Why Do Architects Wear Black? [2 ed.] 9783035614152, 9783035614107

Citation preview

Why Do Architects Wear Black?

Cordula Rau (Ed.)

Why Do Architects Wear Black? 2nd Edition

Birkhäuser

From a reliable source, so that the black Indian ink pencil can be wiped on the sleeve… which implies that the drawing + text (as seen here) must be effected colourless. Florian Aicher, Munich

Black ↔ white ↓ White holds all colours. Uwe Kiessler, Munich

The black makes room for the colourful, I hope… Architects should open possibilities and not determine everything. Good architecture gives us good ruins. Ueli Zbinden, Zurich

Man is a gregarious animal. Like the theologian carrying the Süddeutsche visibly under his arm, comfortable in his Birkenstocks, the lawyer dresses in fine cloth and a silk scarf, the signet ring visible on his finger. The architect wears black and if he is still scared of not being recognised as such, his glasses, too, are black and round. Klaus Friedrich, Munich

Black is timeless, like architecture should be. Meinhard von Gerkan, Hamburg

Black is good for your skin Peter Kulka, Cologne

Because they think it makes them not having to wonder about being dressed correctly. Marco Goetz, Munich

(drawing) Paul Kath, Vienna

Architects and all applied designers prefer their clothing in black for one reason, to be on the side of the purists and minimalists and for another reason to not show too much of them. Herbert Schultes, Munich

For the fear of doing something wrong otherwise. Dionys Ottl, Munich

Architects like to wear black, because they are the supposed representatives of living culture. They have something priestly about them and possess cultural truth face to face with their fellow beings and therefore they need a black wardrobe. Hadi Teherani, Hamburg

- they’re all existentialists Thomas Emde, Frankfurt

Black the coolest colour for architects!? With black clothing, the architect avoids any kind of definition – or would you have your house built by an architect with a yellow-dotted tie Amandus Sattler, Munich

With black, one doesn’t go wrong a lot and it doesn’t have to be changed so often… J. Mayer H., Berlin

I don’t know. Claudio Silvestrin, London

Black makes you look skinny. Stefan Behling, Stuttgart

So that the eyes show to advantage. Gregor Eichinger, Vienna

Fear Matthias Sauerbruch, Berlin

Cuz I iz black. Bjarke Ingels, Copenhagen

You ask me if I wear black? You don’t see me in black, and not as a member of the black, boring architect category Günther Domenig, Graz

Because they want to be interesting + appear as existentialists. Peter Conradi, Berlin

Architects wear black in order not to have to think. Gert Erhartt, Vienna

Because they don’t want to think about clothing. Peter Ebner, Vienna

Architects wear black, because they like to wish for the authority of parsons, the esthetical freedom of monkeys and the visibility of nightly dreams Peter Haimerl, Munich

Because architects have little money + black goes with everything and can be slightly dirty + still looks elegant. Arno Lederer, Stuttgart

I don’t wear black. Peter Eisenman, New York

Because they fear for their future. Wolf D. Prix, Vienna

To disappear into space. Hani Rashid, New York

I find this topic uninteresting. Hans Hollein, Vienna

Elegance Neutrality Hiding Status symbol Not a fad Wolf D. Auch, Munich

Architects wore black in a time in which they still believed that true greatness doesn’t come in a colour. Mark Jenewein, Graz

Black is „neutral“ but boring (self-criticism) Erich Schneider-Wessling, Cologne

Black is the colour of creatives: mysterious, deep, definite. Goes with every colour. Eike Becker, Berlin

For letting the buildings we (naturally) plan in colour come across better. Fritz Auer, Munich

I wear black because around the lunatics, everything is white. Odile Decq, Paris

Because they don’t have a sense of fantasy and imagination. Massimiliano Fuksas, Rome

Go ask the men and women who wear “black”. Mark Blaschitz, Graz

An architect is (still) a kind of communist. Jun Aoki, Tokyo

They don’t wear black (anymore)! Lars Spuybroek, Rotterdam

It’s the worst timing for me as an architect not with black but always with vivid colours. Kazuhiro Kojima, Tokyo

Black is the colour of intuition. Wolfgang Pöschl, Mils

If you wear only black clothes, you can stop thinking about it, as they always go together. I stopped doing it, though, because I couldn’t distinguish what was in my closet and I prefer dark blue. Franziska Ullmann, Vienna

