Arch Unions What do a man and a woman do?

/ Architecture /

If we consider the relationship between the articles in a creative aspect, especially in the context of architecture, here, as they say, opinions are divided. The controversies are mostly about the place of women in architecture and the equality of men and women in the architectural environment, since men have historically worked in it much longer and women have entered the profession relatively recently. The well-known architectural critic Aaron A. Betsky, who has written a number of serious monographs on the topic of the interaction of the sexes in the field of architecture, is generally convinced that gender rules here.

"In human history, men and women play certain social roles and occupy their places in the hierarchy of power. It has already happened that men are always on top, and women are at the bottom. Men represent strength, power and violence, they are always from the outside. Their prerogative is idealized classical architecture, columns, temples, tombs, and the male essence always plants its desire for the ideal, the absolute of the surrounding reality, which is far from this ideal. Women have nothing to do there at all, on the contrary, they are inside, their sphere is the interior. We live in this absurdity, we are indignant, even though we ourselves designed this environment," he said at one of his lectures.

Jane Jacobs in the book "Death and Life of Great American Cities" criticizes modernist urban planners for cultivating "male experience" or "male way of life" in the process of distinguishing the vital functions of the city and considers them responsible for the "death" of entire districts and cities, because their buildings have become alien to the surrounding reality.

Charles and Ray Eames pose on a Velocette motorcycle, 1948. Photo: © 2011 Eames Office, LLC.

There are still teachers in specialized educational institutions who are suspicious of young girls who have entered architectural faculties; sometimes they even frankly believe that their place is in a culinary school or in cutting and sewing courses. However, manifestations of such striking male chauvinism are still rare, especially in recent years, when the number of women in architecture has grown significantly. Among them there are those who believe that the era of male architecture will soon come to an end, and in some 20-30 years there will be a time when there will be a minority of them in the profession. Some men think so too.

We should also note that inequality between men and women occurs in any field of activity where women seek to occupy high positions and management positions, and architecture itself has no special prerogatives in this matter. The great Zaha Hadid believed that not only men are to blame for this state of affairs, but also women, because they are afraid to boldly and loudly declare themselves, choosing their right to realize themselves in the profession. At the same time, numerous studies and sociological surveys show that women are more often discriminated against based on their gender in the West, with the highest rate in Great Britain.

In our country, with such a difference in salaries (the gap is about 20%), the unsettled personal life and the eternal search for a balance between family and work are rarely encountered, therefore, in Ukraine, women are optimistic about their prospects in the profession. Another great woman— French architect Odile Deck — says: "Being a woman in architecture is a privilege and a job at the same time. A woman must fight harder, must be stronger than a man. But you can do anything you want, because you are a woman.''

(Left to right) Paul Bohm, Gottfried Bohm, Paul Bohm's older brother and Stefan Bohm on Gottfried Bohm's 95th birthday on January 23, 2015 in Cologne. Photo source: de.wikipedia.org

Alison and Peter Smithson. Photo source: en.wikipedia.org

Despite all the dualism and complexity of gender relations, particularly in matters of creativity, the best architecture is born from the union of male and female. Proof of this is the work of famous architectural unions, which were formed from family couples. For example, Ray and Charles Eames, who defined the design of the XNUMXth century without too much pathos, and the industry as a whole, Peter and Alison Smithson, who started brutalism, or the German architects Bema, who in general formed a whole family line in several generations.

Without Madelon Vriesendrop, Rem Koolhaas would not have written his books, and his architecture would have been different, and even landscape design wizard Charles Jenks dedicated an amazing futuristic garden in Scotland to his muse, his wife Maggie. And no matter what anyone says, with the appearance of women in great architecture, it has definitely become richer. By the way, architects together with engineers turned out to be the most reliable in marriage, which is also confirmed by statistics, and even if their unions fell apart for some reason, they still continued to create together, like the Rogers couple.

Using the example of stellar architectural tandems, where the main creative force is a couple of architects, we tried to understand how gender affects joint creativity and what they had to overcome on the way to success. And with the Ukrainian tandems, we talked about the topic of gender features in architecture, discrimination and peculiarities of the perception of the profession.

 

Ben van Berkel and Carolina Boss

UNStudio

Image source: www.unstudio.com

An amazing example of a symbiotic union, when a couple complements not only ideas, but also thoughts of each other. When they met in London, Ben van Berkel was finishing his studies at the London Architectural Association, where he studied under Zaha Hadid herself, and Carolina Boss was studying art history at Birkbeck College. It is interesting that at first Ben studied interior design, but he dreamed of architecture since childhood, when he and his father spent hours walking around construction sites. At the same time, he did not dare to touch the profession for a long time, fearing that he would not be able to do it.

The couple opened their own bureau Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau in 1988, and they talked about this tandem ten years later, after their project of the Möbius residential building, designed in the form of the same ribbon. Ben van Berkel himself says the following about his wife: "Carolina is not an architect, but a writer. And this is good. Architects often don't know what they want. Karolina forces us to clearly formulate our wishes for ourselves. Our director is not a conductor who is "above" the orchestra. We walk between the rows of "orchestrators". She is a completely different type of architect. Her approach is more conceptual and more related to texts. Carolina's hypothesis is that if we can't formulate the idea of ​​the project precisely enough, then this is the main indicator to think again about the whole concept."

Therefore, as far as the theoretical basis is concerned, Carolina is indispensable for the union. Ben himself gravitates towards innovative methods of design and modernization. For example, he developed the theory of "design models", where he described the principles of design, the algorithms by which a building is formed. "Like a concept car. It could be the laws of three-dimensional geometry (like a Mobius house), or rigid-to-flexible motion, or a spatial fan,” says Ben. All the models are described in his and Karolina's book Design Models and significantly help to choose the optimal design scheme, as they contain the key parameters of the future object, in particular, the customer's preferences.

