From the content universe we made available in 2021, interviews are, without a doubt, among those in which we invested more time and research. Making room for the voice of architects and other professionals in the built environment is a great pleasure but also an enormous challenge, as it requires a lot of research and dedicated time from our team of editors. It is also rewarding as it puts us in contact with some of the most prominent talents in our discipline, who have been discussing issues such as cities, community, environment, democracy, sustainability, building technology and interiors.
With hundreds of interviews published on our platforms in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese, carried out in different formats – video recordings, transcribed conversations, email interviews, video calls or even podcasts – we can say that 2021 was a year of intense learning in which, once again, we got closer to an inspiring group of architecture professionals.
To close the year, we have put together a selection of the best interviews of 2021.
Cities and Community
Talking about architecture without talking about urban space makes less and less sense in the hyperconnected world in which we live. Themes about communities, the growth of cities, urban infrastructure problems, the role of public spaces and the reconstruction of neighborhoods after natural or human disasters were addressed in dozens of interviews with professionals from as different parts of the globe as Lebanon and Cuba.
Stefano Boeri: “People Have a Strong Demand for a New Proximity to Nature”
Ad Urbis: "Architecture Practices are an obsolete concept in Cuba"
Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine: "Psychoanalyzing the Space"
Bernard Khoury: The Contemporary Approach to Rebuilding Cities Post-Disaster - The Case of Beirut
Lucía Nogales on Citizen Urbanism in Latin America
depA: the Democratic Role of Public Space in Portugal
Dorte Mandrup: "With Distance in Time, We Are Able to See in a Different Light"
Construction and Technology
From large-scale issues to constructive detail, technology is a theme that cuts across the discipline and was present in many of our interviews, with terms like BuildTech, 3D printing, prefabrication and prototyping becoming more and more recurrent. However, they do not arise isolated, but articulated in order to think about solutions to old environmental and urban problems.
SUMMARY: "Traditional Construction Is Doomed To Disappear"
Alain Guillen: High Speed 3D Printing
{CURA}: The Perfect Render - Understanding and Mastering Rendering Techniques
Nick Newman: Building Houses With Giant Blocks
Marc Mimram: "Nature and Structure Connect to Transform Our Landscapes and Even Our Climate"
Jason Ballard: "The Same Technology that Will Allow Us to Address Housing Challenges on Earth, Will Allow Us to Venture Off to Space"
Environment and Sustainability
From simple projects in remote regions by Noelia Monteiro to the world-renowned design by Philippe Starck, the environment and sustainability are still subjects of first importance in architecture. Discussed for decades, the topic has become increasingly urgent due to the visible effects of the climate crisis and also has become an obligatory part of the agenda of professionals in architecture and construction.
Noelia Monteiro: "Success Is Appropriation and Use of Built Space"
Philippe Starck: Ecology, Technology and Materiality
Stefano Boeri: Democratization of Design and Environmental Qualities
Henning Larsen: Digital Tools, Innovation and Sustainability
Democracy and Equity
Equity was one of the most discussed topics this year on ArchDaily and, when viewed from an architectural perspective, it can be understood as respect for the equality of rights related to the use, appropriation and creation of space. It walks very close to the contemporary understanding of democracy and has been explored in articles and interviews published on all our platforms.
Erica Malunguinho: "Universal Representation Is Utopian"
Francis Kéré: "It’s Not Because You Are Limited in Resources That You Should Accept Mediocrity"
Husos Architects: “We Don't Want to Contribute to the Homogenization of the World Around Us”
Samaneh Moafi: “Toxic Gas Is Not Just Colonizing the Public Space of Our Cities”
Katie Swenson: "Architecture Can Heal"
Carmen Espegel: "The History of Modern Movement Must Be Reread, It Still Contains Hidden Information"
Lesley Lokko: "Cultural Identity is Central to Architecture"
Design and Interiors
With the construction market partially frozen last year, interest in other areas of architecture grew. Interiors and the varied specialties of design received an amount of attention that did not cease in 2021, placing these among the most seeked topics of our platforms.
Felicity Abbott: "Production Design Has Been Referred to as Architecture of the Screen"
Koen Mulder: Brick Bond as a Composition Tool
Toyo Ito: "I Am Always Inside the Architecture that I Design"
Steven Holl e Hervé Descottes: Lighting Design in Architecture
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topic: Year in Review. Monthly, we explore a specific topic through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about Monthly Topics. As always, ArchDaily is open to contributions from our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, please contact us.
