美国马萨诸塞大学安姆斯特分校 John W. Olver 设计大楼 ｜University of Massachusetts Amherst John W. Olver Design Building. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
“Architecture Making is Like the Unveiling of a Surprise": In Conversation with Leers Weinzapfel Associates
由专筑网王雪纯，李韧编译
总部位于波士顿的Leers Weinzapfel Associates事务所于1982年由两位女性设计师Andrea Leers和Jane Weinzapfel创立，后来又有合作伙伴Josiah Stevenson和Tom Chung加入。他们的大部分项目都位于美国各地的大学校园，但这并不代表事务所只会做这类项目，因为校园实际上是微型城市，几乎涵盖了所有建筑类型。学校项目的不同之处在于校园中的建筑设计通常比混乱的城市和平凡的郊区的项目更加理想整齐。
该事务所现在有30名建筑师，这个规模刚好能使每个人都对自己的工作量满意，但又不像家庭创意工作室的那样每个人都很了解彼此。该事务所因其众多复杂的项目，以其令人难忘的形式和富有表现力的细节为特色，斩获了2007年AIA建筑事务所奖。以下与该公司的四位负责人的对话于其波士顿办公室中展开。我们讨论了他们的愿景、价值观、梦想，以及建筑师必须始终保持乐观心态的原因。
Boston-based Leers Weinzapfel Associates was founded by two women, Andrea Leers and Jane Weinzapfel, in 1982, later joined by a next generation of partners, Josiah Stevenson, and Tom Chung. The majority of their work is done on university campuses across America, but this can hardly be identified as the firm’s focus, as campuses are actually cities in miniature, containing nearly every building type imaginable. The point of difference, however, is that campus buildings are generally designed with more idealism than projects in our chaotic cities and mundane suburbs.
The firm now numbers 30 architects—just enough staff to do the kind of work they like doing, but not exceeding the size of a familial creative studio where everyone knows each other well. It received the 2007 AIA Architecture Firm Award for their numerous complex projects, distinguished by memorable forms and expressive detailing. The following conversation with the firm’s four principals took place in their office in Boston. We discussed their aspirations, values, dreams, and why architects must be optimistic…all the time.
美国马萨诸塞大学安姆斯特分校 John W. Olver 设计大楼 ｜University of Massachusetts Amherst John W. Olver Design Building. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
美国马萨诸塞大学安姆斯特分校 John W. Olver 设计大楼 ｜University of Massachusetts Amherst John W. Olver Design Building. Photo: Ngoc Doan
美国马萨诸塞大学安姆斯特分校 John W. Olver 设计大楼 ｜University of Massachusetts Amherst John W. Olver Design Building. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
美国马萨诸塞大学安姆斯特分校 John W. Olver 设计大楼 ｜University of Massachusetts Amherst John W. Olver Design Building. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
Vladimir Belogolovsky（下文简称VB）：采访别人创办公司的历程十分有趣。Andrea和Jane，你们两人在早期职业生涯就认识对方了，当时你们在剑桥附近的Earl Flansburgh办公室工作。你们能谈谈当时为何会有创办工作室的想法吗？
Jane Weinzapfel（下文简称JW）：嗯，我们俩的相遇很棒，因为那时的女性建筑师很少。在工作室，仅仅是看到另一位女性就是一件罕见的事。我们去了Flansburge办公室几周以后才认识。事实上，有一段时间我们是那里唯二的女性。那是一段深入建筑世界的美好体验。
Andrea Leers（下文简称AL）：当时，剑桥是一个令人激动的地方。当时格罗皮乌斯还是联合建筑设计事务所 [TAC]的一份子。我们的老板Earl在联合建筑设计事务所工作，在他建立自己的公司几年后我们才有了建立工作室的想法。他非常支持我们和其他女性，这在当时很不容易。他是我们的导师。Jane和我一起工作，我们一起注册成为建筑师。当时，我们只是好朋友。创办工作室的想法是之后才有的。
Vladimir Belogolovsky: It is always interesting to know how one starts a firm. Andrea and Jane, you met early in your careers, while working at the office of Earl Flansburgh in nearby Cambridge. Could you touch on your idea of forming an office together?
Jane Weinzapfel: Well, meeting each other was terrific, because there were so few women in architecture back then. Even seeing another woman in a studio was a rare event. We came to Flansburgh right after we graduated, just a few weeks apart. In fact, for a while, we were the only women there. It was a wonderful opportunity to dive into the world of architecture.
