The eighth issue of the magazine "Speech:" is devoted to the most important component of any architectural structure - detail - and that special integrated approach to design, which characterizes thoughtfulness "to the last nail." “This method was in great demand in the architecture of the second half of the 19th - mid-20th centuries and then almost completely disappeared - along with the final separation of the functions of architects, builders, constructors, decorators and designers. But today we are witnessing the opposite trend - architects are increasingly showing the will to "total design", designing buildings and complexes according to the principle of "gesamtkunstwerk", creating integral works - and it seemed to us very important to fix this trend, "- this is how she explained at the presentation the choice of topic issues chief editor of "Speech:" Irina Shipova.
The heroes of the publications of the new issue have chosen the corresponding way. Under one cover, this time, objects are collected that not only differ in detail, but in which the idea inherent in the external appearance is developed both in the solution of its interiors and at the level of the smallest details. This is the Francisco Mangado Archaeological Museum, a hostel in Basel by Buchner Brundler Architects, and apartments on Bond Street in New York by Herzog and de Meuron. Russian projects have also contributed to the "Detail" - in the eighth issue of "Speech:" the Arch4 bureau's "House F" and the office building on Leninsky Prospect of the SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau are published. Traditionally, the magazine "Speech:" gives the floor to the architects themselves - this time in the issue there is a direct speech of such masters of detailed design of projects as Tod Williams and Billy Tsin, Dominique Perrault and Max Dudler. The latter was invited by the editors to Moscow and, at a presentation in the Chocolate Shop, gave an hour-long lecture on his creative method and understanding of modern architecture.
Max Dudler defined the theme of his speech as "Timelessness". According to the architect, this is exactly the quality that makes the buildings relevant and in demand in 20 and 50 years. And in order for a building to acquire such a timeless character, it must be moderately abstract, restrained and sensual. It would seem that these concepts are mutually exclusive, but Dudler does not see any contradiction here: with the abstractness of the appearance as a whole, it can be concretized, made more material and sensual with the help of details. “Today many buildings are being built in which the detail does not play any role - because there are too many details. It seems to me that in order to create a memorable image, you can limit yourself to ten details, but they must be ideally verified and correspond to the material from which they are made,”- this is how the architect formulated his creative credo. And he revealed it on the example of many projects implemented by the Max Dudler bureau in various cities of Germany and Switzerland. Among them are the building of the Ministry of Construction and Transport, the library of the Humboldt University in Berlin, the IBM headquarters in Zurich, the school in the Hohenschenhausen district (Berlin), the Quartier 65 hotel in Weisenau and many others. For simplicity of presentation, the architect combined the objects according to typological and thematic features, showing how he solved certain urban planning and interior problems with the help of various plastic and coloristic techniques. Interestingly, in all his projects, the architect is responsible not only for the external appearance of the building, but also for the decoration and furnishings of all internal premises, as well as the design of the adjacent territory, personally designing all the components - from furniture to a street lamp. Of particular interest to the Russian audience was the speaker's words that such an approach does not necessarily lead to an increase in the cost of construction - on the contrary, Max Dudler believes, if everything is thought out, calculated and discussed with the customer in advance, you can significantly save on implementation. And for greater clarity, almost every modern building was selected a pair of objects from past eras - according to Max Dudler, the buildings that are being erected today, like their predecessors, can and should have that special appeal, "sensuality" that makes passers-by stop, look around and take at least one careful look.
At the end of the official part of the presentation of the eighth issue of the "Speech:" magazine, the inauguration ceremony of the new chairman of the Expert Council of the House of the Year / Best Building award took place on the improvised stage of the Chocolate Shop. Vladimir Plotkin, who held this post last year, solemnly handed it over to Sergei Tchoban, who in 2012 will lead the selection of nominees for the award.
