April 15, 2007

Design Intents - the Value of Innovation (III).

Innovation Part III, Does anyone ever read the so called mission statements (or design intents) of architect's websites? After reading Bruce Nussbaum's article "Are Designers The Enemy Of Design?" I was wondering how architectural practices describe their own design methods. What comes first? Innovation or spacial ideas?

Like Jean Nouvel,

" [..] his unique approch, driven by the specificities of context, program and site has proven effective in project such as the Arab World Institute in Paris, [..]"
or Zaha Hadid,
"[..] her work experiments with new spatial concepts intensifying existing urban landscapes in the pursuit of a visionary aesthetic that encompasses all fields of design [..]"
or UNStudio,

"[..] We are interested in helping our clients develop an insight into a location, its problems and potentials. This insight then serves as a decision making tool for those responsible for the planning of the location in question. [..]"
or CoopHimmelblau,
"[..] We believe that a vigorous urban architectural experience results when the qualities of space are linked, creating a rhythm of dynamism and concentration."
and Steven Holl Architects,
"[..] Steven Holl Architects is recognized for the ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design. [..]"
(Of course these quotations don't prove anything but don't they show that architects' positions are often somehow arbitrary?)