Architect Kasper Jorgensen took part in the "Days of Knauf" forum in Krasnogorsk on April 3-4 and answered the questions of Archi.ru.
Archi.ru:
3XN architects use in their work as much daylight as possible, allow trees to maintain their natural shape, and materials to live their own lives. Do you consider yourself the pioneers of this approach?
Kasper Jorgensen:
In recent years, many scientific discoveries have been made in this area, and we strive to apply this new knowledge in our work. I think that architecture has been developing in the wrong direction for a long time. All this industrialization of construction has for many years forced architects to think in terms of straight lines and mass production. And only now we were finally able to take a step back and look at nature, its forms and materials in search of answers to our problems. I think that the future of architecture lies precisely in such “tailor-made” projects, in non-standard spatial solutions and expressive buildings.
Archi.ru:
Let's talk about your latest project, about
Copenhagen's Blue Planet Aquarium: Did You Deliberately Turn the Building Inside Out? Visitors get the feeling that they are aquarium fish, and not vice versa.
Kasper Jorgensen:
We wanted the building to tell a story. Most modern aquariums are like factories, if anything, they look like something that has nothing to do with the ocean. Therefore, we wanted to create in people a sense of unity with the universe of water, and this feeling is in the very heart of the building, it seems to overwhelm you with a giant wave. When you enter, the first thing you see is an aquarium above your head, which is why you feel like you are already underwater. This is the largest aquarium in Northern Europe, where giant fish swim in huge "oceanic" containers. And in general, the building is very interesting: in addition to aquariums, it has a tropical rainforest, where birds fly freely, turtles and snakes live, and there are also several places where you can even touch the fish with your hands. This is a living contact with nature!
Archi.ru:
Is the glass at the aquarium bulletproof?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Even stronger!
Archi.ru:
And the inhabitants of the aquarium and zoo eat each other, as they do in natural conditions?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Yes! For example, we have two types of fish: one of them feeds on the other. So, perhaps in a year we will have only one of the two species. But this is nature, and this happens in it.
Archi.ru:
Do you think that the right building materials change people's lives for the better?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Yes, that's what we do at GXN, the innovation department at 3XN. We study people's reactions to various materials, our psychologists observe how materials, the organization of space and the general atmosphere affect people. It is interesting to find out what material should be used to build a school in which children will study better, or an office in which employees will work more efficiently and share knowledge with each other, or how to arouse curiosity in a visitor to the museum!
Archi.ru:
And what makes people share knowledge?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Social engagement. It is necessary to create places where people will meet in an informal setting - this stimulates communication. It is necessary to design a “correct” building frame, but at the same time take care of its acoustic and visual transparency. And in order to achieve this, it is not enough just to build one huge open space, because the secret lies in the variety of the created space. We often see our buildings as a “city within a city” with their streets, central boulevard, quiet shady corners and sun-drenched squares … This is why our building plans are so contrasting and so diverse. We always have central staircases and transitions through interfloor floors - it is they who create this transparency and form places for communication and exchange of knowledge. It is interesting that it is the stairs that make you stop and think, it is there that colleagues most often "intertwine with tongues", and there people are waiting for each other - standing or sitting. Stairs add dynamism to the building and stimulate communication between people.
Archi.ru:
Your project for the competition for the architectural concept of the Museum and Educational Center of the Polytechnic Museum and Moscow State University did not receive the first prize, but it was still a very interesting work. Will it fit on the table like that? Or are you planning to implement it elsewhere?
Kasper Jorgensen:
I am very sorry that our work did not win the competition, I really like it. This is a great example of 3XN's “signature style” as a building blends into the city and creates an open public space there. I think it would be a very dynamic building. It would unite all parts of the Polytech exposition into a single whole. There are repetitive elements in many of our projects, but this project was unique. And, what is especially offensive, you will not repeat it anywhere else, this project is clearly tied to the Moscow context.
