A BEAUTIFUL BRILLIANCE

Transcription

1 A BEAUTIFUL BRILLIANCE Geoff Reid takes time out to lend us his thoughts on design, life and the philosophies that matter by farhad heydari All images courtesy of Reid Architecture / 1

2 2 3 Few practices have the clout, influence, prestige, popularity and the endless post-completion endorsement and appreciation of their clients as often and as much as REID Architecture. One of UK s largest, employing 180 people in Europe alone, and most venerable, it is the brainchild of Geoff Reid, a visionary whose ideas, mandates and memes have, over the years, been replicated by more flashy media-driven outfits. Still, his remains the firm of choice, especially for the corporate sector, where his practice has had commissions from one third of the FTSE 100 companies 80 per cent of those has been repeat commissions. Today, REID spans the globe with offices in Spain, the Middle East, Australia and Malaysia all of them striving to create structures of pulchritude derived from endless research and development. Tell us how Reid Architecture came to be? I had set up the practice then called Geoffrey Reid Associates in 1979 with two close friends (David Stanford and Chris Hacking). The practice grew steadily over the decade and in the early 90s, we opened up offices in Glasgow, Birmingham and Madrid. You now have dozens of able people working there. What is your role? My fundamental aim is to guide and grow the practice. I try to take a hands-on role in our bigger projects but as one of the largest practices in the UK, it is impossible for me to get involved in every scheme. I am enormously fortunate to have an extremely talented and dedicated team around me, who I can trust implicitly

3 6 What would you say is the strength of your practice? Historically, we were primarily a commercial practice working chiefly for large institutional developers, but we have undergone a significant cultural evolution over the last few years, which has included a name change to REID Architecture and a marked increase in design competition successes and high calibre projects for one-off clients. This progress was recognised last year by the industry when we were named Architectural Practice of the Year at the Builder and Engineer Awards. How were you drawn to architecture and why? Growing up in a construction family, buildings surrounded me and I was always drawn to the excitement and mystery of the sprawling metropolis. I guess I became entranced under the spell of the old cliché: bright lights, big city. Through my extensive travels, I began to appreciate and understand the importance of place making and the effect it has on human lives. I saw so many bad examples that I decided to make it my personal quest to try and improve our cities. How would you describe yourself as an architect? I enjoy modern architecture and the challenge of progress. I appreciate clarity and intelligence within building design. Buildings not only can be but also must be clever, and always elicit a positive, emotional response. What then would you consider the hallmark of a Reid project, if any? Research informs all of our building design. Knowledge and function are the keys. A building has to work on both an intellectual and emotional level. We have recognised that we can only produce the best solutions if we utilise our best knowledge. So through knowledge you achieve beauty, functionality and, perhaps, shock-value? We choose very much to achieve beauty through knowledge. Beauty is not purely an aesthetic quality; it can be beautiful in conception or simplicity. Just as functionality is not purely a technical quality, buildings have to perform on many levels. Truly great design achieves both of them. Shock-value, however, takes us into the realm of the iconic, which is a media attractive concept but is intellectual bunk. Only history can judge what is iconic, so I don t believe you can set out to design an icon. Shock by definition is something that can only happen once, so it is bankrupt concept to something that is enduring. Architecture is for a lifetime, not a moment. You have said that your interests lie in the evolution of cities and urban areas. In what ways? Cities or any community are living organisms. They are constantly changing. The role of the urban designer and the architect is to ensure that this constant flux is not kept in check but adaptable and flexible enough to accommodate in comfort the populations that reside within them. Is this philosophy advocated in the UK? Yes, in the UK, the government is championing mixed-use city regeneration projects. For us to create successful solutions we need to understand their impact and establish the relevant critical mass in terms of scale, format and location. Communities already exist; it is about creating opportunities that encourage them to mix, develop and grow

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5 12 13 Where then, in all your travels, have you witnessed this perfect coexistence in the architectural fabric? I would have to say London. I decided a long time ago to choose it as my home. It has a unique mix of history, culture and futurism. London is currently undergoing significant change and is developing the confidence to design and build more daring structures that are breaking with tradition but that still sit comfortably with the wonderful architecture we already have. The eclectic mix that personifies London will always ensure a vibrancy of style and influences, and cements its place, rightfully, as one of the great cities in the world. Another endearing quality of London is the spirit of those who live and work here. We were unfortunate to lose a valued colleague and friend in the 7 July attacks, but the ability of our people to bond more closely, whilst still getting on with life has been inspirational. 11 The recent terror attacks in London, to which you alluded, have put the spotlight on security. How will architecture change in the years to come to adapt to this new reality? As I said previously, architecture is about shaping our quality of life and security is just one of those underlying factors in all of our designs. Our research-led approach allows us to constantly investigate new materials and processes through which we can create secure yet comfortable environments in which people live, work and play

6 But what of buildings in a megalopolis, ones that obviously have different requirements than those in the suburbs? Yes, city buildings have to be robust in many ways, as we are designing not just for today and tomorrow but for future generations. But we also have to find an acceptable balance between rigidity and sustainability. No one wants to live in a concrete shelter. Good architecture should help celebrate life. We can make buildings more secure but terrorism is something that society has to deal with. As architects we are more concerned about making buildings and places feel safe rather than be safe. What are some of the more noteworthy projects you are currently tackling? We are currently working on several extremely exciting commissions, both within the airport and mixed-use town centre and residential sectors. The most recent project, if I have to pick one out, is Farnborough Airport. The scheme is for private client TAG Aviation, who wanted a new terminal, air traffic control tower and hangars to house their business aviation operations. Won in competition, the core of the proposals was to integrate three functionally diverse buildings of vastly different scales, engineered with a coherent family of details and materials, so as to avoid the piecemeal appearance so often associated with airport development. Shock by definition is something that can only happen once, so it is bankrupt concept to something that is enduring. Architecture is for a lifetime, not a moment 073

7 How was this project different than others you have worked on in the travel sector? Air travel by definition is transitory, but this project gave us the opportunity to collect all the components that universally reflect the nature of airport design and freeze the experience in one composition and in one environment. The client required a landmark focus that screamed quality yet this had to be married together with an airport that delivers efficiency and a superb customer service experience very much our form and function ideal. Is there a project out there you would like to make reality? As a thinking group of human beings we are concerned with many threads of design responses to the needs of people. Generally we take someone else s brief but it is fun to take our own brief and try and resolve it. As an extension to our research driven approach and in our quest for knowledge, one of the many problems we have challenged ourselves with is why are we happy to be so uncomfortable at big events like music festivals? We are therefore in the initial stages of MyPod the creation of a place with the comforts of a hotel, where people can stay the night that doesn t exist tomorrow. What would you want people to think when they hear your name in five years time? REID architecture designs buildings that are cleverly beautiful and beautifully clever & 9. Laing O'Rourke tower. 2 & 3. Reid s rendition of the new Abu Dhabi airport, day and night. 4. Proposed interior of Abu Dhabi airport. 5, 6, 8 & 10. Farnborough Airport. 7. Slough Digital Community World of Glass (for Hotties Arts & Science Centre). 15. Castle house. 16. Dublin Tower. 17. Caroline Street. 18. Luton The gate. 21. Geoff Reid. 22. Staff of Reid Architecture at work. 19 Farhad Heydari is an Editor-at-Large for SPACE. Based in Hamburg, Germany he also writes for Time, Travel + Leisure and the South China Morning Post, among others. 074