© TIMM. COMPETITION FRANCE - Young Architects Competition - Mothe Chandenier – France 2019

“Buildings Have their own Philosophical Backgrounds”: In Conversation with Nikoloz Lekveishvili and Natia Lekveishvili of TIMM Architecture, Tbilisi, Georgia

由专筑网小R，吴静雅编译

Nikoloz Lekveishvili于1986年出生于格鲁吉亚第比利斯，在2004年，他离开祖国来到伊斯坦布尔Mimar Sinan Fine艺术学院攻读学士学位，后来又获得了米兰理工大学建筑学硕士学位。一直到2017年，他都在意大利、德国、土耳其、印度进行建筑设计。高加索地区的新兴经济发展和全新创意形式吸引着他回到了祖国。Nikoloz与他的妹妹Natia Lekveishvili在同一年共同创办了TIMM Architecture事务所，Natia Lekveishvili出生于1989年，于2012年毕业于格鲁吉亚工业大学，她曾经就职于当地的建筑设计事务所。

他们的事务所位于第比利斯城市中心，他们的父母是建筑学教授，同时也有着自己的研究型工作室，该工作室闻名于地区的历史建筑保护，他们与父母在同一座建筑中工作。我们在其事务所中进行了会面与交流，在接下来的谈话中，这两位建筑师说出了他们的情感之旅，其中包括从光明到黑暗的过渡、时间的轨迹、对待建筑的方式，以及自我关注的重要作用等等。

Nikoloz Lekveishvili (b. 1986), originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, has left his country in 2004 for his bachelor studies to Istanbul Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and to get Master of Architecture at Politecnico Di Milano. He then practiced architecture in Italy, Germany, Turkey, and India until 2017, when he was attracted back to his home country by emerging economic opportunities and bustling creative scene in this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus. Nikoloz has started his practice, TIMM Architecture the same year together with his younger sister, Natia Lekveishvili (b. 1989) who has graduated from Georgian Technical University in 2012 and worked in local architectural and design-build firms.
The partners’ studio is located in the heart of old Tbilisi in the same building where their parents, architecture professors and practitioners, lead their own research-based office known for documenting historical monuments in the region. We met with Nikoloz and Natia at their studio which also serves as an architectural salon where young architects and students are welcome. In the following conversation, the architects spoke about a journey of emotions, transitioning from light to darkness, being interested in Kintsugi, traces of time, treating buildings like human beings, and of the importance of being selfish in order to create architecture that’s unique and personal.








© TIMM. Esta Sales Office (in progress) – Istanbul, Turkey 2017

Vladimir Belogolovsky（下文称为VB）：你们是兄妹，你们能谈谈建筑师家庭对你们成长的影响吗？成为建筑师是否是必然的方向呢？

Natia Lekveishvili (NTL)：我们确实是在父母的工作室里成长起来，在那里呆的时间比在游乐场多太多，那么这也是我们选择建筑作为职业方向的原因。现在，我们和自己的孩子分享对于建筑的热情，如果他们以后也想当建筑师，那么这也是件正常的事。

Nikoloz Lekveishvili (NKL)：在一个家庭中，也许会有父母或者是祖父母的照片悬挂在家里的显眼位置，那么在我们家，起居室的钢琴上方悬挂的赖特的流水别墅的巨幅照片。因此在一开始，我们就不断地受到建筑和建筑思维的影响。然而，潜意识里，我在寻找其他潜在的兴趣爱好，我不喜欢某个职业给我强加想法，我尝试了艺术与哲学，但是最终还是选择了建筑。

Vladimir Belogolovsky: You are brother and sister. Could you talk about your experience of growing up in the family of architects and do you think it was inevitable for you to become architects as well?
Natia Lekveishvili (NTL): It is true that we grew up in our parents’ office and spent more time there than in playgrounds and parks with friends; it was also true that this experience was the reason why we chose architecture as our profession. And now we share our passion for architecture with our own young children, and I would not be surprised if they choose to follow our professional footsteps as well.
Nikoloz Lekveishvili (NKL): If a typical family would have a photo of parents or grandparents on display in a prominent spot at their apartment, in our family we had a huge photo of the Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright above the piano in the living room. So, from the beginning, we were surrounded by all things architectural and by architectural thinking. Yet, subconsciously, I was searching for other potential interests, as I did not like the idea that my choice of a profession was imposed upon me. I ventured into art and philosophy but ultimately it was architecture for me.










