Jay Osgerby：设计是难题的答案
Jay Osgerby: "Design is the Answer to a Very Difficult Question"

由专筑网李韧，王帅编译

Jay Osgerby是一位出生于牛津的设计师，他几乎摘得了时尚界的所有成就。他与伙伴Edward Barber共同合作，经营着国际知名的Barber & Osgerby设计工作室。工作室的业务范围广泛，例如Vitra与B&B Italia等知名制造商的多重设计作品，亦或是2012年伦敦奥运会的火炬官方设计，另外还有伦敦地铁150周年的纪念硬币设计，Osgerby和他的合作伙伴在进行项目构思时经过了多方思考，“我觉得这些都很困难，因此不想开始工作，我总是在想接下来该做些什么，我没办法停下来单纯地思考。”

Oxford-born designer, Jay Osgerby has achieved virtually everything there is to achieve in the world of design. Together with his partner Edward Barber, Osgerby runs the internationally renowned Barber & Osgerby design studio. From diverse designs for well-known manufacturers such as Vitra and B&B Italia to the official torch for the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a two-pound coin commemorating the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, Osgerby and his partner have been almost restless in their creation of numerous icons. “I find it quite difficult to not think about work. I’m always thinking about what’s next. I’m terrible at stopping and just thinking.”



Osgerby修复了自己的住宅，这座建筑建造于19世纪70年代，Osgerby想要在地面层设计一间能够兼做厨房的起居室，但是，地面层较为潮湿，因此他决定把底层挖空，然后再降低1.5米，这样便创造出更多的空间，于是便构成了舒适且高大的房间。这座建筑的一侧通过集成Sky-Frame窗户面向花园开放。

“我们在建筑中打开一个开口，让光线进来。我们构思了一幅风景。人们的视野越大，风景也越美好，你也愈发能被吸引，而你自身也成为了风景。”

Jay Osgerby在德国西南部Weil am Rhein参观由赫尔佐格和德穆龙设计的VitraHaus大楼时候发现了这家窗户制造商。

While renovating his 1870s house – a project that was only recently completed – Osgerby decided to create a kitchen-cum-living room on the ground floor. However, since the ground floor was damp and in poor condition, he came up with the idea of gutting it and lowering the floor by 1.5 meters to create more space. The result is a remarkably cozy, high room with a huge amount of space. The side of the building facing the garden has been opened up by integrating Sky-Frame windows.
“We’ve created an opening in the building, to let light in. And in doing so, we’ve created a view out. The larger the view, the bigger the aperture, the more you can be absorbed in the view and the more you become part of the landscape outside.”
Jay Osgerby discovered the window manufacturer on a visit to the VitraHaus building of Herzog & de Meuron in Weil am Rhein, South-West Germany.



“体量和光线是构成空间的重要元素，我们将地面下沉形成空间。而我而言，灯光是第二要素。这已经是我所能找到的最好的灯光系统了，我想要的是在关闭之后可以消失在视野之中的东西。”建筑的原有肌理和周边形态，和光线组合在一起，形成了开阔的感受。

Osgerby说：“我仍然决定从地面层开始对建筑进行修复。对于不同的生活层次而言，例如地下层、地面层，它们分别代表了家庭和朋友。另外一层则代表了分享、享受，与体验，这就像是美酒、旅行、学习。而最后一层面向天空，代表了工作、体验、机会。”他认为，住宅必须为整个家庭而服务，需要适应成长中的孩子。他有三个小孩，两个已经步入青春期，他们是他生活的重心。

“Volume and light are the two most important ingredients to make a great space. We dropped the floor to create volume. The light was the second most important thing for me. The system was the best system I could possibly find. I wanted a system which was pretty much invisible when it was closed – to avoid running the risk of feeling like you’re in some kind of prison.” The old fabric of the building and corresponding architecture, combined with lots of light, creates a sense of vastness.
“I decided that I wanted to, more or less, restore the house from the ground floor up,” says Osgerby. He felt that the house had to work for the whole family, adapting to the needs of growing children. His three children, two of whom are teenagers, fill the house with life. “I see life in layers: the base layer – the ground – represents family and friends. The next layer, represents things to be shared, enjoyed and experienced - like great food and nice wine, travel and learning. The final layer – the sky – is work, experimentation, opportunities.”