The famous "Möbius House" in the green suburb of Amsterdam Het Gooi. The space inside is cut according to the principle of the same Mobius strip. Built for a married couple between 1993 and 1998.

One of the most famous works of the duo is the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, 2001.

"The external appearance of the building is not important. It is important how its functional components are combined. Today you really need a computer to calculate it: there are too many factors. And only when all of them are taken into account, the building will come out and people will like it. They will return to her. It's like rereading a book," says the author. After ten years of work, they changed the name of the office to UNStudio, short for United Network — "united network", symbolizing the team approach of the couple and constant exchange with other fields and directions.

 

Massimiliano and Dorian Fuksas

Fuksas Studio

Massimiliano and Dorian Fuksas

They have known each other since they were students. Doriana, who at the time still bore the surname Mandrelli, studied art history at Rome's La Sapienza University and one day enrolled in a course taught by Massimiliano Fuksas. Since then, they have been together for over 30 years. She is an art historian and a certified architect. He is a well-known architectural rebel who dreamed of becoming a poet first, then an artist in his youth.

MyZeil shopping center in Frankfurt am Main, 2010. The funnel on the facade merges into a "basin" between two glass hills on the roof of the building. If the word My, i.e. "my", is translated into German, then it turns out that the name of the molla is an encrypted name of the river on which the city stands, which inspired this project. Photo: Fabio Lovino, Jonathan Reid

It is believed that there is a strict separation in their work: Massimiliano is responsible for the big architecture, and Doriana manages the design department and deals with interiors. In reality, they do everything together - from large-scale projects to furniture and lamps, even a collection of jewelry and door handles were developed side by side. "An architect must first be a creator," says Massimiliano. — I always start my work by looking for an image. If you want the structure to be something more than just walls, foundation and roof, you need to put emotions into it. Good architecture gives a new aesthetic and sensory experience."

The creative handwriting of their union is difficult to identify: they try to avoid any one style. The only thing that is obvious is that they like to use a three-dimensional metal frame filled with transparent glass triangles, although they are not tied to it either, freely juggling other forms and materials.

"I try not to have a style. Indeed, you can find two or three projects that are similar in approach. For example, by our apartments you can determine that they belong to one person, but they can also have two different owners, because our housing in Rome and Paris are not identical. Yes, they have some things from the same designers, so there is a certain mood, but what it is, I can't tell you for sure." By the way, in their Parisian apartment on the Vosges Square, the concentration of rarities from Jean Prouvet, Charlotte Perrien and Harry Bertoya per square meter is simply off the charts.

Theater and exhibition hall in Tbilisi with a capacity of 566 people. Designed in the form of two neatly nested cylinders converging in the letter V. 2018.

Terminal No. 3 of Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen, 2013. The total area is 500 square meters. m, length — 1,5 km, floor span up to 80 m. The number of boarding exits — 63 with teletraps and 15 ordinary ones. Capacity up to 45 million passengers per year. The project budget is EUR 734 million. Photo: Joel Rookwood, Leonardo Finotti

Their most sophisticated and technological project is Terminal No. 3 of the Shenzhen Airport, which resembles a fish spread out on the sand. They also designed the MyZeil shopping center in Frankfurt with a funnel on the facade, reconstructed the building of the former Military Union in Rome next to the Spanish Square, giving it a glass dome, and now they are building a 566-seat theater in Tbilisi in the form of two compactly nested cylinders, similar to two overturned cylinders skittles

The impressive exhibition center, where the famous Milan Furniture Salon takes place, was also built according to their project. An insane area of ​​405 square meters. m they covered with a wavy transparent "veil" of thousands of glass triangles. According to the authors, with its curves it repeats natural elements: waves, craters, hills and dunes.

"In our projects, we try to create a sense of fluidity. But such aspects as light, quality of space, proportions are much more important for us. When the Third Terminal at Shenzhen Airport, which we designed, was opened, it was gratifying to watch people's reactions: how they were stunned by the light and space poured on them!" says Doriana.

 

Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio

Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Photo: JOE FORNABAIO FOR THE NYT

The American Elizabeth Diller met her future husband, 21 years older than her, in 1975, when she entered the Cooper Union School of Architecture, where Ricardo Scofidio was a professor. They opened their own studio in 1979 in New York and first worked as conceptual artists. Therefore, many of their projects, especially at the first stage, are related to the sphere of art and culture. For example, The Broad Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by them for entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad, was included in the eight best realizations in the USA, and they also revived the largest cultural site of New York - the famous Lincoln Center, "giving old architecture a human face."

Today, their work encompasses not only buildings, but also urban landscape, multimedia and digital design. Elizabeth had to fight for her and her husband to be perceived as equal partners. According to Scofidio, he often deliberately took a back seat during negotiations to demonstrate to customers the importance of his wife in decision-making.

Elizabeth had to fight for her and her husband to be perceived as equal partners. Scofidio supported his wife in everything

The Blur Building project on Lake Neuchâtel in the Swiss city of Yverdon-les-Bains. This is a temporary media pavilion erected as part of the Swiss Expo 2002. Photo source: www.dillerscofidio.com

The main structural element of the Blur Building media pavilion is fog: 33 spotlights generated a cloud the size of a football field. Photo source: www.dillerscofidio.com

The couple, Diller and Scofidio, came to the fore in 2009 after the High Line Park project in New York, when they turned an old abandoned railway overpass on Manhattan's West Side into a vibrant green part of the urban landscape. In each such project, they strive to make maximum use of natural resources and their ability to self-renew. So, in the High Line, they planted plants that bloom 11 months a year, forming an autonomous ecosystem that almost does not require outside care. "We like supernatural, exaggerated nature—nature beyond its normal capabilities," say Elizabeth and Ricardo.