© TIMM. Rike Information Center (Competition entry 2 nd prize) – Tbilisi, Georgia 2019

VB：那么你的建筑的目标是什么呢？

NKL：最重要的目标是开发每个项目的最大潜力，每个场地都有自己的潜力，但是建筑师要能够发现它。这就好像是在考古，只是我们是用光与影来讲故事。对建筑师而言，这就是在讲故事，我们都学习如何写作，但是并不是每个人都是诗人，我们需要了解怎么成为诗人去诗意地表达。重要的是，我们要创造出人们以前并没有经历过的感受，建筑并不是目标，它是我们想要完善的策略，我们希望建筑能够日久弥新。建筑不喜欢太过招摇的新东西，我们希望看到建筑在很久以后的发展。

NTL：我们希望自己的项目能够拥有未来，通过设计新建筑，让它看起来似乎已经存在很久。

VB：除了你刚才说的词汇，那么你还会用其他什么词语来描述你的建筑呢？

NKL：强调通过一系列事件来表达黑暗与光明？因为你要在黑暗中才能感受到光明。

NTL：没有黑暗就没有光明。我们希望创造能够捕捉光明的空间，甚至具有积极的意味。我们成长的时候，格鲁吉亚的政治经济都不完善，我们那时候甚至没有充足的供电，因此我们都十分珍惜光明，同时也会强调情绪感受。这一切都是为了在情感体验与事务感知中创造空间，我们希望成为有情感的建筑师，我们不只是单纯地解决问题，我们希望建筑有感情。这虽然不容易，但是这是我们的目标，我们会想象某个项目属于我们自己，以最诚实的姿态来构建建筑。这对我们来说就是事实，我们希望表达自己的感受，后来我们发现客户也喜欢这样，他们看到了我们的积极性。

VB: How would you define the main intentions of your architecture?
NKL: The most important intention is to open up the maximum potential of each project. Every site has its potential and it is up to the architect to discover it. It is like archeology for us. We like to create stories with the use of light and shadows. To us architecture is like a narrative. We all learn how to write but not everyone can be a poet. We want to learn how to become poets in our field. Most importantly, we want to create emotions that people may not have experienced before. To us architecture is not a goal, it is a language that we use and want to perfect. We are also interested in producing a building that will age well. It is one of our primary concerns. And we don’t like anything shiny and strikingly new. We try to foresee how our buildings will decay.
NTL: We even force our projects into the future by designing a new building with the intention of seeing it as if it were already five or ten years old.

VB: In addition to the words you just mentioned, such as potential and decay what other single terms or phrases would you use to describe your architecture or the kind of architecture that you would like to achieve?
NKL: I would stress the need to construct a sequence of events and moving from light to darkness because you need to be in the dark in order for the light to penetrate you.
NTL: There is no light without darkness. We try to create spaces, in which you can catch this light and even expand it by actively discovering spaces. It is important to mention that we are the children of the dark political and economic period here in Georgia when electricity was gone for so much of our childhood that we learned to cherish light while it lasts. I would also add the importance of a journey of emotions. It is all about creating spaces where you experience and feel things emotionally. We want to be architects of emotions. We don’t want simply to solve problems, we want our buildings to be experienced emotionally. It is not easy, but it is our goal. And we always imagine that we own the project and treat it as our own. It is the most honest way for us to create architecture. It may be our truth, but it is the truth. We are very selfish about our work. We are not interested in absolute truth, we are interested in expressing our truth. And we discovered that this also is what clients like. They see how motivated we are.




© TIMM. APOLLO (in progress) – Tbilisi, Georgia 2019

VB：你为什么对建筑的衰退那么感兴趣？衰退与怀旧似乎是时尚，人们似乎没有那么迷恋未来。相反的是，我们是建筑师，会让建筑保留时间的痕迹。我们不想将现在与过去分隔开，所有东西都能融合。时间似乎不在流逝。

NKL：也许我们对日本碎陶器修复艺术很感兴趣，同样地，我们也不喜欢掩盖历史的痕迹。我们接受历史，因为它具有激励作用。我们对待建筑就如同对待人，建筑有自己的哲学背景。

VB: Why are you interested in decay? Decay and nostalgia have become fashionable and we no longer seem to be interested in celebrating the future. Instead, we, as architects, stand back and let the traces of time to take over our built environment. We no longer want the presence to be distinguished from the past. Everything is blended together. Time seems to be standing still, not moving forward.
NKL: Maybe because we are interested in Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. Similarly, we don’t like to disguise traces of history. We embrace that and find it very inspiring. We treat buildings like human beings. Buildings have their own philosophical backgrounds.










© TIMM. APOLLO (in progress) – Tbilisi, Georgia 2019

VB：建筑有自己的哲学背景。

NKL：是的！因此我认为形式追随功能的说法不正确。建筑的功能太多了，它们的功能会常常改变，并且在它的全寿命周期内会有许多不同的功能，形式应该追随理念。

VB：针对格鲁吉亚的创意氛围似乎有着不同的看法。那么，你对于格鲁吉亚的建筑实践持有哪些观点与期望呢？

NTL：现在是设计新建筑的时候了。由于上世纪90年代的内战，我们的父母无法设计新建筑。现在轮到我们行动的时候了。我们需要利用自己的教育与情感来设计建筑，Nikoloz在国外生活了14年，但是我一直在这里。我们需要利用自己的知识与自己的经历，这能够使团队变得强大。

