Vladimir Belogolovsky:
Your surname - Rohkind - does not look like Mexican. Could you tell us about your roots?
Michel Rohkind:
- That's right, all my grandparents came from Eastern Europe before World War II. My father's parents are from Russia, and my mother's parents are from Poland and Hungary. They tried to immigrate to the United States, but at that moment no one was allowed into America, and they stopped here, hoping to eventually get to the United States. But they never got there. My parents were born here in Mexico.
Please tell us about your bureau and the most interesting project you are currently working on
– We pay the most attention to design strategies. We do not just literally carry out the technical tasks of our clients - we are interested in what their goals and objectives are, and we make many proposals that go beyond the architecture itself. Our most exciting project is Foro Boca, home of the Boca del Rio Philharmonic Orchestra in the state of Veracruz. The orchestra was founded in 2014 and has not yet had its own home. The concert hall is located on the coast, in the heart of the cultural life of this city. The project is especially interesting in that the building's program is not limited only to the concert hall for the orchestra - there is a theater, cinema, rehearsal rooms and a music library. We also met with local authorities to discuss the re-zoning of the surrounding area, which will be affected by the new building. So our project has grown into a master plan that has an impact on the life of the entire city, which implies improvement of urban infrastructure, renewal of the entire coastal zone and the compaction of buildings in neighboring areas. As the project progresses, we are trying to improve more and more space. But it must be remembered that buildings by themselves do not solve anything. Architecture is just a shell. It still needs to be filled. Who will come up with this?
And you, as an architect, take on this role as well?
– Who else will do it for me? Architecture must interact with people.
How?
– Well, we complicate things ourselves [laughs]. We are not just architects. We bring together sociologists, anthropologists, financial consultants, and landscape, industrial and graphic designers to name but a few. Let me give you one example. When we worked on our Mercado Roma project here in Mexico City, we were criticized for trying to create a modern version of the market - there are such markets in New York or Barcelona. We were told that markets already exist in Mexico and that there is an established tradition.
But we started working on this project “from the inside”, and not because the client asked me to, but because we always do this. The idea is that we need to understand who the key players are here, who is missing, and who we should take the trouble to find. We knew that we wanted to make a gastronomic market, so the logical step was not just to design places for rent, but to contact the chefs who would like to work there.
Such collaborations stimulate our work. We like it when other people's ideas are “clogged” in our brains. The more I work with non-architects, the more diverse and relevant my projects become. I love it when the creative boundaries between architecture, industrial design, graphic design and other disciplines blurred. The project should be based on the best ideas from different areas. And, what is especially important, if we share our knowledge, we learn from each other and grow above ourselves. This is the strength of collaboration. Whenever I or someone we work with has an interesting idea, we immediately share it with others.
“And with this diversity, you become more valuable to your customers
– That's right, because my clients can always turn to another architect, but I am also a consultant, a thinker, and a strategist, and therefore I am in demand. I strive to trigger the client's thought process.
How interesting you have "turned" your role as an architect! It is not enough for you to simply design a building. So how would you define your role as a modern architect?
– My role is to find, connect and arrange the loose ends. If I say “I am an architect,” then all I want to do is design a building, and by doing so I’m already boxing myself. We architects must be able to mix and dissolve; we must be able to find ways to work with others. I call it co-responsibility. Our task is to find and bring together all potential stakeholders in one place. There is a gap between formal and informal construction. In Mexico, informal construction is flourishing, with spontaneous markets and shops springing up here and there. We are a vibrant and dynamic country - we know that our management system is far from perfect, and people constantly have to improvise, be flexible and adapt to new circumstances in the city. Therefore, when a “formal” client comes to me who just needs a building project, I always try to open his eyes to the potential, informal side of the issue. For example, once we were invited to develop a project for the reconstruction of a local supermarket, and I suggested to the client to equip a weekend market on the site of the former parking lot, and see what goods would be sold there. Then the most successful traders can be invited to the retail space in the store, and this will establish a strong connection with the local population. Often, these design strategies are much stronger than the appearance of a particular building. No, I do not want to say that I deny the power of architecture as such - you just need to look at things from a broader perspective.
That is, it is necessary to "activate" architecture, and not just build a building?
– Yes, “activate” is the right term, I like it. Sometimes, taking into account the accumulated experience, we are invited as consultants to develop different design strategies. Once these strategies have been identified, clients are free to turn to another architectural firm to develop a project.
Let's talk about your job. What is its essence? What are your main aspirations?
– The essence of architecture is to translate the needs of the client into a form language that brings all the necessary functions to life. This is taught to architects, but for me it is not enough. We all went through this at the university: there is a problem, you solve it. I want more. I want to activate and connect spaces. For example, when we opened the Cineteca National cinema, its attendance tripled, and now many people come there not only to watch a movie. People love the place itself and enjoy spending time there. And by the way, we, architects, do not have to design everything 100%. We need to be able to leave room for spontaneity and let users make their own decisions. You can't plan everything. Social change is happening faster than we think. We can only allow people to use the spaces we are designing, and use the new knowledge in the next project.
Tell us how your design process is going - do you start with a sketch or with a question?
– Definitely from the question. With many questions! [laughs]. We always encourage our clients to set tasks as specific as possible. We love to work when we clearly represent the end user. Once I understand what kind of people will be using the building, I can make sketches that will bring together all the participants in the process. Then I choose who I should cooperate with on a particular project, and we start brainstorming. We define the main idea and develop it. By the way, we really like the design process itself. Architecture is such a complex and dreary business that if you do not get pleasure from the design process, then the construction site will even more so turn into a living hell.
As an architect, you constantly strive to go beyond what is proposed. Does this mean that even before you get into the essence of the project, you already have a plan of action? What is he? What makes you constantly push your boundaries?
– Generosity. Imagine what would happen if all clients became more generous to our community and built better parks, ordered better sidewalks, and so on. Our government is so-so, so we have to find other means of improving public spaces. The task of the architect is to cope where the government failed. Forget about "iconic" or "exemplary" architecture - I hate it all. From the point of view of architecture, spaces filled with meaning should become “exemplary”, thanks to which the correct social connections are built. The essence of architecture is what it can do, not what it can look like.
If I asked you to describe your architecture in separate words, what would they be?
– Involvement, co-responsibility. I also liked the word "revitalization" you used, because beautiful empty buildings mean nothing to me. Buildings must be activated, must cause vibration.
What is your motto?
– Open up to change!
That is, you are not just an architect, you …
– I'm not just an architect, I'm an instigator! I provoke my customers to do good things!
translation: Anton Mizonov
