James Wines, fondatore e presidente del gruppo Site e autore dei celeberrimi supermercati Bests realizzati negli anni 70, è uno dei più interessanti architetti contemporanei. Da qualche tempo la sua produzione è decisamente orientata verso la green architecture. Su www.presstletter.com si trovano gli estratti di un recente libro di Mario Pisani dedicato ai SITE
1. I know that you are finishing your first Italian building, the Fondazione Rossini visitors pavilion in Briosco. Could you give us more details?
The SITE-designed pavilion for Fondazione Pietro Rossini is part of a large sculpture park in Briosco (near Monza). The location is also a farm, with horses, sheep, goats, and various other animals. When the park is finished, it will present the Alberto Rossini collection of outdoor art works. The pavilion itself will exhibit a collection of small paintings and drawings and serve as a visitors’ center for the entire estate. The interior will also contain a few meeting areas, a café, library, and video viewing room.
The concept for the pavilion has been inspired by the regional topography and landscape of the Briosco area – in fact, all of these elements are included as part of the building. The curved configuration is based on a series of masonry walls, designed to integrate the property, connect several land parcels, provide pedestals and platforms for art works, and enclose appropriate areas for the farm animals. The entire pavilion is constructed out of recycled and locally available materials. A network of cast stone “T” shaped columns unifies the walls. These modular units form a continuous ribbon-like structure, which flows along the crest of the hillside, evolves into the semicircular volume of the architecture, and establishes a consistent scale reference for the entire estate. For vertical support and retaining walls, the columns are placed at strategic load-bearing points in and around the Pavilion. Additional columns are distributed in irregular and tilted clusters, accenting the building’s "inside/outside" relationships, framing views of the distant mountains, and creating a sense of architecture in a state of continuous change and evolution. In order to integrate the Pavilion with its natural context and help provide year-round climate control, the entire structure is covered with an earth-shelter roof and regional vegetation from the adjacent hillside.
2. How did you find working in Italy?
It has been a great experience – especially working with a remarkable client and patron of the arts like Alberto Rossini. The project was delayed by permitting problems with the locals community board – since the Fondazione Rossini property is zoned for farming – but these issues have been resolved and the building should be finished by next Spring. Interestingly, the art park will function as both a diversified farm and a graceful mix of animals and sculptures.
The most satisfying part of working in Italy has been constant access to a very high level of “hands-on” construction expertise. This element of craft has been extremely important, since the Rossini pavilion is built with only re-cycled materials, preserved from local demolished buildings. As a result, much of this material had to be modified to accommodate the pavilion design. Also, all of the construction team – guided by Francesco Boffi – has been incredibly cooperative and dedicated to the job.
3. Have you seen the recent Venice Biennale? Could you give us a brief comment on the Burdett’s Exposition?
I visited the Biennale; but, regrettably, only for one day because I was pressed for time and had other responsibilities in Italy. Certainly the focus on cities was an enlightened choice of theme. Like green design, the shape of future 21st Century cities is one of architecture’s major challenges in the new millennium. My only regret is being forced to view the relentless tedium of digitally produced presentations. This overkill use of video technology has become a ubiquitous convention and, as a result, essential information has become increasingly buried in too much animated eye candy. Also, like the pervasive Modernist and Constructivist stylistic dependency is contemporary architecture, these presentation techniques have become aesthetically dated and, quite frankly, very old fashioned as a means of communication. For example, the classic quietude and people-oriented spaces of the Japan Pavilion seemed very progressive, by comparison to the general onslaught of high tech clichés.
There were many outstanding and compelling ideas for new cities; but it is better to learn about them through the Biennale catalogue, rather than try to extract ideas from the exhibit itself.
4. And one on the Italian Pavilion. How did you find Vema, the new city proposed by Purini? Do you think that is still possible to image new cities to be build in Europe?
It would be unfair for me to comment on the VEMA plan until I have had time to study and absorb its principles. Still, since I read the general purposes on the Internet, I am a little apprehensive when faced with sweeping plans for the future that depend on words like “universal” and “global” to defend urban design strategies. Like the ominous implications of economic globalization, the tendency to confuse consumerism and rigorous organizational structure with people’s actual preferences in lifestyle is always dangerous. The great cities we have inherited from history – particularly those which have continued to evolve and flourish over many centuries – are obviously indebted to certain amount of structured planning; but, more importantly, they function most successfully when the motivating forces are based on idiosyncratic regionalism, cultural identity, flexible development patterns, a great deal of architectural diversity, and (an especially needed focus at the present time) a deep commitment to environmental responsibility and the equitable sharing of resources.