建筑墙体为纯白色，厨房由当地木匠制作而成，看起来十分朴实。玻璃橱窗中展示着许多历史收藏家的藏品以及近年来的一些设计作品，这似乎都在诉说着生活与旅程的不同故事。墙体悬挂着许多艺术品，例如一些著名艺术家的杰作。房间的中间是他们自己收藏的Home桌和Ballot椅，它们都有着斯堪的纳维亚特征。整座建筑简约而纯净。Osgerby说：“Sky-Frame窗户非常纯粹，在人们看不见的细节上同样注入了许多心血。这便是成功。我喜欢解决问题，因为这样能让世界变得更美好。”

The walls are pure white, the self-designed kitchen made by the local carpenter is plain and homely. Countless historical collector’s items and some more recent collectibles adorn the shelves and the self-designed glass cabinet, telling stories of an eventful life and many travels. Art lines the walls, including works by distinguished artists. Standing in the center of the room is the Home Table and Ballot Chairs from their own collection – Scandinavian flair meets maximum comfort. Pure and yet so inviting: “Sky-Frame is as purist as can be – because it is derived from pure engineering. A lot of energy went into making something which is barely noticeable. And that is the triumph.” Osgerby and Sky-Frame are a good match: “I love solving problems – finding a way to make things better.”



Osgerby希望通过体量与光线的结合来完成设计，这是因为他本科主修设计，而硕士主修建筑。他说：“如果你是家具设计师，你会考虑单体，你会思考人体和这件单体的关系，最终思考的是它的制作，比较欠缺的是考虑单体和整个空间的关系。但是建筑，却让我更加注重了空间。”

许多人对Osgerby的设计方案都各有见解。最重要的是多元化概念，即不断变化，畅想未来：“作品的营销也有一定的必要性。但是商业上的成功对我而言并不重要。我们希望突破这些限制，面对新挑战。”对于好设计，Osgerby的回答十分简洁：“设计是难题的答案。”

There is a reason why Osgerby primarily thinks in volume and incorporates the effects of light into his designs: his undergraduate degree was in Design, his master’s in Architecture. “If you’re a furniture designer, you think about the object, you think about the body and how it sits on the object and ultimately about how the object is made, but probably less about how the object actually sits in a space. I think there’s something about that architectural sensibility that makes us think about space,” he says.
If you were to ask those in the know what sets the designs of Osgerby apart, you would be met with varying opinions. The concept of diversity – and, above all, constantly evolving, looking to the future: “It is important to be recognized to help sell your work. But commercial success was never important to us. We always try to break out of these constraints and face new challenges.” When asked what he believes makes for a good design, he plain and simply replies: “Design is the answer to a very difficult question.”



Jay Osgerby不仅仅对于设计投入十足的热情，他也非常喜欢摄影。他的摄影作品中记录了许多旅程。例如最近沿着西伯利亚铁路横穿俄罗斯与蒙古。Osgerby会在摄影之中找寻空间。他的作品有着宁静的感受，在这里，几何线条与自然形态相互交织。“摄影能够帮助我寻找平衡，这让我暂时停下来。”摄影能够让他快速飞转的大脑逐渐慢下来，看一看眼前的景象。他的摄影作品也堪称杰作。但是在这方面，Osgerby则非常谦虚：“这只是个爱好而已。”

Jay Osgerby has discovered not only his passion for design but more recently, also his passion for photography. His photographs refer to the many journeys he has embarked on. His latest travels took him from Russia to Mongolia on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Osgerby searches for space and expanse in his photography. His pictures exude tranquillity – nature constantly intertwines with precise geometric lines and shapes. “Maybe photography helps me create a sense of balance – it allows me to be in the moment, to stop thinking about the future for once.” Osgerby’s restlessness is momentarily stilled as he looks touched at the freshly printed photographs before him. Taken with his faithful companion, a Leica M10, the pictures would be worthy of any exhibition. Osgerby remains far too modest in this respect as well: “There isn’t anything yet. It’s just the beginning of a hobby.”