Birthday boy of the day. Sir David Chipperfield

/ Architecture /

He was born on December 18, 1953 in London. David Chipperfield Architects founded his own architectural office in 1985. For achievements inhe was awarded a knighthood in the field of architecture, and he has harshly criticized British developers for the past two decades.

David Chipperfield, who is called a classic of modernism, does not accept the innovative architectural forms of Foster and Hadid. Being a student of Norman Foster, he remains true to his own vision. In the world of design and architecture, the attitude towards Chipperfield is twofold - on the one hand, one has to deal with his extremely unyielding character, on the other - this man creates landmarks. The master's approach to architecture as a scientific discipline, perfectionism and, to some extent, dictatorship allowed Chipperfield's objects to occupy strong positions in world rankings. The RIBA Gold Medal in 2011, presented by the Queen of England, raised the name of Chipperfield to one level with Le Corbusier, Miesom van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, Oscar Niemeyerby Frank Gehry, by Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.

Time-money-quality

Chipperfield's dislike of modern developers who try to improve the image of Britain is explained by claims to the quality of design and construction. The architect claims that British developers resort to cheap architectural solutions and neglect the basic concept of quality. Perhaps this explains the architect's reluctance to build in Britain, where his objects can be counted on the fingers.

"In England, money and individualism are valued, but little attention is paid to architecture. Here, they either want to push more bedrooms, or build spectacular monsters to please the media. Neither one nor the other has anything to do with architecture. No one wants to take risks, and construction is a very risky business by nature," comments Sir David Chipperfield.

But outside the family, the maestro builds with pleasure. He is especially attracted to Germany, which he regularly presents with attention. For example, the Folkwang Museum in Essen was designed by Chipperfield and built in just two years, which is a kind of record. Such a short period between the first sketches and installation of the exhibition in the halls is, as the architect says, the result of the uniform influence of three factors, namely "time-money-quality".

The new building of the Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany. Photo: © David Chipperfield Architects

The new building of the Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany. Photo: © Christian Richters

The new building of the Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany. Photo: © Christian Richters

Architecture for everyone

If it is permissible to talk about niche architecture, then David Chipperfield would lead its top. He is not afraid of isolation or criticism, does not chase trends, preferring to use accumulated experience rather than fashionable innovations. Chipperfield does not like renderings and sketches, preferring to make large-scale models: "I don't attach much importance to sketches. The best way to avoid mistakes at the design stage is to create full-scale mockups. Only large-sized models should be presented to clients and for competitive discussions. Of course, now in any project, both 3D modeling and computer sketches are used (it would be strange to do without them), but only on the basis of the layout, the project will be developed, supplemented and discussed."

It is impossible to call him a snob, since the ultimate goal of an architect is to create objects that are as convenient as possible for use. "We need to coordinate the work. We are from a strange breed of people: to hand over the project to the customer and at the same time remain independent. We are not only persuading to finance our projects, we are also persuading society to accept them," says Chipperfield.

Jumex Museum, Mexico City. Project by David Chipperfield. Photo: © Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo

Jumex Museum, Mexico City. Project by David Chipperfield. Photo: © Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo

Jumex Museum, Mexico City. Project by David Chipperfield. Photo: © Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo

West Bund Museum, Shanghai, China. Project by David Chipperfield. Photo: © Simon Menges

Amorepacific Headquarters, Seoul, South Korea. Project by David Chipperfield. Photo: © Noshe