Andrea Leers: Cambridge was an exciting place then. [Walter] Gropius was still a part of the Architects Collaborative [TAC]. Our boss Earl worked at the Collaborative, and we started just a couple of years after he established his own firm. He was very supportive of us and other women, which was very unusual at the time. He was our mentor. Jane and I worked on projects together, and we became registered architects together. At the time, we were just good friends. The idea of forming an office came much later.
阿肯色大学学生住房项目｜University of Arkansas Stadium Drive Residence Halls. Image courtesy of LWA
阿肯色大学学生住房项目｜University of Arkansas Stadium Drive Residence Halls. Image courtesy of LWA
阿肯色大学学生住房项目｜University of Arkansas Stadium Drive Residence Halls. Image courtesy of LWA
阿肯色大学学生住房项目｜University of Arkansas Stadium Drive Residence Halls. Image courtesy of LWA
VB：当1982年你们决定合作时，你们打算建立什么样的公司？两位女性开始了建筑实践，这相当罕见，对吗？
JW：对我们自己而言倒是很常见。
AL：我们没有想那么多[笑]，因为无论在大学，在工地，还是和客户交流，我们始终是在场人员中唯二的女性。我们把自己视为“建筑师”，不是“女建筑师”。我们关心的是在公共领域制作最好的建筑作品。我们于60年代出生，所以我们很多设计出于社交动机。我们希望建立让每个人都能享受合作的工作场所。这种想法在当时很不寻常，但我们不得不创造它。我们当时没有可以借鉴的模型或案例。当时，我们都有很多事情缠身，我在教书，Jane需要照顾小孩，我们必须合作，我们无法自己完成所有的工作。建筑和公共空间直到现在仍然是我们的首要目标，Josiah 和 Tom已经和我们合作很长时间了，因为他们也认同这些目标。
VB: When you decided to work together in 1982, what kind of firm did you set out to build? Two women, starting an architectural practice—very unusual, right?
JW: It wasn’t very unusual to us.
AL: We didn’t notice [laughs], because we were always the only women—in school, in practice, with clients. Always. We saw ourselves as architects; not as women architects. So, what we cared about most was to make really terrific architecture in the public realm. We were children of the ’60s, so we were socially motivated. And we wanted to make a workplace that was collaborative for everyone to enjoy. That was very unusual at the time, so we had to invent it. There was no model for us to look at. The truth is that we both had other obligations—I was teaching and Jane had a small child—and we had to collaborate; we couldn’t do all the work ourselves. These two goals are still our priorities, and Josiah and Tom have been with us for so long because they share these goals.
宾夕法尼亚大学入口综合楼｜University of Pennsylvania Gateway Complex. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto
宾夕法尼亚大学入口综合楼｜University of Pennsylvania Gateway Complex. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto
宾夕法尼亚大学入口综合楼｜University of Pennsylvania Gateway Complex. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto
VB：你做过各种各样的项目，但主要都位于大学校园，如大学能源设施、校园中心、艺术中心、建筑学校等。你是在有意识地追求这些类型的项目吗？
Tom Chung（下文简称TC）：不是。我们做各种项目，从大学校园的总体规划到人行天桥，从法院、博物馆、警察局到剧院、青年中心和表演艺术中心。我们特别关注关于公共空间的项目。我们做得较少的其实是开发工作，但那是因为我们并没有刻意去找，我们也并没有刻意避免它们。我们所做的工作对某些人来说似乎过于冒险，因为对我们来说，我们并不畏惧，我们的项目从来不是为了利润最大化。
Josiah Stevenson（下文简称JS）：我们是多面手。我们不想只是成为科学实验方面的专家。我们专注于城市设计。除了你说的那些我们已经完成了的项目类型外，我们继续探索和精炼。这是以更好的方式解决挑战。例如，将光线带入位于法院中心的院落当中。我们在最新的每个的法院中都改善了这一点。也就是说，我们对普遍存在的设计问题仍然很感兴趣，例如建筑物在其背景下的规模，建筑物的现代材料与周围环境的对话，以及材料对于场地的体验影响。
VB: You have done a variety of projects, but mainly on college campuses, such as university energy facilities, campus centers, academic arts centers, architecture schools, and so on. Do you consciously pursue these types of projects?