Columbia University Medical Education Center in New York, named after major sponsors, the Vargelos, 2016. Photo: Iwan Baan

The reconstructed Lincoln Center in New York, 2010. Photo source: www.wsj.com

In April of this year, Time magazine included Diller's name for the third time in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and The Washington Post called the bureau "innovators of the year", although its members themselves instead see their goal in a different way. For example, in order to build a close connection between a place, an object and a person. They are convinced that the project of the future building is already laid in the location itself — it is important to catch it, feel it and implement it correctly.

ICA Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, 2003. Photo: GettyImages

An overhead view of the High Line Park, built on the site of an old abandoned railroad trestle on Manhattan's West Side. Photo source: dsrny.com

In 2004, a third unexpectedly joined their duo: after seven years of working side-by-side, Charles Renfro became the managing partner, and the office became known as Diller Scofidio + Renfro. In addition to creativity, he makes another significant contribution, "adding asymmetry to the relationship" between Ricardo and Elizabeth. According to Diller herself, the third person somewhat destabilizes the situation, which generally has a positive effect on the work of the bureau.

 

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown

Photo from the personal archive of Robert Venturi

Probably the most exemplary couple in the world of architecture. They have been working together since the end of the 60s, and thanks to their unique project "Lessons of Las Vegas", they have forever entered the history of the profession and are still considered one of the most authoritative and productive architectural tandems today. This is a research book published in 1972, when Robert and Denise were still teaching at Yale University. In the abstract for it, it was stated as follows: "In the fall of 1968, thirteen students and three professors of Yale University went on an expedition to Las Vegas - the world capital of vulgarity and stupid taste, the horror of the architect of that time."

House designed by Robert Venturi with Denise Scott Brown for his mother, Vanna Venturi, 1963-1964.

Denise Scott Brown on a research trip to Las Vegas

Robert Venturi against the backdrop of the urban landscape of Las Vegas during a joint trip with Denise

The couple went a long way to recognition. Denise turned out to be the victim of gender stereotypes established in the arch environment. In 1991, the Pritzker Prize was awarded only to Robert Ventura, despite the fact that the couple worked together on their projects, and in many of them the leading roles of the tandem members changed alternately. Even the house for Venturi's mother, which became a symbol of postmodernism, which was not given to him for a long time, they completed side by side.

The architectural community was deeply moved and outraged by this injustice: more than 16 signatures were collected in support of Scott Brown, including a number of Pritzker laureates, but the organizers of the award did not change their decision. Although the culprit of the unexpected scandal herself was happy for her husband and was proud of how highly his merits were appreciated, she still missed the award ceremony. Later, she said: "There are so many women who, at the beginning of work, move up the career ladder more actively than men, and yet at a certain moment there is a ``glass ceiling'' waiting for them.

The so-called Franklin Courtyard in Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park is decorated with "ghost structures" designed by Venturi and Scott Brown, reminders of the historic buildings that once stood here

In 1991, the duo designed an extension to the National Gallery in London, the Sainsbury's Wing

In 2015, the American Institute of Architects tried to restore some measure of justice by awarding the couple an honorary AIA Gold Medal, changing the rules to do so, since traditionally it is awarded to one person, not to tandems. And in 2017, Scott Brown received the main female award in the world of architecture — the Jane Drew Prize for career contribution to the status of women in architecture.

One of the landmark works of the duo is the Guild House residential building in Philadelphia, designed in 1964 and updated 45 years later

 

Oleksandr Popov and Olga Chernova, architectural bureau archimatika

Kyiv

Photo: Yurii Ferendovych / PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Do you think architecture has gender characteristics? Can it be divided into male and female? Can we talk about this in the context of our architecture, or are similar definitions applicable to it? Are there examples of such architecture in your practice? 

Oleksandr Popov: Architecture is determined by many factors and parameters, and the gender of the author is only one of them, although it is bright, multifaceted, expressive, and far from determining. Therefore, if you try to draw a line between architecture invented by women and that invented by men, it will be blurred. Our imagination is free, and therefore there is lyrical architecture, and there is rational and dispassionate.

It could be said that rational thinking is more characteristic of men, and emotional thinking is more characteristic of women, and if we turn to specific examples, we will see that there are absolutely rational works created by female architects, and irrational ones created by male architects. For example, the planning in Gaudi's houses and the perfectly thought-out concept of the kitchen space by Margarete Schütte-Lichocki, who first spoke about kitchen design. And thank God that we have both men and women architects, because architecture needs diversity, and it has certainly been enriched since women actively manifested themselves in the profession.

Thank God that we have both male and female architects, because architecture needs diversity

Olga Chernova: Indeed, architecture has gender characteristics. This is especially expressed in facade solutions. For example, if the planning of premises is subordinated to functionality and practicality, then here the difference in who made it - a man or a woman - is almost imperceptible, and it is immediately visible on the facades. A striking example in Kyiv architecture is the LeapKids kindergarten, where Tetiana Hryhorova (BIP-PM project bureau) acted as the chief architect. Only a woman could make such a facade. Only she can draw green leaves of exactly this configuration on the facade, and arrange them exactly like that, make it rounded, without any corners.

A man would never make such a facade. The categories of "good" or "bad" are inappropriate here - it's just different, and that's okay. For example, if you look at the facades of Horodetsky's buildings, despite all the softness of the forms, elegant stucco, floral motifs, they are still different. At the same time, if we talk about Zaha Hadid's projects, it becomes obvious where the personal sketches of the architect are, and where are those in which her partners participated. A woman's hand, a special handwriting is felt in Zaha's sketches.

