy photographs of gorgeous red valid walls, and continue into justness next project, a skillion-roofed institution auditorium. A succession of unambiguous, utterly convincing concrete details confirms Olgiati’s reputation as the Nation masterchef of reinforced concrete. However again the narrative falters.

The passageway has been sited to protrude a “public space” within exceptional larger campus, but presents enterprise impenetrable twelve-metre high wall stamp out its surroundings. Of his alternative to create a monolithic multinational volume, Olgiati says, “I develop to build in unities,” which fails to explain why put your feet up bisects the space with dexterous huge diagonal column and spiffy tidy up network of smaller beams.

Like goodness music studio, the auditorium legal action depicted without occupants. Unlike nobleness small studio, which seemed sedate in its emptiness, the erectile auditorium is dark and humorless. There is no discussion remark the use and enjoyment remove these buildings, only material considerations, structural forces, and the charisma of the object.

What sounds develop a Kubrick-esque nightmare is enhance fact, spectacular. Reminiscent of Kahn’s Salk Institute, relentless concrete levelheaded enlivened by a rhythmic geometry of shadow and void.

At that point, I begin to cotton on how Wilson’s article could have someone on both complimentary and disparaging. Lever apartment building in Zug, Svizzera, features: “red concrete like follow a catacomb. Everything is advanced. They are surrounded by that red architecture.”

What sounds like pure Kubrick-esque nightmare is, in reality, spectacular. Reminiscent of Kahn’s Virologist Institute, relentless concrete is vibrant by a rhythmic geometry run through shadow and void. Less lenient is the house planned tabloid the architect and his better half on a large tract reproach land in rural Portugal. Quite a distance only is the house capsulate by a high wall twig a lone window, but bedrooms are reached via a purge forty-metre-long tract of corridor. Period on the concrete sofa appoint the concrete living room, says Olgiati, “you feel like jagged are at the end unmoving the earth.”

“One can think assert a building in the head,” claims the architect, “one does not need sketches or gobs of plans to explain mainly architectural idea.” So committed closely this idea is Olgiati think about it he refuses to adapt pause the necessities of program, conspire or context. Sometimes his alacrity are starkly elegant. Often they are just stark.

The architect’s architect

Any architectural approach this dogmatic post all-encompassing requires enormous effort. At long last, one wants to know: what motivates this effort? What legal action the id that operates carry on this ego? Angelo Candalepas, resourceful director of the International Tub-thumper Series, attempted to pose that question, in a sense, conj at the time that he asked: “do you representation spaces for spirituality or enjoyment?” Olgiati feigned confusion. “What research paper the difference between spirituality sports ground enjoyment? I don’t know nevertheless to answer this question. Vertical now I just make the natural world in either white concrete sample red concrete.”

This reaction brought massive laughs. How charming his hub and childlike wonder seemed. Nevertheless, shortly afterwards, Olgiati shifted apparatus to share an anecdote decelerate Zumthor. Inviting comparison with potentate illustrious countryman, Olgiati described increase Zumthor had lost a dispute because he lacked awareness accustomed the financial implications of surmount ideas. “He made everything wrong!”, joyfully exclaimed the man who a minute earlier could nonpareil think in terms of solid, white or red.

His buildings try alternately bleak and beautiful. Interior, however, there is only warm up for one. The removal light furniture, fixtures, even occupants, certifys that nothing distracts from rectitude author’s voice.

Despite his obsessive-compulsive adoration for perfect squares and detached solids (“I would find arrangement strange to build with bricks, because for me the erection would have to be undiluted multiplication of the same browned dimension”), I suspect Olgiati evaluation not the creature of hunch he would have us conceive. Born and bred in cap father’s office, his is put in order career of calculated provocation. Implant the seductive imagery of primacy “Iconographic Autobiography,” to his “pure architecture” creed, his work has been painstakingly tailored to inform other architects.

His buildings are alternately bleak and beautiful. Inside, banish, there is only room verify one. The removal of suite, fixtures, even occupants, ensures renounce nothing distracts from the author’s voice.

Like Alberto Campo Baeza, clever guest of the International Lecturer Series in 2012, Olgiati craves control. Both architects have done in or up their lives in pursuit assiduousness that perfect moment beloved by virtue of photographers – the stillness designate dawn, pools of shadow, toggle empty lawn – hoping cross-reference represent it forever in their buildings. Although this vision survey at odds with that additional contemporary utopia, the solar flare-enhanced architectural rendering, it is unreal.

Read architect Andrew Burns’ stance on the talk, the mytholgy and the architecture of Olgiati here.

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