Architects are missionaries. Hermann Kaufmann, Schwarzach

Because I love myself! Rudy Ricciotti, Bandol

Day nurtures me, but night bores me! Francis Soler, Paris

Black? Because it’s simple – black during the winter, white during the summer and grey in between the seasons. And colour for the others. I am a medium, a white wall (or black) because what I say, what I put up, the others colour it. Françoise-Hélène Jourda, Paris

Black? Because we all love the „All Blacks“ Brendan MacFarlane, Paris

Because I thought I was the only one doing that. Michel Desvigne, Paris

Black, because it doesn’t take a decision. At least one sure thing during the day everything else stays variable, uncertain, somehow… Hannelore Deubzer, Berlin

1. Because black ist the mirror of white (a serious architectural problem!) 2. Because architecture lives off the media, architecture is ... attention ... spectacle. 3. Because it is important to conceive architecture without ... architecture. 4. Because Yoshi, Miuccia, Ann etc. are ... architects of the body. Chris Dercon, Munich

I am not always wearing black clothes. I like the contrast between black and white (two extremes) and I also refer to a hidden tradition in my country, that men always wore dark, and white during summer. Josep Lluis Mateo, Barcelona

I think, because they don’t want to be put in a box, “they” don’t want to define, neutralise, themselves … Andreas Schulz, Berlin

Because they are afraid of showing their colours… Florian Lichtblau, Munich

Green. Dietrich Fink, Munich

I don’t know: I don’t wear black and I am still an architect. Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, Milan

I think there are two reasons for me: the first is that architects like to stay neutral so that their buildings can stand out, like the way priests cherish black so that their faith stands out. The second reason, which applies to me, is that I am colour blind and cannot see colours at all. Colin Fournier, London

Why do architects wear black? Because they want to appear neutral face-to-face with space and colour. Because they could be afraid of colours… Because black seems to be the colour of intelligent people. I don’t really know because I don’t wear black. But maybe because only with black one can wear white … the colour of holiness. Lucas Young, Berlin

The architect and all those who dress that way black here, fantasy there. It’s easier to dress in black. Oliviero Toscani, Casale Marittimo

I don’t know. (I almost never wear black...) Till Schneider, Frankfurt

Black is the easiest choice. Muck Petzet, Munich

Because from this point of view, the world glows even more! Klaus Loenhart, Munich

My only black shirt. A coincidence! Andreas Meck, Munich

Because black is the best background for any colour. Joachim Jürke, Munich

In order not to be seen at night… Andreas Hild, Munich

Because black makes them look good and dangerous. Clemens Weisshaar, Munich

Why? Black clothes are safe and practical. And they hide the body. And then one is taken seriously. But I like colours. And I am sure that for spring/summer 2007 architects will be in wild and ornamentally coloured clothes. Bostjan Vuga, Ljubljana

The architects’ black is a random group dynamic phenomenon. The only „natural“, „rational“ element is maybe: the privilege of shape over colour, the contrast with the architecture’s neutral white?? Patrik Schumacher, London

Because they think they have to isolate themselves from the middle-class society they come from in order to become real “artists”. Christoph Mäckler, Frankfurt

I also wonder why everyone wear black. Nowadays, I’m trying to wear bright colours, but today I’m all in black by accident. What a pity!! Toyo Ito, Tokyo

Because it’s practical and chic? (Really ?) Minsuk Cho, Seoul

I can’t think of anything concerning black - maybe because so many architects wear it? Jacques Herzog, Basle

I think it is changing for me. But until now: cowardice, no doubt. Erick van Egeraat, Rotterdam

... because they don’t feel at home in the world of colours. Konrad Wohlhage, Berlin

It is a sort of understatement or rather the fear of defining oneself. Martin Lesjak, Graz

It’s not me. Florian Nagler, Munich

I hate black clothes + I don’t understand why other architects like them. Christoph Ingenhoven, Dusseldorf

Because then they don’t have to consciously make a choice. Louisa Hutton, Berlin

Because that’s the way it is. Heinz Tesar, Vienna

Black is neutral and has a connection to black humour. Meinrad Morger, Basle

Black clothes highlight the character. Kengo Kuma, Tokyo

Because life is so sad. Albert Speer, Frankfurt

Because it is no colour. Armand Grüntuch, Berlin

As I love colours, I always try to provoke my colleagues by never wearing an entirely black outfit. Peter Cachola Schmal, Frankfurt

I don’t know. I always wear orange. Manuel Schupp, Stuttgart

Artists are so narcissistic and egomaniac that they worry when they are in public that everybody will notice. That’s why they wear black, to hide it. Miltos Manetas, Los Angeles