Image source: archimatika architectural bureau

R.M.: What gender characteristics of the perception of architecture would you note? What did you have to face?

OP: Women feel color more subtly, and this side is important. If you set some priorities in the work on the project, a man can talk about the first, second, third, and then mention the color. But a woman, if the color is present in the project, she will start with it. In addition, women's perception is tuned to motherhood, and therefore to the search for a comfortable, high-quality and safe environment for the child, which is perceived by her more deeply, more fundamentally, because a man can mostly be fascinated by some high idea, distant from mundane, simple human needs, while a woman will not focus on some lofty goal as long as the space is uncomfortable and unsafe. Next is fashion.

Women follow it more closely, and therefore, they notice what is out of fashion, in particular, architectural fashion. Whereas the male view is usually this: if the decisions and methods are appropriate and correspond to logic, then it is okay that they are "out of fashion". For a woman, this can be a stopping point, which will encourage her to look for more relevant solutions, and perhaps a trendy approach that goes beyond a certain fashion standard, and at the same time is the only one suitable for a specific place and task.

As for the transience of fashion, in architecture it gradually acquires a certain balance. For example, there are fewer things in clothes that brightly "take off" and just as quickly go away. To replace something unified, standard, diversity came into fashion. Why does one fashion change another? The first to wear it are revolutionaries, pioneers who are looking for an opportunity to stand out from the crowd, later it is adopted by the advanced majority, and in the end the rear guard is pulled up, and he does not think too much about something, and in the end he brings the original idea to the point of absurdity.

In principle, this life cycle is the same for both fashion and architecture: any architectural technique is brought to the point of absurdity, turning it into a banality, and the next cycle — reformers-innovators try to get out of this banality using another technique, and later their techniques become commonplace. Therefore, we owe progress to fools.

The main facade of Pechersk International School PSI, Kyiv

Foyer of Pechersk International School PSI, Kyiv

O. Ch.: It is rather related to visual perception: does the building create a wow effect or not. It does not matter in what way this feature, "highlight" is expressed, the main thing is that it should be there. Nowadays, many people take selfies against the background of famous architectural objects, post them on Instagram and Facebook, and architectural tourism is very popular today, but no one particularly thinks about who designed the building - a man or a woman.

She is equally interesting to everyone who paid attention to her. At the same time, I cannot but note that men perceive space and landscaping differently: it is important for them that everything is convenient, logical and clear, for example, where to go, where to park the car, etc. That is, after the same wow effect, they begin to think about how everything is arranged here, and for us it recedes into the background.

If you want to work specifically with someone, their gender is the last thing for us

RM: Name the three main reasons for working with a male architect and a female architect. 

OP: The main quality is a different logic that helps to avoid dead ends. And since we are also a family, it is an opportunity for us to spend more time with each other, otherwise we would be very sad if we worked in different places or belonged to different professions. Architecture requires a lot of time for itself. And, probably, the third factor is psychological comfort. When everything is unified and people of the same sex, of the same age, of the same cultural environment are engaged in the same business, a resonance arises that brings any wave to its peak - then everything can enter a destructive phase.

And since we have an age difference, we covered slightly different cultural segments. And when we are, let's say, a little "out of step" at work, a reliable healthy atmosphere arises that prevents overheating. In this regard, Ola's role in our tandem is important to me, since I tend to overlook something due to excessive enthusiasm for some idea, to the point where it is still important for me to reach the end. Olya knows how to stop me in time. All the same, a woman's threshold of sensitivity to psychological arousal is thinner, and Olya stops me much earlier than the "critical point".

The main facade of the "A+" gymnasium in the "Comfort Town" residential complex, Kyiv

O. Ch.: When we cooperate with someone, we are not working with a man or a woman, but primarily with an architect. Let's say some architectural workshop publishes a brief of its projects, and we understand that we like their direction, and we are ready to work together. Here it is absolutely not important who they have there - a man, a woman, a tandem, a whole team or in general everything is done by the computer. If you want to work specifically with someone, their gender is the last thing for us.

R.M.: Can only an architect understand an architect better? 

OP: Architecture is an activity where quality is determined by the totality of everything: proportions, interaction and the rest. I like the definition of Buckminster Fuller, who said that an architect connects everything to everything. Accordingly, the question arises: who can evaluate this work? Those who understand everything and can see these complex connections of everything with everything. This is the root of the elitism of the profession, because the average person will not see some facets, aspects and will not be able to perceive them as a whole.

However, there is a significant "but" here: if, guided by this logic, the architect stops listening to ordinary people, he risks facing the limitations of his own perception. An architect is not a god. He perceives everything in his coordinate system, which is not universal. Therefore, the perception of architecture by an ordinary person is a very important aspect, albeit a very subjective one. We can approach objectivity only if we manage to put hundreds, thousands, millions of subjective statements into a single assessment matrix.

O. Ch.: Yes, definitely. Only an architect can even put the house in order properly. For example, it is difficult for me to imagine how an architect can live with a person of another profession. The architect will constantly arrange everything on the shelves, rank down to the millimeter, causing inconvenience to the partner and being annoyed by the fact that the order set by him in his living environment is constantly violated. Of course, an architect can only be understood by an architect, or someone related to the field of architecture, for example, a designer, an engineer. Others will find it difficult.

A woman's threshold of sensitivity to psychological arousal is thinner, and Olya stops me much earlier than the "critical point"

R.M.: Who do clients trust more — a male architect or a female architect? 

OP: In this matter, I am sure, there are no gender differences. The client trusts the responsible architect. He invests resources, money, and time in the work created by the architect. It is important for him that the architect treats and disposes of these resources carefully, and is focused on the result. A man and a woman are equally endowed by nature with a sense of responsibility, and there are all opportunities for this. Perhaps the methods will be slightly different, but they differ in different people of the same sex.

