Jan Schevers and Heleen Herrenberg met with Peter Märkli in Zürich, Switzerland to discuss his personal perspective on education, research and practice in architecture, considering what the art of building means to society and the individual today. Enjoy the video and join the discussion after the break.
Peter Märkli discusses the structure of his practice – working with only as many people as a particular project requires. Each project goes through the stages from concept to construction to reflect the urban planning, the plan and the architectural details of the project. Märkli discusses the art of building and the practicalities of construction, particularly when designing housing projects. He compares the details involved with this kind of design versus glass and steel towers that dominate many city skylines: “they are of no interest to the public space because they lack the sensuality, shape and attention to details the eyes needs in order for them to be more than a simple shell” (translation Heleen Herrenberg).
In reflecting on his career, Märkli also discusses the beginings of his education in architecture; entering his profession, he says, was like starting at zero, learning a new alphabet, volcabulary and language, learning to use his eyes in a different way, to distinguish between colors, joints, materials, light and spaces. And in regards to students today, he points out that it is important for the student to figure out “what the future means to you, and what do you want to acheive in the future?”. He speaks about a personal architecture, a personal goal and an art of building that manifests through concept and process.
This interview was conducted by Jan Schevers and Heleen Herrenberg. Be sure to watch the first video of the series, Interview: Stephen Bates on Education, Research and Practice in Architecture.
