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Left and below A pull-down bed provides
guest accommodation and the versatility
of an extra entertaining space. Sliding
frameless Viridian glazing makes a brilliant
site relationship.
In a more built up urban setting many elements
of your pavilion wouldn’t be entirely practical.
Isn’t the point that many of these elements might
be transferable to other, more typical settings
that you work in?
Every site has a unique set of characteristics
and attributes and it’s about taking advantage
of the opportunities each site has to offer and
responding to a different array of issues. It’s
looking at constraints and opportunities and
really understanding the best solution from
an experiential point of view.
That partly answers my next question which is,
is it all about the view or is it about something
else, that other intangible quality that exists
in quite timeless architecture?
I guess it’s a search for the human experience.
I don’t think it’s all about the view. It’s more the
holistic idea. We’re providing a space or an
opportunity for another experience that may
not be initially apparent. From an existential
point of view, it’s about that human experience
of contemplation and a place to dream.
What do you think distinguishes good design
and architecture from standard practice?
That’s a good question. It’s a tough question.
I think good design needs to respond to scale,
the human scale and height of the human body,
where the touch and feel of surfaces is important,
Good design also offers flexibility.
There is an obvious lack of ‘stuff’, of gadgets that
is quite Zen-like. You really pare everything back.
It’s forgetting about the plasma television and
the clutter with which we fill our lives.
Absolutely. That’s a challenge with every job. How
do you convince somebody they don’t actually need
so much ‘stuff’ and to appreciate something for what
it is as a space. It’s really an appeal for simplicity.