Tom Chung: Not really. We do all kinds of projects—from university campus masterplans to a pedestrian bridge, from courthouses, museums, and police stations to theaters, youth centers, and performing arts centers. We are particularly looking for projects that can have public impact. What we don’t do much of here is development work, but that is because we are not sought for this—we are not trying to avoid them. The kind of work we do may seem too risky for some because, for us, the bottom line was never a priority, and none of our projects are about maximizing profits.
Josiah Stevenson: We are purposely generalists. We don’t want to be hospital or science lab experts. We focus on designing for the urban condition. However, in those types where we have completed multiple projects as you mentioned, we have continued a dialogue of refinement and exploration. Often, this is about solving programmatic challenges in better ways. For example, bringing light into courtrooms in the heart of a courthouse. This has improved in each of our latest courthouses. That said, we are still interested in design issues that are universal, such as a building’s scale in its context, how buildings’ modern materials relate to their surroundings, and how this impacts the experience of a place.
Wentworth Institute of Technology Center for Engineering Innovation and Sciences, Boston. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
Wentworth Institute of Technology Center for Engineering Innovation and Sciences, Boston. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
Wentworth Institute of Technology Center for Engineering Innovation and Sciences, Boston. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
Wentworth Institute of Technology Center for Engineering Innovation and Sciences, Boston. Photo: Albert Vecerka / Esto
Wentworth Institute of Technology Center for Engineering Innovation and Sciences, Boston. Image Courtesy of LWA
VB：然而，你有很多基础设施项目，如冷冻水厂、能源厂、热电厂。这是巧合吗？
JW：意思是这种特点变成了咱们公司的人设？ [笑]这就是当你做好工作，知名度增大之后会发生的事情。我们在一些场所中完成了这些项目，随后我们就被大众所认识。每个人都说：“这些东西很漂亮。”其实每个项目即使功能相似，但也各有不同。因为我们不想再做已经做过的事情，或重复某件事情，所以我们正在寻找重塑传统的方法，因为我们毕竟生活在不同的时代。建筑的规则需要重新考虑。所以，我们并不认为自己是某方面的专才。我们主要关注具有城市组成部分的公共领域以及整合建筑和景观的潜力。我们关注新建筑如何适应现有场地，无论是在城市中还是在大学校园中。我们从来不只应和原有的环境，而是想要尝试新内容。现在已经有很多可以使用的新材料和建筑技术。我们对已经建成的建筑作出反应。我们的设计，不是仅仅关乎自己，场地现有的环境和背景是协助我们工作的重要条件。早期的建筑需要有尊严地对待，当然，我们正在做一些与众不同的事情，但它从未完全脱离传统。基础设施项目对城市环境来说非常重要。
AL：我们的实践总是会抓住机会。当我们开始负责项目时，我们唯一的机会就是公共区域。也许有些公司只做属于他们自己方向的东西，但我们一开始并没有那么奢侈。我们只是抓住机会而已。
VB: Yet, you have a long list of infrastructure projects, such as chilled water plants, energy plants, heat and power plants. Is this a coincidence?
JW: It has grown into a kind of focus, hasn’t it? [Laughs.] This is what happens when you do good work, you become known and sought after. We did these projects competitively and at prominent places, so we were noticed. Everyone said: “These things are beautiful.” And they are each different, even though their function is similar. Because we don’t want to do what we have already done or repeat how we did it, we are looking for ways of reinventing traditions simply because we live in different times. Dogmas must be rethought. So, the reality is that we don’t see ourselves as specialists. Our main focus is on public realm with urban components and potential to integrate architecture and landscape. We are paying attention to how our new buildings fit into existing ensembles whether in cities or on university campuses. We experiment with new materials, and we never want to just blend in. We express the materials and building techniques that we can use today. We react to the scale that’s already established. We are never explosive. We are never all about us; we treat the existing context as a colleague. Earlier buildings need to be treated with dignity. We are, of course, doing something different, but it is never totally divorced from what is already there. We find this infrastructure work exciting and important to the urban environment.
AL: The story of our practice is about taking opportunities as they came. When we started, the only opportunities we had were in public sector. Maybe some firms were more intentional about their directions, but we didn’t have that luxury at the start. We did what was available to us.