Archi.ru:
What is the “history” of this building? In your imagination, you have probably walked through it many times. What would a visitor experience?
Kasper Jorgensen:
This is a story about how people unite with each other, and the building unites with the city. This building could host exhibitions, lectures, corporate events - whatever. But most importantly, we wanted to take all of these functions and fuse them into a single transparent structure. It would be great to achieve this kind of connected effect in a building with such a complex plan. I would like to sit there on the terrace in the summer, look inside the museum and feel like a part of what is happening, but also feel like a part of Moscow. So it's a shame that this building will never be built.
Archi.ru:
But are you inspired by the prospect of working in Moscow? Will you keep looking for opportunities to build something here?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Definitely! We hope to take part in several more contests.
Archi.ru:
Let's pretend that you are the chief architect of Moscow. You have millions of square kilometers of building land and millions of residents. What would you do?
Kasper Jorgensen:
I would create several centers in Moscow and try to develop the unique qualities of each of them, so that the whole city life is not reduced to one single center. Moscow looks like a dead city in some places or at certain times of the day. Therefore, I would emphasize diversity and try to increase the attractiveness of the “off-center” areas.
Archi.ru:
Undoubtedly, you are a person who thinks about the consequences of your actions. Why did you choose architecture as your profession? Why not philosophy or the fight against poverty in third world countries?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Architecture really changes our lives in many ways. The most difficult and most interesting tasks are solved in the construction industry. Even if you take the same issues of energy consumption and waste disposal, architecture and the construction industry can solve them in many ways. No, I don’t want to say that architecture will save the world - I just love to do my job well. It's better to build beautiful houses, and not ones that make you sick. And you need to make projects that do not lose their value even after they have been abandoned, and it is logical to build from materials that can be used over and over again.
Why not try to build "positive" houses instead of constantly trying to remove the negative consequences of construction, which we all know very well? Houses that produce oxygen, electricity and clean water, houses that do not oppose nature! I think that's why I like being an architect - it allows me to find solutions that are implemented and become reality not only for me, but for many other people as well.
Archi.ru:
Are you worried about your research and professional secrets being shared with other people?
Kasper Jorgensen:
We do not make any secret of our work. Of course, it's unpleasant when your design is frankly copied, but our philosophy and research results - here they are, use it to your health! I believe that architecture comes out at its best when it is created for a specific building in a specific location. But we share all the knowledge we have. If you share ideas, strategy and methodology, it all pays off! We prove by our personal example how architecture can reach the level of self-sufficiency, and we hope that this is how we help build a better future.
Archi.ru:
Your idea of self-sufficiency - this is more than just a "green" or ecological philosophy? Are you saying that the value of such a building increases over time?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Exactly. For me, a building is an organism that becomes part of a “man-made ecosystem”. It can, for example, be disassembled and built into another building - all this resembles a kind of natural cycle. Based on such positive attitudes, we will be able to create an architecture that gives more than it takes.
Archi.ru:
That is, would you completely stop demolishing old buildings?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Ideally, old buildings should be considered as material for new buildings to be erected in the future. However, the reality is that many of the components of modern buildings are toxic and cannot be reused. But if we start to build buildings from “healthy” materials, we can create scenarios according to which the demolition of a building is not death, but the birth of a new life! After all, now buildings are built differently than 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. And tomorrow people will have completely different needs. In 10 years' time, construction technologies will also make a big leap forward. Therefore, I think that we must use every opportunity to create an optimal environment for future development today.
Archi.ru:
That is, create an environment for eternity?
Kasper Jorgensen:
Not certainly in that way. Rather, create an environment for endless evolution.
Kasper Guldager Jørgensen was born in 1976, graduated from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 2004 and the School of Architecture in Aarhus in 2005. He worked at Henning Larsen Architects (2005-2006), in 2006 moved to 3XN. He is now a partner at the 3XN bureau and runs the GXN innovation department there, created in 2007.
Thank the group
Knauf CIS for help in preparing the interview.