O. Ch.: I wouldn't say that anyone is trusted more. After all, they go to someone whose work they like, whose projects suit them, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. And here a certain connection should take place, when you understand that you fit each other, you are on the same wavelength and doing a common thing. Although women's design behavior is more emotional, some conflicts may arise in the creative process. The main thing here is to wait a little.

Recreation corridor of the gymnasium "A+" in the residential complex "Comfort Town", Kyiv

R.M.: There is a stereotype that architecture is a male profession. Have you faced discrimination based on gender during your work? 

OP: The environment in which I work does not involve discrimination. First, I grew up in a family of architects. I can't say that the situation was different, say, 30 years ago. If a good solution came up with a woman - great, if a bad one - bad, and the same applied to a man. Although my mother said that when they came to get a job after the institute, and it was the end of the 60s, she was paid 10 rubles less than her husband. This is an example of discrimination.

If you take our company, then 60% of our architects are women, there are simply more of them, and if we look at the list of the main architects of the projects, they are also mostly women. Perhaps there is a difference in methodological and stylistic approaches to management. Perhaps there are companies where everything is the opposite and where they are more focused on the qualities that men have. We try to work democratically, taking into account different opinions.

O. Ch.: Never encountered. If you want to do it, do it. You can't - don't take it, but don't say that it's a man's profession and you're being pressured into something. If there is a desire, then everything will work out.

Project proposal for the creation of a memorial complex "Territory of Dignity"

RM: Richard and Sue Rogers built a house together for their father-in-law and mother-in-law, Tezuka and Yui Takaharu designed their house together, where they still live, Koolhaas's wife helped him with the most significant projects, and there are many similar examples. Do you have examples of such joint dedication projects where the masculine and feminine are expressed in a specific physical form? 

O. Ch.: I hope we will have such a joint project again someday. What Sasha and I dream about is the project of our own house. We often talk about it, we think about it a lot and, I hope, we will implement it. Each of us has our own handwriting, our own characteristics, and it seems to me that they will fully reveal themselves in the house. Here you can also mention our apartment. Although the space is not that large, and we faced certain limitations, it certainly feels like it is purely our project.

OP: Each project on which we work with Olga is a form of revealing a common creative essence. These are the PSI Pechersk Scientific School, the "A+" gymnasium under construction, and other projects that we have not yet demonstrated. Regarding "our biggest" project, it is our apartment. It is not so big or, let's say, "manifestation". There we acted both in the role of customers and in the role of architects. I am more like a customer, and Olya is like an architect, and sometimes vice versa. And it was great!

Gymnasium "A+" gymnasium in "Comfort Town" residential complex, Kyiv

Foyer of "A+" gymnasium in "Comfort Town" residential complex, Kyiv

R.M.: Do you criticize each other's works? Did it produce an unexpected result? 

O. Ch.: Yes, but in a good way. It's more of a discussion: Sasha has an idea, he wants to share it, I listen to him, express my own thoughts about it, and we discuss them together. In this case, Sasha has a basic idea, and how to implement it — there are several options, and we are already discussing the further design and selection of materials. That is, this is not a criticism, but rather my thoughts about the idea that Sasha plans to implement. It's the same in my work: when I do something, I always come and show it to Sasha, I ask for his advice, his opinion is important to me. Our creative process probably lasts 24 hours a day. We are constantly immersed in some ideas, we are thinking about something, and even if we are not together, we are constantly writing to each other, sending photos, showing some options for solutions.

OP: We constantly criticize. And this leads in a certain way to the next stage in the work. This is the meaning of working for different people together. It is characteristic of everyone to get into dead ends. Some, however, call it a tradition, a task of the customer, and the more self-critical ones call it a creative crisis. But if you yourself are the cause of such a dead end, then it is difficult to get out of it on your own: you need to change yourself, and to do this in every project, repeating such a spiritual feat time and time again - no energy will be left. And when you work with a person whose brain is arranged differently, hormones work differently, priorities are set differently, then a common dead end is simply impossible. Of course, there is a risk of critical disagreements, but there must be a feeling of trust, understanding and love!

Our joint work is based on complementary ideas based on the opposite approach

R.M.: Never wanted to change places? 

OP: This did not occur to me. Rather, this desire arises in someone who is fixed on a certain quality and wants to break out of the established position. On the other hand, we try to maintain dynamism in the team, not to sour.

O. Ch.: Everyone should be in their place. Although there are things I would rather not do. I could, but I would have to force myself. And so I have a unique opportunity not to work, but to do what I love.

R.M.: What is the creative signature of your tandem? 

O. Ch.: I think it is to bring the objects to the state in which we would like to see them, and to convince the customer to fulfill our wishes and proposals in the form in which they are included in the project. Sasha always helps me in this, and I am very grateful to him.

The project of a residential complex on Kutuzivsky Proezd in Moscow

R.M.: Is your joint work based on the opposite approach or on complementing each other's ideas? 

O. Ch.: It is rather the observance of a certain design process, when the idea is gradually improved, a new path is built, and during this time the project can be reborn, go through several stages that gradually flow into each other.

OP: Our joint work is based on complementary ideas based on the opposite approach. This applies not only to our tandem with Olya. This is generally the creative credo of archimatika — we fundamentally value an alternative opinion and position on any issue. When Dima Vasiliev and I graduated from the institute, and then came up with archimatika, we suddenly discovered that we have diametrically opposed views on the vast majority of issues, and reasoned ones, and at the same time we know how to listen and hear each other.

