RITCHIE’S RECIPE FOR SUSTAINABILITY Build less, buildbetter: the newarchitecture is merging technical and social skills A tireless innovator and researcher, lan Ritchie is rightfully known as a pioneer of sustainable architecture. As early as the 1980s, he was designing low-cost, solar-powered housing, while in 1993 he proposed a net-zero cultural centre for the French town of Terrasson Lavilledieu. In our interview, he discusses architectural work and the main issues in contemporary design, revealing his forbidden dream: to blur the lines that separate architects from engineers, and include in the curriculum of both of those professionals training in the social sciences — essential for envisioning better urban landscapes. Ian Ritchie is one of Britain’s leading architects currently practising. In 1981 he opened his own firm, ritchie*studio, and co-founded the engineering design firm Rice Francis Ritchie with Peter Rice and Martin Francis, which developed iconic projects such as the bioclimatic façades of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie and the Louvre pyramids. As an international consultant and lecturer, Ritchie has been a member of the Royal Academy since 1998 and a professor at its Royal Academy Schools since 2004. He is also a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. In 2000 he was awarded the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). 16 EXCERPT
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