Michael Heenan - on Architecture and Travel | Point Of View by Architeam.

Michael Heenan (More interviews from this person)
Architect
country:Australia
website: www.architectsajc.com

Bio

Michael Heenan is a Principal of leading Australian design firm Allen Jack+Cottier Architects, who are based in Sydney, Australia with branches in Brisbane, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. He employs over 100 staff, and has designed projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region - as far north as Inner Mongolia and as far south as Antarctica.

He is an award winning architect with an impressive portfolio that spans sectors and ranges from luxury private residences to the masterplanning of new cities and Olympic venues. His logical and sensitive approach to design has resulted in commercial success and won critical acclaim for many of his projects.

He played a pivotal role in a series of ground-breaking apartment developments in Sydney which contributed to a marked shift in the approach to residential design and the marketing of residential buildings in the city, and produced records in sales per sqm.
While at Allen Jack+Cottier he has developed expertise in both sports and recreation developments and student accommodation and he leads the company’s specialist teams in both areas.

Michael is particularly talented at designing buildings that blend seamlessly into their surroundings. Through a thoughtful examination of their local environment he has created working, living and recreational spaces that are both inspirational and functional.
He was recently the recipient of an unprecedented two consecutive Blacket Prizes for Excellence in Architecture from the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA). He was also winner of Best Sports Building at the World Architecture Festival in 2009, and was subsequently invited to join the judging panel at the 2010 World Architecture Festival in Barcelona. Michael is also Chair of the New South Wales AIA Architecture Awards jury 2010.

:: Photo information and credits:

1> Doi Can perspective
photo courtecy © Allen Jack+Cottier

2 > Mr Pasteur project / 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale
photo courtecy © Allen Jack+Cottier

3 > Kerrie Murphy Building for The International Grammar School Sydney
photo courtecy © Allen Jack+Cottier

4 > Berry Sports and Recreation Centre
photo courtecy © Anthony Browell

5-6 > Berry Sports and Recreation Centre
photo courtecy © Allen Jack+Cottier

7 > Lake Ainsworth Sports Hall
photo courtecy © Greg Mace

8-9 > Milson Island Indoor Sports Stadium
photo courtecy © Allen Jack+Cottier

10-11 > Bathurst Mt Panorama project
photo courtecy © Brett Boardman

12 > WIN Stadium
photo courtecy © Allen Jack+Cottier

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Kim Herforth Nielsen - on Architecture and Travel

My point of view:
on Architecture and Travel

Interview Date: 25-05-2011

What is the importance of architectural tourism?

It’s sort of my life, because every city I go to I’m looking at the architecture. So, I come here, I start studying the architecture of the 1940s, people and traditions and then working my way up to the more modern stuff.

What is the importance of traveling, especially for architects and humans in general?

I suppose traveling was really important over the years, because that is how we experience architecture and ideas we have. But, in a way, it diminishes now, because everything is available on the net. We can look up just about everything. However, someday you still have to go there and walk around the buildings and understand them. So, traveling is really important.

What do you think is the added value that architecture creates within a city?

We have to not ask that question in Barcelona, because it’s just about everything here; and Berlin and London. There are some of my friends that go to these places just to eat at this restaurant, so they don’t care so much about the architecture. But, that’s not to blame.

What is the importance of Architectural events (like WAF) worldwide? What are the profits for a city holding such kind of major events?

It’s very good for the city to have such kind of events, because a lot of architects focus on the city and a lot of architects get to understand that the good designers are here, that promotes them as well. So, that’s very important. Now for your second question, having a festival like this. Someone reminded me of the categories that we had last year and I hadn’t noticed because I had so many obligations, radio interviews and television shows. So, it just went off like a sky-rocket.

:: You are a principal of the architectural office “Allen Jack+Cottier Architects”, based in Sydney. You are presently designing a number of new cities with disruptive environmental strategies where urbanity and ecology share equal status.

How would you characterize modern Australian architecture?

I would say that we have a really mature approach to architecture now. We have a lot of influences from around the world, but we also have a fresh approach that’s based on our climate, on our understanding of nature and the environmental overlay. I think sometimes a lot more than in Europe. When we apply those here it becomes a more genius center of place that generates the building.

You have designed buildings worldwide. How can an architectural firm achieve in getting commissions beyond its countries’ borders within a huge international antagonism?

It depends on the sensitivity you bring to that and the antagonism. At the end of it you realize that you have become more mature in the understanding of architecture, which China is doing at a great rate. After designing like 10000 apartments in China when they first kicked the market was a new and fresh approach that just added on everything. They were very popular. But now, this is not what they choose. They take what they make, but they choose modern, like any other country. That makes it much more difficult.

Is the world financial crisis an opportunity for everyone to reconsider the ways that we design and construct the buildings and the urban environment?

I think it is. At some of the buildings that we had be logging it was insane how some people were thrown out of their houses, unable to get enough food and talking about lousy water levels and all that. We were doing some buildings that were not sustainable. So, I think it’s a huge lesson to us, to carefully think about our buildings and put more environmental sustainability and plan the finances as well.

In recent years attention turns to green urban regeneration. Do you think that it is imperative for the city or it’s just a new fashion with economic outcomes and covertly interests;

It’s absolutely not a fashion. New city design has to be totally integrated with the natural environment. I’ll cut off and say that I give urbanity, the natural environment and the culture equal footing, rather than urbanity taking the stand with its demands. So, it turns out to be quite different when the ecosystem is involved, for the places where animals are important, when the ground is important for the city. So, the nature of the city itself changes.

At the end, can you please provide your personal proposal for 10 buildings (constructed and visitable) which you think as the most important worldwide that someone must visit anyway?

I suppose the Pompidou Centre that I think is really important. You have to go to New York and look at some of the buildings there. In Chicago, look at the history of the buildings there by Frank Lloyd Wright to understand modernism. You have to come here and look at Barcelona’s buildings and you have to look at Casa Luis, some social housing north of here and of course everyone has to come to Mies van der Rohe Pavilion.

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