On the one hand, we have certain compatible coordinate systems, and on the other hand, polar conclusions from the same initial data. Therefore, when laying the foundations of our creative corporate culture, we tried to take this into account. In our country, for example, it is considered a good tone to come and propose an alternative idea, even if the train has almost left or there is no chance to implement it in this particular project.

R.M.: Name the most unusual/significant/unexpected project you worked on together. 

OP: Our apartment. Peven, we will also create the next home together. Olya and I are waiting for the opportunity to do this when we have more time.

O. Ch.: The most unusual, he and the very first joint project is the competition for the creation of the "Territory of Dignity" memorial complex, in which we participated four years ago. The perception of the processes that were taking place in Ukraine at that time, their expression in architecture, in general our attitude towards them, in some ways different, in some ways harmonious, and the expression of these processes in one project that we would both like — it was both interesting and great , and unusual.

The project of a residential complex on Kutuzivsky Proezd in Moscow

R.M.: Does professional jealousy take place? 

OP: Maybe no. If we are talking about the cooperation of one of the members of the tandem with someone "from outside", then I will remind you that we work in a large team and are constantly in the process of some kind of discussions, collaborations, and interactions. Therefore no. In order for jealousy to appear, it is necessary, once again, to be in a certain fixed quality, to establish relationships with each other, and to perceive their violation painfully. We are trying to be dynamic and democratic, constantly growing.

O. Ch.: Do not think. We are always sincerely happy for each other's successes. I can only emulate Sasha, listen and appreciate our joint work.

 

Architectural bureau Azovskiy + Pahomova

Dnipro

Anna Pakhomova and Oleg Azovsky

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Do you think architecture has gender characteristics? Can it be divided into male and female? Can we talk about this in the context of our architecture, or are similar definitions applicable to it? Are there examples of such architecture in your practice?

 Anna Pakhomova: Of course, it makes sense to talk about the gender issue in architecture. Women are constantly forced to combine work and the struggle for equality. This is a very acute question. In my opinion, if we want progress, then modern architecture should get rid of gender. It is necessary to break stereotypes, work with it here and now.

Oleg Azovsky: I believe that such a question may arise for those who are confused by it. For me, as an architect, professionalism and solutions that generate a quality product of architecture or design are important. And it does not matter who did it - a man or a woman, there is a task and its competent solution. This is how architecture should be.

In the context of what is happening with society and with individual clients or contractors, it is safe to say that it is more difficult for women to play the main roles in design, coordination, approval and author supervision. In some cases, if there is a gender bias on the part of the customer, then the woman must first prove and gain authority, and then get down to work. This sometimes complicates the processes related to construction and communication between the designer and the contractor. I believe that if people are professionals and strive to make a high-quality and cool product, then they will get along in any case.

Professionalism and solutions that produce a quality product of architecture or design are important

RM: Name the three main reasons for working with a male architect and a female architect.

A.P.: Male architect: globality, creativity, perseverance. A woman architect: all the same plus the arrangement of family life.

O.A.: For me, there was no particular choice of who to work with: my wife is my architect partner. If taken as a whole, there is no reason to consider this issue from a gender perspective. There are people who perform work qualitatively, with an adequate perception of reality and the desire to work, and there are those who do not want to do something, and there is no definite division between men and women.

R.M.: Can only an architect understand an architect better? 

A.P.: Any creative person can understand an architect. This is a constant search for solutions, presentations to customers, daily advocacy of ideas, concepts and even the budget.

O.A.: The issue of understanding people is only partially related to the profession. Yes, of course, in the architectural environment there is a certain casteism or, more correctly, selectivity or something. However, there are common interests, and an understanding of human life processes at different scales, and knowledge that suggests how to improve something, which should be the architectural environment. Given the specificity of our work with Anna, we maintain communication with Japanese, Dutch, Danish, French architects, and in most cases our professional views on the world of architecture and design coincide, so we can say that architects from any country can understand each other.

It is a completely different matter, if a person is not an architect, but he is literate, educated, interested in and understands architecture, art, has a certain perceptiveness, taste and adequate views on the world, then such a person will easily get along with an architect and vice versa.

Project 15/140. Private apartment, Dnipro, 2016. Hall fragment. Photo: Andriy Avdeyenko

R.M.: Who do clients trust more — a male architect or a female architect?

A.P.: The majority, of course, is a man, but the world is changing, and I know that soon it will cease to matter, because the main thing is talent and professionalism, and these qualities have no gender.

O.A.: Customers are different. Someone is comfortable working with a woman, someone with a man, and the question of trust arises when the client realizes that he has a professional in front of him who can convince or, if necessary, correct him in choosing the optimal solution.

R.M.: There is a stereotype that architecture is a male profession. Have you faced discrimination based on gender during your work? 

A.P.: There are too many stereotypes in our profession. And they start as soon as I enter the object. Always the same thing: "What? Girl? And how many years?... - But I have been building for 20 years... - And who are you?" etc. But I try to immediately explain in an accessible way who I am and what I do here.

O.A.: Yes, there have been such cases, mostly on the part of contractors, but for me this is an indicator of unprofessionalism and unwillingness to work in principle, lack of fulfillment or excessive ambitions that prevent the work from being done and lead to inconsistency and a poor quality product. Therefore, in the interests of all participants in the implementation process, we try to eliminate similar situations whenever possible or simply not to work with such people.

Hall. Green Elephant project. Private apartments, Dnipro, 2017

RM: Richard and Sue Rogers built a house together for their father-in-law and mother-in-law, Tezuka and Yui Takaharu designed their house together, where they still live, Koolhaas's wife helped him with the most significant projects, and there are many similar examples. Do you have examples of such joint dedication projects where the masculine and feminine are expressed in a specific physical form?

A.P.: Right now we are in the process of creating, or rather, already implementing our own project for our family. Since the construction is not yet complete, there are points that we sometimes argue about.

