Building a better city, grasping an opportunity even where tragedy and human folly have taken their biggest toll. Demonstrating with facts that architecture can be much more than the noble art of interpreting the tastes and fashions of the moment. These are the goals of David M. Childs, world-famous architect with a career spanning 40 years, many of which at the helm of Skidmore, Owings & Merril LLP (SOM), who spoke yesterday at Cersaie. In his keynote lecture to a packed Palazzo dei Congressi, the celebrated architect discussed how it is possible to transform “visions”, almost platonic ideas that arise in the minds of architects, into completed or in any case feasible projects. Even at Ground Zero, a place that many consider sacred, inviolable. Childs’ challenge? To bring Ground Zero back to life and return it to the city.  

“This was certainly an exciting project,” Childs explained. “It was exciting for all Americans, especially the people of New York, and even more so for those like us who worked on the site. But we New Yorkers see this project as an opportunity to start afresh, to rebuild. We must begin by realising that much of our city is not so beautiful. This particular case gave us the opportunity to go back and build better, not just in terms of design but to make the complex a truly integral part of the city and not just a place of commemoration. We worked hard on this project so that part of the city would return to being a transparent place, without walls or weapons, but a place where people could live and remember, a better place than it has been in the last half century.”   David M. Childs is an example for colleagues and a role model for the many young architects attending the exhibition and to whom this edition of Cersaie has devoted prestigious exhibitions, competitions and training events. Young people, Childs notes, should not be content to stand on the sidelines and watch. Instead they should rise to the challenge and work alongside highly experienced professionals.  

“Both expert and younger architects took part in this project,” Childs continued. “For example, the memorial, probably the most important building at Ground Zero, was designed by young architects and the result is outstanding. The design of the museum was assigned to a young Finnish architect. It’s not age that counts but ideas, the way in which they are put into practice, the ability to imagine the future. Combining these aspects we get the best from both experienced professionals and young people.”  

Innovation, quality and management are the key concepts that have guided SOM for more than half a century. Projects that aspire to greatness but at the same time are firmly rooted in practicality, in building science, in materials and their characteristics, in aesthetics and functionality that become two sides of the same coin.                  

“Design quality, which should always be excellent, is what distinguishes architecture from sculpture. Architecture must also be practical,” argued Childs. “Architecture is a science, it must create projects that convey an idea of quality of space for the benefit of people, the landscape and living standards. Design must not just represent the fashion of the moment. Of course it must reflect aesthetic tastes, but good architecture must also been functional. In this case the offices we have built are the best in America. Moreover, architecture must also be an economically successful activity. All these aspects must be considered when carrying through a project. And when it is successful, the results are excellent.”  

Washington Mall, the National Geographic headquarters, Dulles Airport terminal in Washington, as well as numerous projects in New York such as the Worldwide Plaza, the New York Mercantile Exchange, the JFK International Arrival Building, the JP Morgan headquarters and the complete urban planning project for Riverside South. In Childs’ long career dating back to 1971 he has carried through an enormous number of projects, the most recent of which include reconstruction of the central section of Ground Zero and remodelling of the railway station located in the historic New York post office. So which building best represents Childs’ “vision”? In which building does he most recognise himself?  

“It is very difficult to say. History is easier to write afterwards, looking at the successes and failures. Sometimes you do your very best, other times the result is not quite as perfect as you had hoped, yet other times the result is better than you had imagined. The first building I designed at Ground Zero, which stands at the place where the third and last tower fell, is probably the best in terms of its social and economic functionality and aesthetics. It is a very simple and linear building, elegant in its details. That’s probably the secret. Rather than striving to follow the fashion of the moment, it is simplicity and attention to detail that makes for great architecture.”