AT: In a previous interview, you introduced yourself as “an architect, a bit of an engineer, a bit of a poet, a bit of an artist.” What effect does it have if an architect has humanistic skills as well as technical ones? Why are they so important? IR: Above all, architects are servants. We design for society. Today that means also respecting our shared biosphere. A sensitive understanding of human needs and our environment, combined with a technical command of materials, enables a beautiful architectural synthesis. Many consider that my practices have led the way in merging these fields in order to successfully produce environmentally, socially, and culturally sustainable architecture, and as a result we often have driven innovation. Developing humanistic skills is essential to helping deliver the architecture that I, and my colleagues, strive to achieve. AT: We know you like to write poetry before starting work on a new project. What other personal activities does your creative process involve? IR: Collaborating with non-architects is an extremely rich source of inspiration. I meet many wonderful artists as a Royal Academician and as a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. I’m privileged to make etchings at Norman Ackroyd’s studio, where I can express, through what he described as “architectural calligraphy”, the first architectural representations derived frommy writings. At Barbara ARCHITYPES 20 EXCERPT
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