Architecture has curled up in a ball and it’s about itself. It has found itself either as a freakshow, where you’re not sure if it’s good or bad but at least it’s interesting, or at the behest of forces of commerce. David Chipperfield Read Quote
I don’t think architecture is radical. How can something that takes years and costs millions be radical? David Chipperfield Read Quote
The difference between good and bad architecture is the time you spend on it. David Chipperfield Read Quote
I suppose I’m trying to build an architecture that’s as timeless as possible, although we’re all creatures of our age. David Chipperfield Read Quote
I like to be surrounded by books. My wife Evelyn has a Ph.D. in comparative literature, so we have a lot of her Spanish and German literature books which are wasted on me, plus a lot of novels and books on art and architecture shared by us both. Evelyn used to edit an art magazine called ‘FMR,’ so we have a common interest in design. David Chipperfield Read Quote
It used to be presumed that if you weren’t at your desk working, you weren’t working, But we said, ‘Why can’t we make a workplace where casual meetings are as important as working at your desk?’ Sometimes that’s where your better creative work happens. David Chipperfield Read Quote
Seeing architecture differently from the way you see the rest of life is a bit weird. I believe one should be consistent in all that one does, from the books you read to the way you bring up your children. Everything you do is connected. David Chipperfield Read Quote
You don’t restore ‘The Last Supper’ by filling in the missing bits – you preserve. You accept the material that has somehow survived. David Chipperfield Read Quote
When the Americans are behind you, they’re behind you 100%, and this gives you real confidence as an architect. They expect you to lead a building project – to make the kind of big and costly decisions that, in Britain, have been handed over to project managers and cost-cutters. David Chipperfield Read Quote