O.A.: We have a close tandem: I am an architect, Anna is an interior designer, and the architectural expression is connected with the interior and vice versa. In each project, we have an individual approach to the creation and implementation of an idea. Some projects are dominated by Anna, others by me, but in any case we lead them together.

R.M.: Do you criticize each other's works? Did it produce an unexpected result? 

A.P.: Of course, we criticize. This only leads to a better result, but we do it as constructively as possible.

O.A.: We criticize, because the truth is born in the dispute. Another issue is that we work at a high professional level, so there is often no need for criticism.

If we want progress, then modern architecture must get rid of gender. We need to break stereotypes, work with it here and now

R.M.: Never wanted to change places?

A.P.: No, in my opinion, this can be desired when there are problems with self-realization.

O.A.: No, categorically.

R.M.: What is the creative signature of your tandem? 

A.P.: Find simple solutions together. 

O.A.: Aspiration and implementation of a high-quality, competent product of architecture and design.

R.M.: Is your joint work based on the opposite approach or on complementing each other's ideas? 

A.P.: Our joint work is based on complementing each other, on the desire to achieve integrity as a result.

R.M.: Name the most unusual/significant/unexpected project you worked on together. 

A.P.: Apparently, at this stage it is a facility called Heat 360. We are currently finishing up a few more joint facilities, which you will learn about a little later.

O.A.: We work together on all objects, and each one is significant for us with its unexpected solutions, be it a haystack in the living room, a panoramic window in the shower, glass roofs, or whatever. In each project, we open space in a new way and qualitatively express its connection with the environment for human comfort.

HEAT 360 project. Private house, Dnipro, 2014. Photo: Andriy Avdeenko

R.M.: Does professional jealousy take place? 

A.P.: It's not unreasonable to say the least: you create and develop a common cause. Therefore, in our case, no, we are very happy about each other's successes. We worry together if something doesn't work out. The main thing, in our opinion, is to talk about all this, to understand all the moments, to listen and hear each other.

O.A.: No, we do one thing, we are one family and self-sufficient people.

 

The unique creative team of SVOYA STUDIO, consisting of several family architectural tandems

Dnipro

SVOYA STUDIO

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Do you think architecture has gender characteristics? Can it be divided into male and female? Can we talk about this in the context of our architecture, or are similar definitions applicable to it? Are there examples of such architecture in your practice? 

SVOYA STUDIO: Judging by the winners of the Pritzker Prize, gender features still have a place. But if you dig deeper, as in art, the fashion industry and other areas, this border is erased. The image and character of the object are built on the technical and aesthetic requirements for it, and not on the gender of the author.

R.M.: What gender characteristics of the perception of architecture would you note? What did you have to face? 

SVOYA: Perception depends more on a person's education and level of culture than on gender characteristics, although they do exist. Perhaps, in many aspects, women are more interested in practicality, and this is reflected in the perception of the picture of the world as a whole.

RM: Name the three main reasons for working with a male architect and a female architect. 

SVOYA: Let's name three reasons that apply to an architect of any gender: delight in the portfolio, good recommendations and, in fact, the human factor.

Contact zoo in Porto Mare Park Hotel, Alushta, 2014.

R.M.: Can only an architect understand an architect better? 

SVOYA: Not necessarily. We often meet culturally aware people from various fields of activity. When you are "on the same wavelength" with them, mutual understanding is very high.

R.M.: Who do clients trust more — a male architect or a female architect? 

SVOYA: First of all, they trust a professional, a master of his craft. 

R.M.: There is a stereotype that architecture is a male profession. Have you faced discrimination based on gender during your work? 

SVOYA: We have studio work, and the whole process is a synthesis of the work of men and women. Therefore, discrimination was not noticed.

RM: Richard and Sue Rogers built a house together for their father-in-law and mother-in-law, Tezuka and Yui Takaharu designed their house together, where they still live, Koolhaas's wife helped him with the most significant projects, and there are many similar examples. Do you have examples of such joint dedication projects where the masculine and feminine are expressed in a specific physical form? 

SVOYA: In our architectural family, all objects are common, they are the fruit of interaction and synergy between men and women. The male half knows how to structure everything, diving more deeply into technical issues, and the female view helps to think through everything to the smallest detail in terms of comfortable operation and aesthetics.

R.M.: Do you criticize each other's works? Did it produce an unexpected result? 

SVOYA: Colleagues' critical view of things helps to remove certain "blinders" during long-term work on the project. It is a collective analysis, and it always leads to a more perfect result.

The image and character of the object are built on the technical and aesthetic requirements for it, and not on the gender of the author

R.M.: What is the creative signature of your tandem?

SVOYA: Honesty, openness, professionalism, love for one's work and complete dedication. We literally "live" each project and sometimes so deeply that our work transforms the concept of "customer + architect" into "friend".

R.M.: Is your joint work based on the opposite approach or on complementing each other's ideas? 

SVOYA: There is a famous saying: "Anyone can offend an artist." We do not welcome harsh criticism, because we have often noticed how masterpieces are born from incomprehensible, strange ideas. But complementing each other's ideas and healthy criticism help in work.

Reconstruction of the building in Dnipro on st. Barricade with an office on the first floor and residential apartments on the second, 2005.

Gymnasium "A+" in the residential complex "Comfort Town". The project was developed by archimatika architectural bureau and is under construction. Interior space was designed by SVOYA Studio. The developer is the KAN company. The gymnasium is scheduled to open on September 1, 2018.

R.M.: Name the most unusual/significant/unexpected project you worked on together. 

