AD Interviews: Renzo Piano - Part I

Summary

In this insightful transcript, ROP Piano, an architect by destiny, shares his philosophy on architecture. Born into a family of builders, he sees architecture as more than just building; it's about creating solid shelters with poetry, beauty, and community. He emphasizes the importance of necessity guiding the creation of beautiful and functional spaces. ROP leads a participative office with multiple partners and associates, maintaining a stable size and focusing on quality over quantity. With offices in Paris and New York, his practice is a testament to the freedom and privilege of selecting meaningful projects that resonate with their values. Architecture, to him, is the art of answering practical needs while also fulfilling human desires.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The speaker, ROP Piano, is an architect who views architecture as more than just building; it's about creating poetry, beauty, and community.
• 👷‍♂️ ROP Piano comes from a family of builders and believes in the importance of being a good builder to achieve beauty and magic in architecture.
• 📈 The architectural office has a fluctuating number of employees, generally under 50, with a participative system involving partners and associates.
• 🤝 ROP Piano has a team with long-term experience, some working together for up to 40 years, which contributes to the office's stability and quality.
• 🌟 The office has two main locations, one in Paris and another historically significant one in Marseille, reflecting the speaker's past collaborations.
• 🌐 There is also a smaller office in New York, with additional local offices in various places where the firm works, emphasizing a global presence.
• 🚫 The office is selective about the projects they undertake, viewing this selectivity as a privilege that allows them to focus on meaningful architecture.
• 💡 ROP Piano sees architecture as an art form that serves a practical need for shelter while also addressing human desires and dreams.
• 🎨 Architecture is described as the art of making places for people, emphasizing the humanistic aspect of the profession.
• 🏡 The speaker discusses the importance of celebrating positive values like tolerance and community rather than negative traits like power and arrogance in architecture.
• 🏢 The office's approach to growth is steady and consistent, avoiding rapid expansion or reduction, reflecting a commitment to quality over quantity.

Q & A

Who is ROP Piano and what is his profession?

ROP Piano is an architect who grew up in a family of builders and has a deep-rooted connection to the field of construction and architecture.

What does ROP Piano believe architecture is beyond just building?

ROP Piano believes that architecture is much more than just building; it encompasses poetry, beauty, community, society, and humanism.

What is ROP Piano's philosophy on the relationship between necessity and beauty in architecture?

ROP Piano believes that the force of necessity can lead to beauty, magic, lightness, and poetry in architecture, but one must still be a good builder.

How many people are in ROP Piano's architectural office, approximately?

The exact number is not known, but ROP Piano mentions that they are under 50 people, fluctuating between 20 and 60.

What is unique about the structure and management of ROP Piano's architectural office?

ROP Piano's office has a participative system with 12 partners and 15-16 associates, sharing ownership and a wealth of experience ranging up to 40 years.

Why did ROP Piano and Richard Rogers part ways after working together on the Pompidou project?

After the completion of the Pompidou project, Richard Rogers went back to London, and ROP Piano stayed in Paris, leading to their separation.

Where are the offices of ROP Piano's architectural firm located?

They have two main offices, one in Paris, which is the largest, and another in New York. Additionally, they have local offices in various places where they work.

How does ROP Piano view the privilege and freedom in his architectural practice?

ROP Piano sees the privilege not as a luxury but as a freedom to select the projects they want to work on, based on their belief in the value of architecture.

What is ROP Piano's approach to accepting new work in his architectural practice?

ROP Piano is very selective and cautious about accepting new work, choosing only projects they truly love and feel passionate about, which contributes to the firm's stability.

How does ROP Piano define the role of architecture in society?

ROP Piano defines architecture as the art of making shelters for human beings, fulfilling practical needs while also answering to desires and dreams.

What does ROP Piano believe makes architecture 'nicer'?

