Architectural Context Quotes

Before 2000, everything was about being contextual, and buildings were supposed to be good citizens.

Architecture is not all about the design of the building and nothing else, it is also about the cultural setting and the ambience, the whole affair.

It is not an individual act, architecture. You have to consider your client. Only out of that can you produce great architecture. You cannot work in the abstract

A house isn't really understandable until it settles into the site: until it's built, furnished and lived in for four or five years. The reality is not on paper but in how a building sits on the land - how it relates to trees, to slopes, to water, to gardens.

I think it's important to approach a house in a way that's reflective of the original environment. Maybe I'm a sentimentalist, but I think that certain geographies call out for certain architecture. I like residences that reflect their place.

I always think of buildings in their settings, but so do other architects.

We have to base architecture on the environment.

I'm not interested in placing my signature on a house but would rather it be a signature of the place it's located.

When building in a place that already has a dominant style, it's important to behave yourself. Look around; refer to what you see. In the mountains above Salzburg, I saw charming chalets and wildflower meadows. The chalets are cozy - I don't do cozy. The meadows are in a soft disarray - I don't do soft, and I don't do disarray. I do order.