美国康涅狄格州大学社会科学和教学楼｜University of Connecticut Storrs Oak and Laurel Halls. Photo: Anton Grassl / Esto
美国康涅狄格州大学社会科学和教学楼｜University of Connecticut Storrs Oak and Laurel Halls. Photo: Anton Grassl / Esto
美国康涅狄格州大学社会科学和教学楼｜University of Connecticut Storrs Oak and Laurel Halls. Photo: Anton Grassl / Esto
美国康涅狄格州大学社会科学和教学楼｜University of Connecticut Storrs Oak and Laurel Halls. Photo: Anton Grassl / Esto
美国康涅狄格州大学社会科学和教学楼｜University of Connecticut Storrs Oak and Laurel Halls. Image Courtesy of LWA
VB：您的另一个设计特点是大规模的木材建筑，这也正在成为建筑的趋势。你是怎么开始这种做法的？
TC：这是我们的一个项目的另一个机会，即马萨诸塞大学安姆斯特分校的John W. Olver设计大楼。在我们设计建筑时，大学教师们提出了将建筑用作大规模木材技术示范项目，因为这是该学院研究的主题。所以学校批准后，钢结构建筑物就变成了大规模的木材建筑物。从那时起，我们就着手于其他木材项目，其中包括阿肯色大学的含700个床位的学生住房项目，这也是美国正在建设的最大规模的木材项目。这个方向现在是我的兴趣之一，目前，我正在奥本大学建筑设计学院开展木材设计工作室，同时也进行办公室的研究。
VB: Another one of your interests is mass timber construction, which is becoming a trend in architecture. How did you start this practice?
TC: This was another opportunity that arose in one of our projects, the John W. Olver Design Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As we were designing the building, their own faculty raised the possibility to use the building as a demonstration project of mass timber technology, which is the subject of the school’s research. So the building that began as a steel structure was changed to mass timber when the university gave the approval. Since then, we have done other projects with timber, including a 700-bed student housing project at the University of Arkansas that is the largest mass timber project under construction in the US. This direction is now one of my interests, and currently, I am teaching a studio in timber design at Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction, in conjunction with our research in the office.
United States Federal Courthouse, Orlando. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto
VB：木材比起传统建材有什么优势？
TC：现在有很多因素可以促成木材项目。首先，木材的碳足迹要小得多，这使其符合环境友好特点，成为传统结构材料的可持续替代品。它具有巨大的潜力来塑造不断发展的城市，人们会渐渐考虑到建筑的能源体现，而不仅仅是能源运营。其次是技术，技术为大型项目打下基础。现在，人们可以赋予木材结构构件以钢和混凝土的强度和可预测性。由于木材大部分施工在工厂完成，随后再于现场组装，所以它的控制和精度更高。因此，木结构更高效、更安静、更安全。重型木结构建筑也比一些钢结构建筑更耐火。但是在重型木结构建筑中，比如每个尺寸至少8英寸厚的木质构件，它有足够的质量，因此表面会燃烧并形成烧焦层，保护其余的木材，并保持其结构完整。最后一点，由于木材天然的质地、味道和触感，使其成为一种十分吸引人的材料，它的使用能增加建筑空间的丰富性，研究表明，这些空间可以提高用户的健康和创造力。如今，木结构的设计规范也在发生变化，IBC [国际建筑规范]刚刚批准允许建造高达18层的木材建筑。每个项目都不同。你不能在客户的要求中找到所有的灵感。你需要将自己的感受和直觉用于建筑设计，提升建筑的水准。
JW：正如您现在所看到的，我们感兴趣的是开发新的原型和材料、每个构件的细节，以及它们的组合方式。新材料为我们提供了实现新构造和空间的机会。我们甚至可以谈论项目的美学和诗意。
VB: What are the advantages of using timber over traditionally used materials?
TC: There is a confluence of factors that make these projects possible now. First, wood has a much smaller carbon footprint, which makes it a better environmental and sustainable alternative to conventional structural materials. It has massive potential to shape our growing cities in a way that takes into consideration the embodied energy of our buildings rather than just operational energy. Second is technology, which is finally ready for large scale projects. It is now possible to engineer structural members in wood to have the strength and predictability of steel and concrete. There is more control and precision, as most of the work is done in factories and then assembled on site. So, wood construction can be done faster, quieter, and safer. Heavy timber buildings are also more fire resistant than, let’s say, steel buildings that lose their integrity after the fireproofing is gone. But in heavy timber buildings—we are talking about wood members that are at least eight inches thick in each dimension—there is enough mass, so that the surface burns and creates a charred layer that protects the rest of the wood and maintains its structural integrity. And finally, the wood is an appealing material because of its natural texture, aroma, and warmth; its use adds to the richness of architecture—spaces that studies are showing improves user wellbeing and productivity. Now, codes are changing for this type of structure, and IBC [International Building Code] just approved building up to eighteen stories tall in wood prescriptively. Each project is different. Certain things you can’t find in the client’s brief. You need to bring your own feelings and intuition to raise buildings to the level of architecture.