5. I know that a new book on your work will appear soon in Italy.
This is a small book, entitled “SITE” and written by Mario Pisani. I saw a copy two weeks ago in Rome and feel that it presents a very compact, insightful, and comprehensive overview of SITE’s history and contributions to architecture, environmental art, and public space. I particularly like the way Mario emphasizes our interdisciplinary commitments and explains how the philosophy extends to different aspects of the visual arts.
6. How are things going in NY? Are they building lots of new skyscrapers? Will they improve the urban life?
New York is an odd place, in terms of its restraining effect on contemporary architecture. For some reason – most likely related to very restrictive buildings codes and the conservative tastes (or budgets) of clients – even current works by design luminaries like Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, and a few others, tend to be timid versions of these architects’ work. Some of their new designs contain recognizable stylistic conventions; but their inspirational energy and quality of innovation seems to be thwarted by working in New York City.
7. Some words on Ground zero.
There are no optimistic words for Ground Zero. It has become a nightmare of political intrigue, development greed, architectural design compromise, and a total disregard for what the public really seems to want at the former World Trade Center site. As the families of WTC victims, sensitive members of the architectural world, and an overwhelming number of New York citizens have proposed, the entire Ground Zero should become a memorial park – in the tradition of Central Park. As the incomparable Olmstead vision proved, great parks are the best possible asset for any city. They are a stimulant for human interaction and foster a healthy, vegetated, and clean air environment. In addition, parks invariably increase the surrounding real estate values and stimulate local commerce.
The Ground Zero area – as presently planned – appears to be making all of the same mistakes of the original Trade Center. These include a collection of oppressively tall office buildings, vast expanses of concrete paving, token islands of lollypop trees, uninviting public space, and millions of square meters of potentially undesirable offices. In point, a number of corporations, which had originally signed up for space in the Freedom Tower, have withdrawn their rental offers. After all, what company wants to be located in a future terrorist target – especially any building that seems destined to inflame the anti-capitalist passions of every Islamic extremist in the world?
8. You have written a successful book on Green Architecture published by Taschen. In your book you denounce that often architects build good pieces of sculpture but not energy efficient organisms. Is that still true?
The irresponsible design of resource-wasteful buildings is more prevalent than ever. Increasingly, most mainstream architects tend to use millions of tons more steel than necessary (for actual support needs) to make elaborate sculptural shapes. Afterward, they clad these structures with the most toxic waste producing materials available – for example, aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel. Ego-centrism – as opposed to eco-centrism – still prevails.
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There is a lot of hope, however, since so many younger generation architects and students are growing tired of bombastic shape making for its own sake and experimenting with new aesthetic inventions, based on ecological responsible choices of materials, a minimum of environmental impact, and sustainability agendas. Also, since Constructivist influences are now almost one hundred years old, new designers are bored with organic shapes and the celebration of building technology as inspirational sources for architecture.
9. Ecology and new technologies: could they work together?
As stated above, I am very encouraged by young architects passion for the environment and their high level of commitment to green design. As I have often observed in print, as soon as the concern for ecology and the information revolution start to influence aesthetic choices – in the same way that Machine Age form and materials shaped the vision of Modernists and Constructivists – then a truly new architecture will emerge.
10. Three architects you think are very interesting (may I ask that one is Italian?)... And why.
This is a question that deserves a very long answer (and you have limited my words in this response). Also, I like different designers for varied reasons, so it is hard to isolate the “three most interesting.”
I feel that Renzo Piano is truly one of the world’s greatest architects. I also deeply appreciate the work of Francois Roche in France, Nigel Coates, the architectural ideas of artist Vito Acconci, Peter Cook (especially his latest work in Austria), Michael Sorkin (city planning strategies), Jean Nouvel, and Herzog and De Meuron, There are a number of emerging green architects that I also admire; but I can’t recall most of their names at this moment. I continue to love the work of Gianni Pettena – as both a conceptual artist and architect. While he doesn’t create mainstream buildings, his ideas continue to be revolutionary and will, ultimately, become very influential in the new millennium.
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11. Your next projects.
I always feel that if I start talking about “next projects,” this will bring me bad luck and jinx my progress. Currently SITE is increasing its commitment to the design of public spaces – an entire area of focus that we feel is very much in need of an innovative aesthetic, a new ecological standard of values, and more communicative sources of content.
We are supposed to expand our work on the Rossini property in Briosco – including a new master plan, information kiosk, parking facilities, and some special environmental works to enhance the area.
12. Three words that summarize our epoch.
These are words I feel should be part of architectural imperative in the 21st Century (but may take time to become true motivational forces).
Communication
Conservation
Cultural identity
(Parte di questa intervista, tradotta in italiano, è stata pubblicata su Edilizia e Territorio n.45 del 20/11/06)