NKL：我在国外的时候，遇到了许多在德国、土耳其、意大利学习的格鲁吉亚人。几年之前我注意到，他们又都回国了。我觉得这就类似二战之后的欧洲。我们这一代人的价值观不断地重塑。我们似乎在和苏维埃时期的建筑师进行抗争，再之前的建筑师似乎没有留下什么作品，从而形成了建筑的缺口。那么现在是个重要的时刻。我们可以结合应用欧洲的价值观，也可以进行循序渐进的思考，当然也可能成为时代的牺牲品。在这样的过渡时期，每件事都非常重要，建筑是建筑师的战争，这也是我们回到这里的原因。创意文化贯穿整个格鲁吉亚，如果这种文化不存在了，那么我们也就走了，建筑师是自由的，可以去往任何场所。

VB: Buildings have their own philosophical backgrounds.
NKL: Of course! That’s why the idea that form follows function is not correct. Buildings are created for so much more and they often change their functions because they have this potential to play many functions over the course of their lives. Forms should follow ideas.

VB: You have different perspectives on the current creative climate in Georgia, both from outside and within the country. What are your observations, perspectives, and hopes for practicing architecture right now in Georgia?
NTL: What we know is that it is now our time to create new architecture. Because of the civil war in the 1990s, the generation of our parents could not build. Now it is time for us to act. We have to use our education and feelings to create new architecture. Nikoloz spent 14 years abroad, while I was here. We need to combine our knowledge to benefit from our different experiences and I believe that’s what makes as strong as a team.
NKL: While I was away, I met many Georgians studying in Germany, Turkey, and Italy. But I noticed a few years ago that suddenly, many of them started coming back. I think the situation here is similar to Europe after the World War Two. Our generation is now redefining our values. We have a situation when our generation is fighting against the generation of much older and more established architects from the Soviet times, while the generation immediately before us is not even in the picture; they did not leave their trace. There is a gap. Right now, it is a very important moment. We will either bring the European values here and progressive thinking or we will become the victim of the Russian influence. It is the kind of transitional time when every little thing matters. Everything depends on us. Architecture is a form of a fight for us. This is why we are here. Right now, the creative culture is flourishing here in Georgia. If we see it lost, we will also go. We will not stay here. We are free, and we can live anywhere.






© TIMM. Market + Office tower (stayed as a proposal) – Izmir, Turkey 2016

VB：那么你如今在这里的目标是什么呢？

NKL：我们的最终目标是设计属于当地的作品，它也会成为世界的遗产。我们常常受到来自客户的压力，要求我们使用国际上广泛使用的材料。我们试图与之抗争，保留建筑的场所精神，同时应用当地的相关技术。我认为，建筑师的选择应该自由，但是我们也应该找到属于当地的材质与策略。这是世界各地都存在的问题。建筑有时与地点与文化无关，甚至没有自己的底蕴。我会受到非发达国家的作品的影响，这些国家会寻求属于自己的感受，而发达国家则已经有了既定的技术与标准。

NTL：同样地，建筑师也需要了解数字技术的力量。我们把建筑看做一座寺庙，我们并不是设计实验室、电影院、学校、图书馆、办公楼，或是博物馆。我们会把注意力集中在建筑自身。技术能够帮主我们设计新功能。Nikoloz说过，我们应该摆脱形式追随功能的现代主义理念，我们对理念很感兴趣，但这不只有功能。

VB: In conclusion, I would like to ask you about the most relevant goals that you have as architects here in Georgia today.
NKL: Our ultimate goal is to create the kind of work that would be identified as local and yet, it would be accepted as part of world heritage. Too often we are pressed by our clients to rely on materials that are used and widely accepted internationally. We want to fight that and find what is local and appropriate, and revive some of the techniques that are more associated with our place and culture. I believe that architects must be free as far as choosing to work with any geometry, but I am convinced that we must find a way to work with local materials. This is a big issue everywhere in the world. Often buildings are not associated with their place and culture; they no longer identify their roots. I particularly more inspired by architecture coming out of non-developed countries where they are searching for their own vision, while the developed countries already have refined their building techniques and standards.
NTL: Also, architects need to embrace the power of digital technology. We see each building as a temple. We are not designing a laboratory, movie theater, school, library, office building, or museum. We need to concentrate on the building’s shell itself. The digital will help us to design each new program. As Nikoloz said, we should get away from the Modernist idea that form follows function. We are interested in ideas, not mere functions.




© TIMM. SALES OFFICE 1 (in progress) – Istanbul, Turkey 2017




© TIMM. Single Family House Bodrum (styed as a proposal) – 2016






© TIMM. HOTEL OF WINE FACTORY (in progress) – Tbilisi, Georgia 2019






© TIMM. Prayer House CEMEVI (Competition entry) – Istanbul, Turkey 2016






© TIMM. Residential Apartment block Istanbul (Stayed as proposal) – Istanbul, Bahcelievler, Turkey 2016




© TIMM. COMPETITION FRANCE - Young Architects Competition - Mothe Chandenier – France 2019








© TIMM. CHAKHRUKHADZE HOTEL PROJECT (under construction) - Tbilisi, Georgia 2018




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© TIMM. Soviet Apartment Transformed – Tbilisi 2018






© Single Family house 1 (under construction) – Tbilisi, Georgia 2019