JW: As you can see now, we are interested here in developing both new archetypes and materials, and also in the nuts and bolts of every detail, and how to put things together. New materials give us opportunities for new tectonics and spaces that can be achieved. We are not afraid of talking about beauty and poetry here.
富兰克林县司法中心｜Franklin County Justice Center, Greenfield, MA. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
VB：在2011年出版的《Made to Measure》一书中，你说：“好的建筑就像是好的裁缝。它关于形式、形状和轮廓。”除了这些描述之外，你有其他对于建筑的描述吗？你认为什么样才算好建筑？
AL：我们在每个项目中寻找强有力的特征，以符合场地的特点。我们寻求清晰度，我们通常使用大胆且令人难忘的建筑形式。我们寻找永恒、宁静、层次递进的光源，还特别注重人的空间体验。除了形式、形状和轮廓之外，还有舒适感、工艺、质地等等。就我们的意愿而言，我们致力于提升社会福祉的建筑，将人与人、人与场地联系起来。我们喜欢设计一座基于场地背景下的建筑。我们实施特定场地的设计，将建筑、景观与城市肌理结合在一起。我们致力于建筑艺术，既喜欢传统工艺，又兼顾数字技术，通过材料细节和光源丰富人们的体验。我们同样致力于可持续发展的未来，到2030年，我们希望实现所有建筑物的净零能耗目标。我们的灵感，来自量身定制的过程。
VB: In your 2011 book Made to Measure, you said: “Good architecture is like good tailoring. It is about form, shape, and silhouette.” What are your other intentions besides these descriptors? What is a good building for you?
AL: We are searching for a strong identity in every project, for an appropriate fit for a particular place and purpose. We look for clarity, we typically use primary forms that are bold and memorable. We search for permanence, serenity, layered light, and particularly examine the human experience of spaces. Besides form, shape, and silhouette, there is comfort, there is craft, texture. In terms of our intentions, we are dedicated to architecture that supports social wellbeing—that connects people to people and people to places. We try to create architecture that is grounded in context. We practice site-specific design, weaving together buildings and landscapes with the urban fabric. We are devoted to the art of building. We delight in both traditional craft and digital technology, touching senses through material detailing and light. We are dedicated to a sustainable future with the goal of net zero energy for all of our buildings by 2030. We are inspired by a made-to-measure process.
University of Massachusetts Amherst North Chiller Plant. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
University of Massachusetts Amherst North Chiller Plant. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
VB：听起来像是宣言。
AL：嗯，是的！这就是我们关心的东西，也是我们想要与大众共享的价值观。
JW：我还要强调调研本身的重要性，这对我们来说是一贯的方法。我其实很喜欢那种，知道项目从那儿落笔，却不知从何停笔的感觉。对我们来说，建房子就像拆礼物一样。每个项目都由独特的人群所驱动，他们调查、推动和努力创造一些智慧、美丽的东西。每个项目的诞生之初，都是个谜。[笑]
JS：此外，我们正处于一些变革之中，我们必须解决的是一些生产制造问题。构建集成建模或BIM是现在设计的标准方法，但真正的变化仍在革新中。利用新技术可以将建筑进行3D打印，也可以使用廉价的生产方式形成定制建筑部件。建筑塑性不再是高成本，但建筑形式变得越来越复杂。我们的工作也充分利用了这种形式。
VB: Sounds like a manifesto.
AL: Well, it is! This is what we care about. These are the values that we all share here.
JW: I would also stress the importance of the investigation itself that is a consistent approach for us. I so enjoy the fact that you can start a project, and you have no idea where it’s going to end. To us, architecture making is like the unveiling of a surprise. Every project is driven by a unique constellation of people investigating, pushing, and struggling to make something sensible and beautiful. And how every project happens is always partially a mystery. [Laughs.]
