Quotes by Architect | Beyond Motive 8/14

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Quotes by Architect

"For me, though, the fun is over when I get the job."

"For me, though, the fun is over when I get the job."

Helmut Jahn, German Architect

12

"The World Trade Center is a living symbol of man's dedication to world peace... a representation of man's belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and, through cooperation, his ability to find greatness."

"The World Trade Center is a living symbol of man's dedication to world peace... a representation of man's belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and, through cooperation, his ability to find greatness."

Minoru Yamasaki, American Architect

Men, Peace, Belief, Greatness

12

"Only through acknowledgment of the erasure and void of Jewish life can the history of Berlin and Europe have a human future."

"Only through acknowledgment of the erasure and void of Jewish life can the history of Berlin and Europe have a human future."

Daniel Libeskind, Polish Architect

History, Life, Europe, Future

12

"Consistency is found in that work whose whole and detail are suitable to the occasion. It arises from circumstance, custom, and nature."

"Consistency is found in that work whose whole and detail are suitable to the occasion. It arises from circumstance, custom, and nature."

Marcus V. Pollio, American Architect

Nature, Work, Consistency, Circumstance

12

"As of essential importance in town churches which are not at all equally necessary in the country."

"As of essential importance in town churches which are not at all equally necessary in the country."

George Edmund Street, English Architect

Church, Churches, Country, Importance

12

"The home should be the treasure chest of living."

"The home should be the treasure chest of living."

Le Corbusier, Swiss Architect

Home, Living, Treasure

12

"We are guilty for sending teams into foreign countries to advise them how to be like us."

"We are guilty for sending teams into foreign countries to advise them how to be like us."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

Country, Countries

12

"It was really written as most, I think, books are by writers - for themselves. There was something that just had to be written, in a way that it had to be written. If you know what I mean."

"It was really written as most, I think, books are by writers - for themselves. There was something that just had to be written, in a way that it had to be written. If you know what I mean."

Norton Juster, American Architect

12

"Be not afraid of being called un-fashionable."

"Be not afraid of being called un-fashionable."

Adolf Loos, Austrian Architect

12

"Until we perceive the meaning of our past, we remain the mere carriers of ideas, like the Nomads."

"Until we perceive the meaning of our past, we remain the mere carriers of ideas, like the Nomads."

Stephen Gardiner, British Architect

Ideas, Meaning, Past

12

"Sometimes I have to accept a job I don't really want. Hardly anybody comes up to you with a commission; it's all competitions these days."

"Sometimes I have to accept a job I don't really want. Hardly anybody comes up to you with a commission; it's all competitions these days."

Helmut Jahn, German Architect

12

"My passion and great enjoyment for architecture, and the reason the older I get the more I enjoy it, is because I believe we - architects - can effect the quality of life of the people."

"My passion and great enjoyment for architecture, and the reason the older I get the more I enjoy it, is because I believe we - architects - can effect the quality of life of the people."

Richard Rogers, British Architect

Life, Architecture, Quality, People

12

"From the exterior face of the wall towers must be projected, from which an approaching enemy may be annoyed by weapons, from the embrasures of those towers, right and left."

"From the exterior face of the wall towers must be projected, from which an approaching enemy may be annoyed by weapons, from the embrasures of those towers, right and left."

Marcus V. Pollio, American Architect

Enemy, May, Right, Weapons

12

"The foreign press seems obsessed with the Freedom Tower, as if it was the only thing going on here. In fact, we're trying to keep a huge juggling act in balance, with the tower as just one of the many balls in play."

"The foreign press seems obsessed with the Freedom Tower, as if it was the only thing going on here. In fact, we're trying to keep a huge juggling act in balance, with the tower as just one of the many balls in play."

Daniel Libeskind, Polish Architect

Act, Balance, Fact, Freedom

12

"You don't know what the Chinese expect in the way of beauty. The presentation is just a farce. You come into a room filled with 50 people and they don't talk to you. There's very little interaction."

"You don't know what the Chinese expect in the way of beauty. The presentation is just a farce. You come into a room filled with 50 people and they don't talk to you. There's very little interaction."

Helmut Jahn, German Architect

Beauty, People, Talk

12

"All gardening is landscape painting."

"All gardening is landscape painting."

William Kent, English Architect

Gardening, Painting

12

"Our settlement of land is without regard to the best use of land."

