An important work of architecture will create polemics. |
Any work of architecture that has with it some discussion, some polemic, I think is good. It shows that people are interested, people are involved. |
As there hasn't been any new modern architecture built in the historic center of Rome since Mussolini's time I think the Ara Pacis Museum became a lightening rod for issues that were not directly related to the building itself. |
I hope they don't win the election. |
I've experienced Rome since I was a student there in 1955 and at the American Academy in 1976. It is a place that I have spent time in, loved and absorbed. It never occurred to me that I would someday build in Rome. It didn't seem that it was in the realm of possibilities. |
It is a very significant project for the city that will demonstrate Rome's ability to move into the 21st century so people should care deeply about it. |
It's of a scale that not many people have done. |
One of the main objections, I think, was that I am American. |
Our view is the entire World Trade Center is a sacred precinct, a place of dignity, a place of aspiration, a place of contemplation and of hope and memory, |
Our view is the entire World Trade Center is a sacred precinct, a place of dignity, a place of aspiration, a place of contemplation, and of hope and memory. |
Rome has not seen a modern building in more than half a century. It is a city frozen in time. |
The modern museum is much more flexible, open and transparent. There's a lightness here that is different than in ancient museums. |
This building is different from any other building I have done. |
When I think of a place of worship, I think of a place where one can sit and be reminded of all the things that are important outside our individual lives. To express spirituality, the architect has to think of the original material of architecture, space and light. |
Wood floors give it a warmth that works well with the openness and transparency of the units, the way in which the wood extends out to the balcony. It gives it a continuity of surface, and people can then put down carpet or rugs or whatever they want. |