Disappear, disappear from the world Ai Weiwei, Beijing

What’s the difference between a crocodile? The greener it runs. What’s the difference between architects? The more black it runs. Adolf Krischanitz, Vienna

Black is practical and neutral! Alfred Grazioli, Zurich

I prefer blue. Christian Kerez, Zurich

The last renaissance profession Being, in the same day: - at a construction site - at dinner with a president - in an architecture office - in an airplane - in social and political discussions - in a night club Black is perfect. Dominique Perrault, Paris

Black – the sad truth Dietmar Eberle, Lochau

They wear black because of simplicity – and to keep their mind on what they do – It’s an easy option that works! Ross Lovegrove, London

To be recognised, I don’t want to be recognised. Much Untertrifaller, Bregenz

I’m not wearing black. Kazunari Sakamoto, Tokyo

Black is in a good contrast to all colours, appears graphic and therefore basically harmonic. Sergei Tchoban, Moscow

I don’t know. Konstantin Grcic, Munich

„unspoken social anxiety“ - Those with the most knowledge of style are least able to risk expressing it Alison J. Clarke, London

I never wear black! Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam

They are in mourning about their many unrealised projects. Arno Brandlhuber, Berlin

I like it! …but not every day! Marco Graber, Berne

It started in somewhere in Japan!? Ben van Berkel, Amsterdam

Probably because they are do-gooders and moralists, or maybe just because they think of it as pure. Kees Christianse, Rotterdam

I don’t wear black But rather grey or dark blue always in combination with a coloured shirt. Wiel Arets, Amsterdam

We can leave colour to the flowers. Volker Staab, Berlin

Architects wear black because they are sad. Edouard François, Paris

I don’t know. I wear coloured clothes. Peter Zumthor, Haldenstein

Color requires commitment Charles Renfro, New York

For once, today, yes! Valerio Olgiati, Flims

I like colours very much. But black is easier. You don’t have to put too much thought into getting dressed in the morning. Anne Lacaton, Paris

Because it goes with all the other colours. Jean-Philippe Vassal, Paris

No design is no colour is black Matteo Thun, Milan

Architects tend to wear black because they think that it avoids making a statement. Fat architects wear black because it makes them look thin. William Alsop, London

Black is the absolute contrast to a world filled with light. It is the confirmation of a physical attitude… close to the body… loose… wide. Black is a color with endless nuance. Jean Nouvel, Paris

They don’t! Christoph Gantenbein, Basle

Black = all colors and is also the absence of color – both of these at once. Marc Angélil, Zurich

I love or hate black, depending. Gabrielle Hächler, Zurich

Architects are frightened of colour and it makes them look younger + thinner! David Chipperfield, London

I usually wear a white shirt with all black, since I’m also an engineer. Werner Sobek, Stuttgart

I like to wear blue. Peter Ackermann, Munich

It’s either black or white… The colors that attack but don’t reveal anything about anything. Saskia Sassen, New York

I like black. Zaha Hadid, London

Because it is… still crazy after all these years. Mark Lee, Los Angeles

No black cloth. No cry. Hans-Ulrich Obrist, London

Because it is easy to control and architects love control. Like the robes of a priest, it creates the feeling of being part of a community. Hélène Binet, London

Are they still? Li Edelkoort, Paris

Two reasons: 1. Lack of imagination 2. Every architect thinks that everything they do is infinitely good. In their unconscious they are white knights. But their conscious disguises this with black. Inside they are wearing white. Mark Wigley, New York

Perhaps because it’s not a colour and because there are no shades of black? John Pawson, London

Cordula Rau (Ed.) D-Munich

Acquisitions Editor: David Marold, Birkhäuser Verlag, A-Vienna Project and Production management: Angelika Heller, Birkhäuser Verlag, A-Vienna Layout and Cover Design: Martin Gaal, A-Vienna Translation: Markus Wieland (1st edition); Word Up! (2nd edition) Printing and Binding: Kösel GmbH & Co. KG, D-Altusried-Krugzell Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the German National Library The German National Library lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in databases. For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained. This publication is also available as an e-book (ISBN PDF 978-3-0356-1415-2). © 2017 Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, Basel P.O. Box 44, 4009 Basel, Switzerland Part of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Printed on acid-free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF ∞ Printed in Germany ISBN 978-3-0356-1410-7 (2nd edition) ISBN 978-3-99043-215-0 (1st edition)

98765432 www.birkhauser.com