Elizaveta Klepanova:
Why is your bureau called 3XN? And what does the name of its GXN division stand for - and what does it do?
Kim Nielsen:
It's simple: when we first founded our bureau, there were three partners with the same surname - Nielsen, and we named the bureau Nielsen, Nielsen & Nielsen. Over time, there were only two Nielsens left, and the bureau turned into 3XN. Today I am the only Nielsen among the management of the bureau.
And the GXN division got its first letter from "green" - green. Under the leadership of partner Kasper Jorgensen (an interview with him was published by Archi.ru - editor's note), new building materials and technologies are being researched and developed there. For example, they are working with biologists to borrow useful ideas from nature: they are studying the properties of a web, which, as a material, is 50 times stronger than steel. Now we are trying to create a building material similar in properties to it.
In fact, these studies are carried out for the benefit of society, but to what extent are they of interest to the public? Is she tired of talking about "sustainable development"?
- On the contrary, it attracts people very much. GXN took part in the "Material World" exhibition about the latest building materials, which was organized by the Danish Architecture Center. And among the visitors there were many people not from the world of architecture, and they came with children, especially since all the materials on display could be touched.
- 3XN designs a lot abroad. But where is it easier to work - in Denmark or abroad?
- Of course, it's easier in Denmark. However, it is also very good in the Netherlands. Dutch customers are not indifferent to people and keenly feel their social responsibility, they are determined to achieve results in architecture and respect the project. And even with small financial resources - and there, as a rule, not a lot of funds are allocated for construction - they always take care of the project.
In Holland, it does not happen that the customer does not follow the advice of the architect and interfere with his work. But such difficult situations are not uncommon, and I think that you need to refuse customers that do not suit you.
Is it difficult in Denmark to agree on a non-standard project, go through all the bureaucratic obstacles?
- In Denmark, the system is very open to non-standard architectural solutions, so everything is not so difficult. Copenhagen is generally a kind of testing ground for new architecture - just like the Netherlands, by the way. These are two places in the world where it is quite possible to work in a new way, and you will not be hindered at all. This is because we and the Dutch look at the rules as guidelines rather than restrictive factors.
You often work with non-standard shapes and new technologies. How do you convince the customer to agree to the experiment?
- Ultimately, it all comes down to economic benefits for the client. Making, for example, a building environmentally friendly will be beneficial in any case. Even if at the first stage more funds are invested than with the usual solution, this money will subsequently return to the customer - after 10 years. And a reasonable client, realizing this, as a rule, agrees.
For example, for the headquarters of the law firm Horten in Copenhagen, we came up with an embossed façade that simultaneously opened up views of the water from the bay windows, provided the interior with natural light and protected it from the heat of the sun. For the client, of course, the installation of such a facade required a large financial investment compared to the rectangular, flat version, but we convinced him that by paying now, he would then significantly save on electricity, reducing the cost of lighting and cooling the premises.
- Is it much more expensive to use new technologies and techniques than the usual methods?
- New ones come out cheaper. Take Middelfart Savings Bank: most of its building was prefabricated and only assembled on site. Since the cost of manual labor in Denmark is very high, a large amount has been saved as a result. That is why we strive to apply new technologies, for us this is not a topic of "super-modern image", but a simple matter of saving energy and money.
I do not see private residential buildings in your portfolio. Did you start your career straight away with public building projects?
- No, we are engaged in private design, but I cannot say that this is a key part of our practice. The last private house I personally designed a few years ago: it was an interesting project, even the neighbors of the customer liked it - but he went bankrupt, and the project remained on paper. A very sad story.
But I would like to be more engaged in the design of private houses. Perhaps I will be able to fulfill my desire in India, although this is a rather unusual environment for our office, and the scope is significant: the area of the villas in question starts from 5,000 m2. However, the client saw me on TV and decided to get to know me personally. That's how we got this order.
How did you come to architecture? Probably you have always dreamed of becoming an architect?
- Nothing like this! When I graduated from high school, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to become, so I went traveling. I went to New Zealand, where I spent a year and made friends with the guys from the art school. And only then I had the idea of becoming an architect.
You have built many different buildings. But what else would you like to design?
- It's hard to deny that I have a dream project. I would like to design an object that will become a symbol of the city. For example, we took part in the competition for the project of the Center of the Polytechnic Museum and the Moscow State University in Moscow, and it would be great to bring something similar to life - a kind of cultural center. It seems to me that such projects are very important for the sense of pride and self-awareness of the townspeople.
When we built the museum in Liverpool, the people liked it. According to them, the museum seems to be saying: “Here we are - the residents of Liverpool. We returned . There was nothing in its place before - a depressing wasteland. And now people come there to learn the history of the city.
Which architect influenced you with their creativity and philosophy?
- Nobody influenced me: I can only admire some specific architectural techniques or solutions. We don't even use magazines for inspiration before we start designing.
You have many projects around the world. How is it for you - to fit into other people's traditions, culture?
- We study the context a lot: this is an important and large-scale preliminary work. And that is why it is so great to be able to work in a new cultural environment for you. And I see all the difficulties associated with this only as an opportunity to act differently than usual.
For example, we did a project that remained unrealized for one of the hottest countries, where it was necessary not only to protect the building from overheating, but also to completely separate the premises for men and women so that they did not intersect with each other in any way - as required by local traditions. This task was very interesting and taught us a lot.