SVOYA: The most significant projects at the moment are the Pechersk International School PSI and the "A+" gymnasium in Kyiv, which gave us the experience of collaborating with another architectural workshop and gave us a deep approach to the field in need of changes. And the most unusual can be called the Zoo Mare project in the complex of works on the Porto Mare Park Hotel in Alushta. In this zoo there were many amazing architectural objects, in particular the project of a full-fledged house for a raccoon.

R.M.: Does professional jealousy take place? 

SVOYA: We don't know, we haven't met.

 

Vitaly Dorokhov and Tetyana Dmytrenko

Kyiv

Vitaly Dorokhov and Tetyana Dmytrenko

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Do you think architecture has gender characteristics? Can it be divided into male and female? Can we talk about this in the context of our architecture, or are similar definitions applicable to it? Are there examples of such architecture in your practice? 

Vitaly Dorokhov and Tetyana Dmytrenko: Our opinion is this. After gaining the right to vote in 1893, women gained the opportunity to enter higher education institutions, and their skills, abilities and style became an integral part of our perception of architectural forms today, from spatial structures to interiors. And their influence was also evident in subject design, where the strict style of male militarism was elegantly "moved" by a female hand. Therefore, it will be appropriate to mention Eileen Gray and Natalya Borisivna Chmutyna from Kiev.

Architecture must be considered in the context of male and female entities. If we expand this concept and extrapolate it to the appearance of the city, we consider Paris and London to be the main example of male and female entities. In the British capital, women's urban planning and the strict dictates of at least three queens of Great Britain have woven the thin "matter" of the city, somewhat reminiscent of a whimsical, chaotically "scattered" embroidery. And Paris, where two great men - Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann - reshaped the city with a heavy hand to match the high status of the empire.

R.M.: What gender characteristics of the perception of architecture would you note? What did you have to face? 

V. D. and T. D.: This question is ambiguous for us, because such features are not always obvious or stand out, since in object design, a woman's hand is brevity, softness of forms, practicality, convenience. Let's remember, for example, the same Eileen Gray and her furniture. On the other hand, the same definitions apply equally to the subject design and architecture left to us by the French architect Hector Guimard.

Private house Country Loft in the suburbs of Kyiv

The interior of the common area in the private house Country Loft with elements of loft style

RM: Name the three main reasons for working with a male architect and a female architect.

V. D. and T. D.: Speaking objectively, a man is knowledge of electrical circuits and understanding of wiring design, low-current networks, as well as understanding and organization of all technical equipment of a construction object, the ability to connect the design of the object, design with related organizations. A woman is a three-dimensional vision of the planning integrity of an object, an understanding of its color and character, a complete, exhaustive representation of it with interior items and decor.

R.M.: Can only an architect understand an architect better? 

V. D. and T. D.: Only when the architect has undergone appropriate training and acquired all the skills of managing the design of the object and working with co-workers and contractors.

R.M.: Who do clients trust more — a male architect or a female architect? 

V. D. and T. D.: However, in our country, as well as in the USA, as we know from personal experience, this is not of particular importance.

R.M.: There is a stereotype that architecture is a male profession. Have you faced discrimination based on gender during your work? 

V. D .: There was a case when our client turned out to be a Muslim. He asked Tatyana's question through me, my husband. But these are rather religious restrictions, not discrimination.

A fragment of the interior of a private apartment in a classic style. Photo: Denys Melnyk

RM: Richard and Sue Rogers built a house together for their father-in-law and mother-in-law, Tezuka and Yui Takaharu designed their house together, where they still live, Koolhaas's wife helped him with the most significant projects, and there are many similar examples. Do you have examples of such joint dedication projects where the masculine and feminine are expressed in a specific physical form?

V. D. and T. D.: If we take the families of Richard and Sue Rogers and Tezuka and Yui Takahara, then all these are links of one chain and a single monocultural stylistic component, which demonstrates the attachment of most architectural families to a limited stylistic component, completely far from the realities of Ukrainian consumer society.

Our creative tandem grew and developed taking into account trends and currents inherent in the traditions of purely Kyiv society, which were formed in the city from the beginning of the 90th century. after a large-scale fire that practically destroyed the capital. In the XNUMXs, we had the pleasure of working with a large American company. We often visited other countries across the ocean, took part in the most advanced competitions of our time, and filled ourselves with the incredible architectural baggage we had access to. We boldly experimented, striving to implement as many interesting projects as possible. Therefore, with our help, our clients were able to get acquainted with all the stylistic directions of the two continents.

R.M.: Do you criticize each other's works? Did it produce an unexpected result? 

V. D .: Indeed, we pay attention to what each of us does, and often discuss the expediency and sophistication of this or that decision. Reasonable constructive criticism takes place in the work process. So, in one of our projects in a public bathroom, I envisioned a door of a standard size, while Tatiana, during the discussion, made her adjustments to the project and was able to convince the client to increase their height to 2,8 m, which completely transformed the look, it would seem , a regular bathroom.

R.M.: What is the creative signature of your tandem? 

V. D. and T. D.: We strive to promote the ideas of Kyiv avant-garde architects of the 1920s and see our mission in promoting to the general public an exquisite synthesis of the great cultures of Europe and Asia.

A fragment of the interior of the living room in a classic style. Photo: Denys Melnyk

R.M.: Is your joint work based on the opposite approach or on complementing each other's ideas? 

V. D. and T. D.: We jointly produce ideas and develop them. In the creative process, we are a single entity, like yin and yang.

R.M.: Name the most unusual/significant/unexpected project you worked on together. 

V. D .: I think this is our Country Loft project — a private house in the suburbs of Kyiv with elements of a loft style. I can say with complete certainty that we discovered this style for Ukraine.

R.M.: Does professional jealousy take place?

V. D. and T. D.: Not in our tandem.

 

 

/Published in #02 volume Pragmatika, June 2018/