ROP Piano believes that architecture is much nicer when it celebrates values such as tolerance, togetherness, and joy, rather than power, money, or arrogance.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Architectural Philosophy and Practice

In this paragraph, ROP piano, an architect by profession, discusses his journey and philosophy towards architecture. He comes from a family of builders and grew up with the idea that architecture is more than just building; it's about creating spaces that are poetic, beautiful, and serve the community. He emphasizes the importance of necessity guiding the creation of good, solid buildings and that architecture is an art form that should be able to provide shelter for human beings. He also talks about his architectural firm, which is a participative system with multiple partners and associates, and how they operate with offices in Paris and New York, among other places. The firm is selective about the projects they take on, valuing the art of architecture and focusing on creating spaces that they truly love and believe in.

05:02

🎨 The Art of Architecture Beyond Necessity

This paragraph delves into the dual nature of architecture as both a practical and a storytelling medium. The speaker discusses how even the most basic structures have a story to tell and a desire to represent something more than mere shelter. He contrasts architecture that celebrates negative aspects like power and arrogance with that which celebrates positive values such as tolerance and community. The speaker believes that architecture is at its best when it not only meets practical needs but also fulfills desires and dreams, combining the force of necessity with the aspirations of the people it serves. The paragraph concludes with the idea that architecture should be an art that answers both the practical and the emotional needs of society.

Keywords

💡Architecture

Architecture is defined as both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings and other physical structures. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that architecture is not just about building structures, but it encompasses poetry, beauty, community, and humanism. It is the art of creating solid shelters for human beings, which is a fundamental need and an expression of societal values.

💡Builder

A builder is a professional who constructs buildings and is often involved in the practical aspects of construction. The speaker grew up in a family of builders and initially had the idea of becoming a builder. However, they chose to become an architect, indicating a shift from the hands-on construction work to a more holistic approach that includes design and planning.

💡Workshop

A workshop, in the context of the video, refers to a place where practical work and learning take place, often associated with the creation of art or craft. The speaker uses the term 'building workshop' to describe the environment they were raised in, suggesting a hands-on, creative, and educational upbringing that influenced their career choice.

💡Necessity

Necessity, as mentioned in the video, is the force that drives the creation of architecture. It is the practical need for shelter and space that must be met. The speaker believes that necessity can lead to beauty, magic, lightness, and poetry in architecture, but it requires a good builder's skills to achieve such outcomes.

💡Poetry

Poetry, in the context of the video, symbolizes the artistic and expressive aspects of architecture beyond its functional requirements. The speaker mentions that architecture is much more than just building; it is about creating spaces that evoke emotions and tell stories, similar to the way poetry does.

💡Community

Community refers to a group of people living in the same place or having particular characteristics in common. The speaker highlights the importance of architecture in fostering a sense of community, suggesting that buildings and spaces should be designed to bring people together and support social interaction.

💡Humanism

Humanism is an approach that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings. In the video, the speaker describes architecture as a humanistic endeavor, indicating that the design and construction of buildings should be centered around the needs, experiences, and well-being of people.

💡Shelter

Shelter is a fundamental human need for protection from the elements and a place to live. The speaker states that architecture is the art of making good, solid shelters for human beings, which is the core purpose of their profession and the starting point for any architectural project.

💡Office

In the video, the term 'office' refers to the architectural firm or practice where the speaker works. The speaker describes their office as having a participative system with multiple partners and associates, emphasizing collaboration and shared ownership in the design process.

💡Privilege

Privilege, as discussed by the speaker, refers to the freedom and opportunity they have in their work. They do not view their success as a privilege but rather as a freedom to choose the projects they work on, which allows them to maintain a consistent size and quality in their architectural practice.

💡Art

Art, in the context of the video, is used to describe the creative and aesthetic aspects of architecture. The speaker believes that architecture is an art form that not only meets practical needs but also fulfills desires and dreams, creating spaces that are both functional and inspiring.

Highlights

ROP piano is an architect by destiny, influenced by his family of builders.

Architecture is more than just building; it encompasses poetry, beauty, community, and humanism.

The essence of architecture is creating good, solid shelter for human beings.

The force of necessity can lead to beauty, magic, lightness, and poetry in architecture.

Being a good builder is fundamental to achieving architectural excellence.