"Our settlement of land is without regard to the best use of land."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

12

"When I was very little, we would get letters from China, in Chinese, and they' be censored. We were a very insular little family."

"When I was very little, we would get letters from China, in Chinese, and they' be censored. We were a very insular little family."

Maya Lin, American Architect

Family, Letters

12

"The work of art is brought into the world without there being a need for it. The house satisfies a requirement. The work of art is responsible to none; the house is responsible to everyone. The work of art wants to draw people out of their state of comfort."

"The work of art is brought into the world without there being a need for it. The house satisfies a requirement. The work of art is responsible to none; the house is responsible to everyone. The work of art wants to draw people out of their state of comfort."

Adolf Loos, Austrian Architect

Art, Work, People, Being

12

"In Japanese houses the interior melts into the gardens of the outside world."

"In Japanese houses the interior melts into the gardens of the outside world."

Stephen Gardiner, British Architect

Gardening, Gardens, Houses, World

12

"A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable."

"A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable."

Louis Kahn, American Architect

Being, Building, End

12

"And I realized, when I'd come in to the meetings with these corrugated metal and chain link stuff, and people would just look at me like I'd just landed from Mars. But I couldn't do anything else. That was my response to the people and the time."

"And I realized, when I'd come in to the meetings with these corrugated metal and chain link stuff, and people would just look at me like I'd just landed from Mars. But I couldn't do anything else. That was my response to the people and the time."

Frank Gehry, American Architect

Time, People, Meetings

12

"I didn't really discover yakuza films until about five or six years ago."

"I didn't really discover yakuza films until about five or six years ago."

John Foster, British Architect

12

"Part of our western outlook stems from the scientific attitude and its method of isolating the parts of a phenomenon in order to analyze them."

"Part of our western outlook stems from the scientific attitude and its method of isolating the parts of a phenomenon in order to analyze them."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

Attitude, Order

12

"I wanted to improve the suburban office building; to create a great urban space in a suburban environment with all that implies about interaction, collaboration and creativity."

"I wanted to improve the suburban office building; to create a great urban space in a suburban environment with all that implies about interaction, collaboration and creativity."

Helmut Jahn, German Architect

Creativity, Building, Collaboration, Environment

12

"At the beginning of the nineteenth century we abandoned tradition, it's at that point that I intend to renew it because the present is built on the past just as the past was built on the times that went before it."

"At the beginning of the nineteenth century we abandoned tradition, it's at that point that I intend to renew it because the present is built on the past just as the past was built on the times that went before it."

Adolf Loos, Austrian Architect

Beginning, Past, Present, Tradition

12

"Descriptions of my work depress me. They make me feel pinned down."

"Descriptions of my work depress me. They make me feel pinned down."

Thom Mayne, American Architect

12

"I've always thought Blues Point Tower is one of my best buildings and I stand by that."

"I've always thought Blues Point Tower is one of my best buildings and I stand by that."

Harry Seidler, Australian Architect

12

"I always say to young people when they ask me how I work, I always say to them, the only time you've ever going to do something good is if you have a good client. And by good I mean all kinds of things."

"I always say to young people when they ask me how I work, I always say to them, the only time you've ever going to do something good is if you have a good client. And by good I mean all kinds of things."

Lawrence Halprin, American Architect

Time, Work, People

12

"This is a pivotal time for urban regeneration. We must take a long term view."

"This is a pivotal time for urban regeneration. We must take a long term view."

Richard Rogers, British Architect

12

"Nearly all of the advances in structural and aesthetic innovation is coming from abroad."

"Nearly all of the advances in structural and aesthetic innovation is coming from abroad."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

12

"It is essential to an architect to know how to see: I mean to see in such a way that the vision is not overpowered by rational analysis."

"It is essential to an architect to know how to see: I mean to see in such a way that the vision is not overpowered by rational analysis."

Luis Barragan, Mexican Architect

12

"God's designs may be frequent justification for our actions, but it is we, the self-made men, who take the credit."

"God's designs may be frequent justification for our actions, but it is we, the self-made men, who take the credit."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

God, Men, Actions, Credit

12

"We are searching for some kind of harmony between two intangibles: a form which we have not yet designed and a context which we cannot properly describe."

"We are searching for some kind of harmony between two intangibles: a form which we have not yet designed and a context which we cannot properly describe."

