TATLIN NEWS #53

В дипломе выпускника университета Ноттингема Найджела Коат- са написано «архитектор». Но Коатс одна из тех талантливых лично- стей, чей титанический труд приносит плоды не только современной архитектуре, но и предметному дизайну, и миру искусства. Сохраняя уважение к историческому контексту, он полностью сконцентрирован на настоящем, а его идеи принадлежат завтрашнему дню, поскольку его предваряют. Параллельно работая в области образования, Коатс готовит новые кадры, таким образом, напрямую определяет будущее архитектуры. Высоко оценивая значение массовой культуры, понимая тонкости практической реализации идей, исследуя город как живой организм, Коатс стремится к архитектуре, которая имеет потенциал к развитию и помогает развиваться человеку. Его архитектурные опусы поэтичны, объекты дизайна близки к искусству, а художественные произведения музыкальны. Многогран- ность таланта Коатса реализуется с большим размахом, он сотруднича- ет с такими компаниями, как Alessi, AVMazzega, Ceramica Bardelli, Frag, Fratelli Boffi, Poltronova, Slamp и Varaschin. Коатс оригинален в любом качестве, но как настоящий британец чувствует меру, выдерживая ту степень новизны, которая позволяет оставаться джентльменом, не превращаясь в «хулигана» современного дизайна. – В первый раз мысль о том, чтобы стать архитектором, пришла мне в голову в пятилетнем возрасте. Больше всего я хотел поехать в Рим, а потом забыл об этом желании до тех пор, пока не пришло время ставить подпись на заявлении о приеме в университет. – Работали ли вы прежде, до начала самостоятельной практики, в архитектурных бюро? Какой это был период и что он вам дал в про- фессиональном отношении? – Когда я окончил университет в середине семидесятых, работа – Когда вы впервые подумали об архитектуре как области своей деятельности?

Люстра Zante для компании AVMazzega | Zante chandelier for AVMazzega

by thinking things out and doing it your- self. Our role as teachers is to set a frame- work in place and then to establish a high level of discourse. We always talk about combining experiment with plausibility. – Whom do you consider to be your teacher in architecture? Who is your icon in terms of professionalism (apart from teaching)? Who was the object of your professional admiration during your studies? – My own teacher and mentor was Ber- nard Tschumi when I was a student at the AA. Now I admire professionals who can combine teaching and practice experiment and multi disciplinarity. His interiors are still ahead of the game. . During my stud- ies I admired Superstudio and Archizoom. There is one deceased professional who I admire enormously, Carlo Mollino who was practicing in the 50s in Turin. He combined his interests in wild women and fast cars with and degree of invention. – Your perception of the future of architec- ture under the conditions of mixture of cul- tures finds its expression in your Mixtacity project. Can your proposed solution be used as a model for any city of future, or is it designed specifically for such multinational megalopo- lis as London? – This project was design specifically to respond to London’s multicultural society. But its luring and mix of references are probably applicable to all kinds of places particularly if it’s sources come from the culture in question. – Should architecture be nationality-ori- ented? – I no longer believe in creativity being confined to national boundaries. The uses

Nigel Coates | Interview by Anna Lengle | Photos provided by Nigel Coates Nigel Coates, who graduated from the Uni- versity of Nottingham, holds a diploma of ar- chitect. But he is one of those talented people, whose monumental efforts pay off not only to modern architecture, but also to object design and to the world of art. While retaining respect for the historical context, he completely focus- es on the present, and his ideas belong to the future, because they predict it. Simultaneous- ly working as an educator, Nigel Coates trains newcomers and that way directly determines the future of architecture. Highly appreciat- ing the importance of mass culture, following the subtle details of practical implementation, studying the city as a living being, Coates pur- sues architecture that would have potential for development and would help people develop. His architectural opuses are poetic, designed objects are close to art, and artistic creations are melodious. Coates applies his many-sid- ed talent in many fields, he cooperates with such companies as Alessi, AVMazzega, Ceram- ica Bardelli, Frag, Fratelli Boffi, Poltronova, Slamp, and Varaschin. Nigel Coates is appeal- ingly original in any quality, but being a real Briton, he has a sense of moderation, preserv- ing a degree of novelty, which allows him to stay a gentleman and not turn into a hooligan of modern design. – When did you first consider architecture as your professional activity? – I first thought of being an architect when I was 5. I wanted more than every- where to go to Rome and then I forgot about it until I had to sing the form to go to University.

of buildings usually travel much more than they used to. On the other hand the archi- tect should engage with local architectur- al tradictions. A building in Venice is go- ing to be very different from one in Brussels or Madrid. Mixtacity expresses the spirit of bricolage, not a style in its own right. – As far as I understand you want to aston- ish people with your architecture. Original and expressive buildings will no doubt draw peo- ple’s attention but only up to a certain time. If our cities were composed of only such kind of buildings, that would produce a raging dis- sonance. It is wonderful to come across the quaint building of the Guggenheim Museum when one is strolling along the Fifth Avenue in New York. However this building presents it- self so masterfully because it is extraordinary. Now let’s imagine other buildings designed by Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, and Will Alsop are constructed nearby. That would be outra- geous. Is it possible to erect another master- piece near the existing one without defying the environment? – Yes it is possible but as we know very unlikely. I have no ambition to build a to- tal urban environment and I would like to think that most architects share this idea. Your question seems to assume a megalo- mania that might result in uniformity of particularity. I am particularly orient- ed towards an architecture of originality and an acute sense of place. In Tokyo I was asked to put a second building to the one I had already designed: the Wall was fol- lowed by the Art Silo. This cheek-by-jowl combination would not have worked any- where else. – You see architecture as a metaphor of the

– Did you work in any architecture bureau before you started your independent career? Could you tell us about that period? What did you gain from it in terms of professional com- petence? – When I graduated in the mid 70’s work- ing in an office was the most boring op- tion. There were no offices in London that my friends and I wanted to work for. I did a bit of agency work and for one firm, I spent 6 months designing 1 staircase. I guess my professional competence was learned in the school of life. – As far as I know you are professor. What is your opinion of the modern system of archi- tecture education? Does it prepare young spe- cialists to handle current town-planning prob- lems and challenges independently? – I run the dept of arch at RCA. Archi- tectural education is never or should nev- er replicate practice directly. At the RCA we encourage an engagement with the urban template as a prerequisite for design. We teach people to draw out the psychologi- cal and territorial aspects of cities and ap- ply these to their designs. All the work we do spans from the urban to the object, and from strictly architecture culture to the in- terdisciplinary approach that arises from the RCA. I think we offer a more rounded penetrating and challenging architecture education at the RCA than almost any oth- er school in Britain. Students think of a magic triangle between the Bartlett School of Architecture, the Architectural Associa- tion and the RCA. – Do you have your own method of teach- ing? – My method is poke and I think you learn

110    ТАТLIN news 5|53|77 2009