dominique perrault was born in clermont ferrand in 1953 and now lives and works in paris .............................................................................................
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dominique perrault was born in clermont ferrand in 1953 and now lives and works in paris. he received his architecture degree in paris in 1978 and his certificate in town planning at the ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées in 1979. in 1980, he received a postgraduate degree in history at the ecole des hautes etudes in social sciences. dominique perrault opened his paris office in 1981. he won the international competition for the construction of the french national library in 1989, and in 1992, the international competition for the olympic velodrome and swimming pool in berlin, for which he opened another office in germany. these two projects ensured his international fame. in 1996, he won the competition for the court of justice of the european community in luxembourg, and opened a third office in luxembourg in 2000. in 2002, perrault opened two more agencies, one in barcelona and another in baltimore in the united states. dominique perrault's work is extremely varied and includes many new constructions and numerous renovations. the architectural programs of these projects range from large buildings, such as cultural or sports projects, to smaller projects, such as urban insertions in blighted urban areas to private housing in prestigious neighbourhoods. in june 2003 he won the competition of an additional building to the mariinsky theatre in st. petersburg, russia. perrault's design was chosen from a shortlist of eleven during secret voting by an international jury. he gives many lectures and participates in numerous juries and seminars. dominique perrault also teaches at several foreign universities, among them in barcelona and brussels and at the E.T.H. in zürich, switzerland. he has been awarded various prizes, notably the great national prize of architecture in 1996 and the mies van der rohe prize for the national library in france in 1997. furthermore, perrault is chevalier of the legion of honour, member of the architecture academy, honourable member of the german association of architects [BDA] and an honorary fellow of the royal institute of british architects. from november 1998 to february 2001 he was president of the french institute of architects. dominique perrault is currently an architectural consultant for the mayor of barcelona. http://www.perraultarchitecte.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- we met dominique perrault in milan on april 8, 2003. ------------------------------------ what is the best moment of the day? oh... now, it is the morning, very early in the morning. with the fresh air, the fresh light, a fresh body... it is definitely the best time! what kind of music do you listen to at the moment? now, it seams to me that I lose a lot of time to listen to music. before I worked with music, but now I prefer to write and to think with no music in the background. now my favorite music is silence. do you listen to the radio? not much. what books do you have on your bedside table? do you know thomas mann? each ten years I read his books again... do you read design magazines? yes... a little. where do you get news from? newspapers? I don't get them (laughs). do you notice how women are dressing? do you have any preferences? ahh ...clothes, I don't know... parisian fashion. black clothes. what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing? it also depends on the quality of the material... I like things that are black. it is not because I like black, but because I can combine anything with black. I also adore a complete black look - see at the moment, what I'm wearing - this jacket and my scalf are black also these trousers are black. black is versatile, very easy, I feel very comfortable. do you have any pets? my children have a lot. it is like a zoo. did you always want to be an architect when you were a child? 'architect' for me is a very conservative term. I am a 'project-man'. I like to develop projects, to make some new project. today it is in the field of architecture, tomorrow I do not know. where do you work on your designs and projects? I try to stay for three days a week in my office in paris to work with my team. and during traveling, usually it is possible to think. but the final decision is in my office, with my team around me. when you're working, do you discuss or exchange ideas with colleagues, with other designers? not alot, because I like to work very fast. you can change details, or the whole concept... because if you work very fast, you can change, but if you are very slow, it's immposible to change. I think it's a good strategy! quicktime clip 327 kb. --- describe your style, like a good friend of yours would describe it. it's really difficult for me, becuase I produce this work, and it's difficult to know exactly why... I would like to say only one thing: it is the research in the field of architecture. it is not only about the the process, or about the finished idea. I test, test, test, and I test again. that is experimentation! when we test - we might get something! we learn from it and from this lesson might benefit a new project. behind the complex study and the development of the idea, which define the architect as a creator, it is 'time' itself that is undoubtedly the object of the architect’s whole attention, his only preoccupation, the permanent restlessness of a present he tirelessly seeks to actualize. indeed, what contemporary architecture challenges, is the idea of 'time' that has formed the very essence of architectural culture, an idea which turns every building into a monument, a memory, a truth. it is a real work, like a scientific work, like in biology, or mathematics, or astronomy. it is a real scientific work. do you think there is an evolution from the begining of your work until now, in your thoughts, in your forms? now it is absolutely a new period, because we use geometry, a rational shape, and a very efficient organization about function itself. but now with some new materials, like metal fabric, we transform, we develop the the architecture with relation in a landscape. because my final idea is not anymore that I want to build some buildings, I want to build a landscape. is there any designer and/or architect, you appreciate a lot? yes, but these are good for culture and education. they are our cultural roots. if you speak about buckminster fuller, for example, for me his work is very close; but if you speak about le corbusier, it is very far. principles derive from praxis, from an outgoing research in which the specificity of a space is endlessly reinvented, of a form, of an intervention. architecture should be lacking in reference, neither modern, nor postmodern - should reject history. and young architects ? yes, some are very interesting, I am a little bit dissapointed by the situation in france, because the state of france doesn't support young architecture, and it is a pity because we have some young talent in france. any advice for the young ? we should plead for validity in architecture. then we might get a more effective architecture, one to be experienced by all, one that what are you afraid of regarding the future ? I'm not afraid. --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? -------	dominique perrault © designboom mariinsky theatre in st. petersburg, 2003 - next to construction, image courtesy perrault and partners. mariinsky theatre in st. petersburg, 2003 (interior detail) - next to construction, image courtesy perrault and partners. hotel hesperia, barcelona, spain 2001 - under construction, image courtesy perrault and partners. hotel habitat, barcelona, spain (abstract rapa nui) - under construction, image courtesy perrault and partners. olympic tennis stadium madrid, spain (operable roof detail) - 2002 under construction, image courtesy perrault and partners. pinault foundation for contemporary art, paris, france 2001 - international competition project, model picture courtesy perrault and partners. olympic velodrome and swimming pool, berlin, germany, 2002, image courtesy perrault and partners. media library venissieux, france, completed in 2001, image courtesy perrault and partners. interior design of the french national library, paris, france completed in 1995, image courtesy perrault and partners.