Christopher Alexander, American Architect

11

"So at a time in which the media give the public everything it wants and desires, maybe art should adopt a much more aggressive attitude towards the public. I myself am very much inclined to take this position."

"So at a time in which the media give the public everything it wants and desires, maybe art should adopt a much more aggressive attitude towards the public. I myself am very much inclined to take this position."

Thom Mayne, American Architect

Art, Time, Attitude, Media

11

"It was very unusual to employ prettiness as part of a building."

"It was very unusual to employ prettiness as part of a building."

Robert Venturi, American Architect

11

"The multiplicity of ideas is what I'm interested in."

"The multiplicity of ideas is what I'm interested in."

Thom Mayne, American Architect

Ideas, Multiplicity

11

"The lanes and streets of the city being set out, the choice of sites for the convenience and use of the state remains to be decided on; for sacred edifices, for the forum, and for other public buildings."

"The lanes and streets of the city being set out, the choice of sites for the convenience and use of the state remains to be decided on; for sacred edifices, for the forum, and for other public buildings."

Marcus V. Pollio, American Architect

Being, Choice, Public, State

11

"I had very few friends. We always ate dinner with our parents. We didn't want to go out. American adolescence was a lot wilder than I would have felt comfortable with."

"I had very few friends. We always ate dinner with our parents. We didn't want to go out. American adolescence was a lot wilder than I would have felt comfortable with."

Maya Lin, American Architect

Adolescence, Friends, Parents

11

"The dialogue of architecture has been centered too long around the idea of truth."

"The dialogue of architecture has been centered too long around the idea of truth."

Michael Graves, American Architect

Architecture, Truth, Idea

11

"My goal is to strip things down so that you need just the right amount of words or shape to convey what you need to convey. I like editing. I like it very tight."

"My goal is to strip things down so that you need just the right amount of words or shape to convey what you need to convey. I like editing. I like it very tight."

Maya Lin, American Architect

Goal, Right, Words

11

"Growing up, I thought I was white. It didn't occur to me I was Asian-American until I was studying abroad in Denmark and there was a little bit of prejudice."

"Growing up, I thought I was white. It didn't occur to me I was Asian-American until I was studying abroad in Denmark and there was a little bit of prejudice."

Maya Lin, American Architect

Thought, Denmark, Growing up, Prejudice

11

"In this tour around the world I was not interested in contemporary buildings because I had seen contemporary buildings actually until they came out of my ears in a sense."

"In this tour around the world I was not interested in contemporary buildings because I had seen contemporary buildings actually until they came out of my ears in a sense."

Minoru Yamasaki, American Architect

11

"Illusion is needed to disguise the emptiness within."

"Illusion is needed to disguise the emptiness within."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

Disguise, Illusion

11

"A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he doesn't afterward."

"A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he doesn't afterward."

Frank Lloyd Wright, American Architect

Age, Drinks, Fool, Man

11

"Rationalism is the enemy of art, though necessary as a basis for architecture."

"Rationalism is the enemy of art, though necessary as a basis for architecture."

Arthur Erickson, Canadian Architect

Architecture, Art, Enemy

11

"So I am totally aware that when I defend the autonomy of art I'm going counter to my own development. It's more an instinctive reaction, meant to protect the private aspect of the work, the part I am most interested in and which nowadays is at risk in our culture."

"So I am totally aware that when I defend the autonomy of art I'm going counter to my own development. It's more an instinctive reaction, meant to protect the private aspect of the work, the part I am most interested in and which nowadays is at risk in our culture."

Thom Mayne, American Architect

Art, Work, Development, Culture

11

"Consider the momentous event in architecture when the wall parted and the column became."

"Consider the momentous event in architecture when the wall parted and the column became."

Louis Kahn, American Architect

11

"And I like the idea of change. Because I don't see why we should hang a painting on the wall and then just not think of it anymore because it's there like a piece of furniture."

"And I like the idea of change. Because I don't see why we should hang a painting on the wall and then just not think of it anymore because it's there like a piece of furniture."

Minoru Yamasaki, American Architect

Change, Idea, Painting

11

"In Europe, architects consider themselves artists. They think they're special when they win a competition."

"In Europe, architects consider themselves artists. They think they're special when they win a competition."

Helmut Jahn, German Architect

Artist, Artists, Competition, Europe

11

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