ROP piano's office has a participative system with multiple partners and associates.

The office size fluctuates between 20 and 60 people, emphasizing quality over quantity.

ROP piano has two main offices, one in Paris and another historically significant one in New York.

The team has a wealth of experience, with some members working together for over 40 years.

The office operates with a sense of freedom and selectivity in choosing projects.

ROP piano values the art of making places for people over the pressure to grow the business.

The office maintains a steady size, akin to maintaining a consistent weight over time.

Architecture is the art of making shelter, a fundamental human need.

Even the most humble architectural structures have a story and a desire to represent.

Architecture can sometimes be disturbing when it celebrates negative aspects like power or arrogance.

Positive values like tolerance and community are celebrated in better architectural designs.

Architecture is the art of balancing practical needs with desires and dreams.

Transcripts

[Music]

my name is ROP piano I'm Architect by

Destiny I guess because I grew up in a

family of

Builder and um in some way I grew up

with the idea that making Arch St is

making building the office is called

building workshop because it is like a

building

workshop I decided not to become a

builder I wanted to become an architect

but I still feel

that the building workshop is a kind of

central Focus you know I know exactly

that architecture is not just Building

architecture is much more than building

his poetry his beauty is a his community

so Society is a humanism but at the end

of the day architecture is the art of

making good solid building good solid

shelter for human beings and this is

what you have to be able to do the the

force of necessity is what guide you if

you're good enough the force of

necessity

can

get to Beauty can get to Magic can get

to lightness it can get to

poetry but you still need to be a good

Builder so this is the profile of the

office we are

100 I never know exactly but I think we

are under 50 people we are moving

between 20 under 30 under 50 and 60 then

we come back but it's about that I have

a very participative system in the

office I have 12 partners

I think I have 15 16

Associates uh so I have a number of

people sharing actually the property of

the the the ownership of the

office and sharing sometime up to 40

years of experience you know some people

work together with me we work together

since 40 years sometime 30 years

sometime 20 but I have a very good grou

group of

people we have two office one is in

Paris the other one that is historical

because the scenes of s pompom that I

still call Buu it was

71 that was a job I did together with

Richard Roger that since his best

friends or we share many things with

Rich but after the boooo we split he

went back to London I stay in Paris so

one office is in Paris the biggest then

we have an office in general we have an

office smaller yeah in New York and then

of course we have local

office in in the different place where

we do

work we don't take too much we are very

lucky we are very privileged person but

you know I don't see like a privilege I

I see this like a Freedom we have the

privilege to to be able to select what

we want to do we are not obliged we are

not struggling we are not starving to do

everything we are very quite difficult

in in accepting new work and this is not

arrogance this is really because we

believe in value of architecture as art

of making place for people so we don't

take everything we just take what we

really feel we love to do and that gives

us a good

solidity in in the sense that we don't

have to to grow or to reduce quickly I

mean we are kind of like those person

that wait always the same weight you

know they keep like I am I'm like that

since 50 years my son I don't

get bigger I don't get thinner you know

I like that so this idea of of a good

side that

stays H it's a very

important architecture for me is the art

of making shelter for human being you

know and and this is true this is like

this is one of the first profession in

the world the man the human Community

always needed protection so this is

where to start from but you realize

quickly that that has never been a

practical activity even the most humble

hat has a story to tell you know there's

a semantic there there's the desire to

show something to celebrate or to

represent yourself the house or the

house of the community is always

something sometime unfortunately you

celebrate power

money arrogance and and normally that

makes the quite bad architecture

sometime not bad but very very

disturbing architecture is much nicer

when you have to celebrate something

better like tolerance like being

together like enjoying the same Joy by

example like educational building or

like cultural building like music

architecture is is the art of

answering practical need in the same

time is the Art of answering

desires is it look almost in

contradiction but it's not true is

there's no contradiction between real

need pure force of necessity and desire

or

dreams they come together actually

architecture is architecture only one it

answer also to desire otherwise it just

too to basic to too

flat

[Music]

yeah