JS: Also, we are in the midst of a couple of revolutions: one of production and one of fabrication that we must address. Building Integrated Modeling or BIM is now the standard method of design documentation but the real change continues to be in fabrication. With new technologies, buildings can now be 3D-printed, and custom-building parts can be formed with inexpensive means of production. Complex shapes are no longer cost prohibitive, and building forms are becoming more complex. Our work has capitalized on this form making as well.
Ohio State University East Regional Chilled Water Plant. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
Ohio State University East Regional Chilled Water Plant. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
VB：您如何看待建筑师对建筑环境的实际影响？建筑师喜欢引用大数据，经常提起建筑环境对于世界资产的占据了60％以上的份额，而其中三分之二的污染来自建筑物，所以如果我们提前采取相应行动，我们就可以改变现状。但实际上，建筑师生产的建筑物的百分比是多少？百分之二？大多数建筑物由承包商、开发商，土木公司等承担。而那两个百分比的百分比是多少呢？所以，相对而言，如果建筑师所做的事情在大数据的统计之下几乎微不足道，为什么我们还要谈论技术和社会价值呢？为什么不把注意力集中在建筑师的训练上，创造出罕见的充满情感的美丽空间呢？
AL：那你也可以问一下， 伟大的作家、伟大的作曲家或伟大的画家的标准是什么？只有少数人才算得上伟大，对吧？而在其中，只有更少数可以称为优秀的作家。建筑是一样的。建筑是文化生产的一部分，绝大多数文化生产都是由大家一起完成的，而不是只由建筑师完成。虽然只有很小的百分比，只占其中很小一部分，但这将成为我们文化的伟大标志，将持续很长一段时间，这难道不是很重要的影响吗？这些项目丰富了人类文化遗产。这就是我们所做的事情的重要性。我们需要意识到这一点。每位小说家都希望写出名著，影响后人。我们都希望为我们这个时代的文化加入一些重要的东西。谁管做的多或少呢！没关系的，世界一直都是这样。我们应该渴望设计有意义和令人愉快的建筑。这就是为什么建筑不仅仅能解决问题，并且可以给你的生活带来积极性。我们梦想着一些令人兴奋的事情，然后我们努力让它变得真实，这难道不美好吗？设计建筑是一种积极的行为！也许不是每个人都会欣赏某些建筑的特点，我们也不需要取悦所有人。持续的刺激是肤浅的。但是，只要有人看到我们贡献出的好建筑，我们就满足了。我们是乐观主义者呀！
VB: What do you think of the actual impact by architects on the built environment? Architects like to quote big numbers and how the built environment constitutes over 60 percent of the world’s assets with two-thirds of the pollution coming from buildings, so the premise is that if we act responsively we can change the world. But in reality, what is the percentage of all buildings that is produced by architects…two percent? Most buildings are engineered by contractors, developers, builders, and so on. And then what is the percentage of that two percent that is any good? So, relatively speaking, if what architects do is statistically insignificant, why are we talking so much about technology and social values? Why not focus on what architects are trained to do—to create emotionally charged, beautiful spaces that are so rare today?
AL: Well you might as well ask—what’s the good of great writers, great composers, or great painters? Look at all the words that are written; only a few are really good, right? And of those, only a few writers are really, really good. Architecture is the same. Architecture is a part of cultural production and the great majority of cultural production is done by everybody, not by architects. But there is that small percent, and the small percent of that, which become great landmarks of our culture that will last for a very long time. Is that a serious impact? These projects add to the legacy of human culture. That’s what’s important about what we do. We are conscious of that. Every novelist hopes to be the one to produce important and lasting work. We all hope to add something important to the culture of our time. So what if we don’t do much! It doesn’t matter; that’s always been the case. We should aspire to produce meaningful and delightful architecture. That’s why architecture is not just problem-solving. It is inspirational and about making life better in the parts and corners that you can. We dream about something exciting, and then we work on making it real. How wonderful is that? Making architecture is a positive act! And maybe not everyone will appreciate certain highpoints of architecture. We don’t need to amaze everyone all the time. Constant stimulation is superficial. But if only a few people look at good architecture and we are contributing to that, that’s fine with us. We are optimists!
哈佛大学校园新建透明能源设施｜Harvard University District Energy Facility. Image courtesy of LWA
哈佛大学校园新建透明能源设施｜Harvard University District Energy Facility. Image courtesy of LWA
哈佛大学校园新建透明能源设施｜Harvard University District Energy Facility. Image courtesy of LWA
Tufts University Medford Central Energy Plant. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
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