Santiago Calatrava in Moscow gave a lecture "Architecture as a living organism" as part of the "Polytech on Strelka" program, prepared by the Polytechnic Museum and the "Strelka" Institute.
Archi.ru:
- Your lecture on Sunday was an incredible success! Did you enjoy communicating with the Moscow audience?
Santiago Calatrava:
“It was an incredibly refreshing and emotionally intense feeling because I saw so many young people, and young people incredibly interested.
"Bio-tech" in Russia is an unknown direction, arousing great interest …
- But I've never done bionic architecture! I am doing a completely classic architecture. I have a classical architectural education and my design principles are completely subordinate to the classics. In this sense, what I do is very similar to Russian architecture, in which there is always a scent of classics. It's like Shostakovich's music, which at first may seem kind of strange, but then you realize that it clearly follows the classical canons.
But the specificity of the form is difficult to deny. In my opinion, there is, for example, an obvious problem of loss of space. After all, natural forms often form spaces that are unsuitable for full-fledged placement of functions …
- This is not so important. The domes of St. Basil's Cathedral are non-functional, like the bell tower of the Kremlin. And these beautiful droplets, which seem to flow from Russian cathedrals, also have no direct function, they could even be removed. We need to look at everything with wide eyes and really see what surrounds us. After all, in fact, everything holy and sacred is non-functional. Any structure, any church can have spaces and premises that are not limited to simple use, but they do exist. It is important to see this, not to get confused by the little things. As the Spanish surrealist poet Juan Larrea said: "Not numbers, but screams measure a person." Do you like poetry?
Immeasurably
- Have you read Brodsky?
Of course
- He is truly modern both in his poetry and in prose. Because he is interested in everything in the world. Most of all I am amazed by his memories of St. Petersburg. This is the point of view of a young man who adores his city, but, on the other hand, understands that this city is now experiencing its not the best moment. But he sees everything in a poetic light. So, it is important in any situation to maintain a sublime optics, including in relation to architecture.
I had a chance to see one of your "loudest" buildings - the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. This is undoubtedly the brightest part of the city, although it is far from the center. How did you work with context in this project? And in general, was there any obvious context in 1994 when construction began?
“Twenty years ago, this place was the most depressed and abandoned part of Valencia. And if you, such a beauty, went there, you would probably be raped (laughs). Because it was a zone of drugs, prostitution and garbage. It was decided by the will of the people to change this space. Then the city merged with the port and it turned out that for one euro that the city invested in the cost of my project, there were 25-30 euros of private investment. This money went just to rehabilitate the port area and the surrounding areas, which were revived only thanks to this. It seems to me that in this sense, the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia is a great example of how an architectural structure can reformat any part of the city, make it habitable, lively and comfortable. Even in terms of tourist attraction, for example, in 2013, the City of Arts and Sciences became the first site in Spain in terms of the number of visits per year.
Did you even overtake the Prado?
- Yes. Previously, the Alhambra was in first place. So, the City of Arts and Sciences was ahead of her. The context has done its job. It is very correct to perceive architecture not in a purely technical aspect, but in the context of cultural and social life. Then the architectural structure begins to play its assigned role. It seems to me that the ability to understand the contextual value of architecture is especially important. It is always necessary to correctly assess the socio-cultural conditions in which the building is "implanted".
As far as I know, you received a master's degree in urban planning. Has this somehow influenced your design practice?
- Of course. All projects that I do, even small ones, are always contextually inscribed in the urban fabric. The first thing we did in Valencia was to develop an urban planning project. In Tenerife too. And on the Florida Tech campus, we started with the same thing. Even my independent buildings - bridges, concert halls, museums - were mainly built in depressed parts of cities and gave a new, special meaning to these territories. They created a special "radiation" around, defined the entire area and influenced the inhabitants, who began to perceive these areas through the prism of new objects built there. When designing, you need to understand that scale is very important in any city. The proportions of the human body, the location of the eyes are important, they set the scale. Therefore, I put a person at the center of all my work. In terms of function, you cannot position something 7 kilometers away because no one will go there. And even this is important: sequences, distances, how people arrive somewhere. All city gates, which have now turned into train stations, airports …
… and bridges
- Of course, bridges. To create a beautiful bridge means millions of people will walk across it. Hundreds of thousands of people a day. You create something that people will enjoy in just a second. Let's take a look at any large museum in the world. Perhaps it is visited by 7 million people a year, if it is the Louvre or something like that. But there are bridges over which more than 10 million people pass each month. It is very important to notice such things even when you are driving, even when you are riding a high-speed train.
As far as I know, many of your buildings are expensive. Is this a forced victim? One might get the impression that there is some kind of relationship between the cost of the project, its quality and beauty …
- I want to make it clear. For some reason, everyone says that my buildings are very expensive, but this is absolutely not the case. I work in 17 different countries with 24 government customers. We have been cooperating for ten, fifteen and even twenty years. With many of them, I have already built not one building, but several. Do you think government orders can be that expensive? It is not true! Bridges are always the same, regardless of whether they are beautiful or ugly. Of course, when you see something beautiful, you think it is expensive. But it is not always the case. It's like when you see a beautiful woman and think that she is dishonest. This is complete nonsense! Everything you do should not only be functional and cost effective, but also beautiful. This is how I always work with all my clients. For example, I have built one station for the Belgian railways and now I am building a second one. I built a bridge in Dallas and, again, I'm building another one now. I would not have been able to do this if my work was unprofitable. This is reality.
Nevertheless, it is known that you have already faced litigation more than once and sometimes the reason for this was precisely the excess of the original budget …
- I have been designing for 32 years. Of these, 28 years I worked quietly, without any fuss. But suddenly some people began to appear who care about politics most of all, and for some reason they began to criticize not only my work, but also myself. Later I realized that you should not wait for universal justice, and if you are doing a good deed, you may encounter a similar reaction. At first, I myself was a little surprised by what was happening, but, unfortunately, this is the reality that I have to put up with. But during these difficult trials, I found many new friends who have supported me for many years. In any situation, you need to look for positive aspects. It is difficult to answer such questions, but I understand that facts are facts. You just always need to be prepared for the fact that there is not only good in the world, and for the fact that you will have to wade through the darkness and not lose hope.
