Kristov Kohl is an architect of a globalized Europe, born in Italy, lived in Germany for 20 years, and builds all over the world. About himself, he says: “Living and working in different places is not a problem for a modern urbanized society. I feel like a guest everywhere, because I always live where I work. " The architect is mainly engaged in urban projects, and he is a staunch supporter of the old European city and in general a fan of traditions, because, in his opinion, the experience of previous generations already contains all those valuable ideas, and a modern architect only needs to rethink them. It is important to "capture the special atmosphere of European cities, their simple plan, and then preserve and develop them." His projects often "recreate" medieval citadels and castles, traditional low-rise buildings in the national spirit and look like historical ones.
Kristov Kohl:
- “I believe in the future of the city. The city is a place of mental interaction between people. A built city is a built form of human civilization. The city is a socially organized space in which social life must take place, otherwise it is empty. Like a cup to be filled. Organization of urban space is a rather controversial idea, because on the one hand, we strive for comfort, but at the same time, in our time, even with the presence of excellent architects, free space is becoming less and less. The idea of space is important, but today it is lost as such."
Kristov shares two important concepts for him - "space" and "place". “The first is something disorganized, where a person can get lost and feel uncomfortable. "Place" is something that is carefully planned. " Looking at the city, it seems to us only at first glance, says Kristov Kohl, that “the buildings in it are placed in a random order. In fact, everything is clearly planned there. " Kristov Kohl spoke about how such a complex thing as an urban project of an entire city, settlement or a separate area arises and develops using the example of his own bureau Krier Kohl Architekten, where he works together with Rob Krier.
Kristov Kohl:
- “First of all, you need a plan, a“grid”with which you can relate the model. Then, on paper, through the efforts of the architect, the place acquires some kind of organization. Then it is decided where the buildings will be located, and then the issues of infrastructure, parking, etc. But after that, architects are invited, and each of them is invited to build a building in the place allotted to him. One of the important working methods of our bureau is to invite a large number of professional architects, which may not be the cheapest way, but the best way to create a good working atmosphere. It is important, of course, that they all agree with the general plan.
However, the residents themselves should also think about the organization of urban space - this is the task of all of us, not individual specialists, and the reconstruction of cities should take place constantly. Before embarking on a project, we must ask people not only what apartment they want to live in, but what they would like to see in their environment. Monotony scares me a lot. I don’t understand why, when there are different views, such monotonous projects are implemented as now”.
During the lecture, Christov Kohl spoke about several large urban projects for the Netherlands that he has worked on in recent years.
The project in Hertogenbosch, completed in 2007, is an original and exclusive home. Among the vast fields are several expensive residences - newly built "castles", like medieval ones. Inside one of these "citadels" Kristov Kohl designed an elite residential area enclosed in fortress walls. It is a kind of "ideal city" that fits into the plan in a clear square. There are about 300 mansions inside it, as well as 150 apartments in four towers. The buildings, according to Kohl, are quite crowded, which, however, does not prevent the construction of a number of squares and a central pedestrian street.
In Beverwijk / Heemskerk, also in the Netherlands, Christov is working on a city center project. The task is quite difficult, according to him, since it consists of 15 smaller projects, but in general everything looks very "romantic". The old structure of the city has been preserved here.
Kristov Kohl:
“Despite the fact that the project employs few people, the pace of construction is high. This is because prefabricated structures are mainly used and only the facades of buildings are folded brick by brick. Here's a handicraft. For the Netherlands, this is a very typical project due to the fact that people strive for high density, but everyone wants their own separate apartments. And in this project, the space of the central square is important, which gives impetus to all movement in the city. Here we would like to create an atmosphere typical for old European cities. Despite the seeming similarity, every corner of the building here differs from one another."
But perhaps the most important project for the architect, which took 12 years of his life and threatens to stretch for another 15, is Brandeworth, a new city that is being built between Eindhoven and Helmond. The city grows around a central "fortress", within the walls of which, as usual, there are shops and restaurants, public buildings and a school. There is also a railway station in the center. And around the "citadel" several "villages" have already sprung up, separate districts with 2-3-storey buildings and their own infrastructure. "Geometrically, they are similar, the author explained, but different in layout."
Kristov Kohl:
- “There is a simple layout of buildings, a small number of storeys. Each single block of buildings consists of about 50 houses, from 3 to 5 architects work on the house, and one development company is engaged in the whole block. Yes, architects must be willing to work together, although this is contrary to modern education, where everyone wants individual expression. But for such a large-scale project, we needed to develop a certain style of work, without which its implementation is unthinkable. If the funding is the same as in the previous 12 years, then we will work on it for another 15.
It is important that this is a city for ordinary average residents, and not elite housing. Now some have already lived there for 7 years, but Brandeworth continues to be built and populated. We are trying to return to people who have decided to live here what is removed from the lives of others by the concept of rationality. We are trying to make their life beautiful."
The lecture was closed by Bart Goldhorn, thanking his colleague for the presentation and explaining to the audience why he had invited him to lecture at the Moscow Biennale.
Bart Goldhoorn:
“It seems to me that the work of Kristov Kohl opens up a whole range of urban planning tools that can be used to create a city. Kristov Kohl showed how it can be done in his style, but these tools can be used in any other direction. To some extent, this is an innovative approach, because at the urban planning level, the lessons of postmodernism still work, and even when the architecture itself may be completely different."
