To build means to make architecture real on the borders of knowledge.
Frei OttoRead
My architectural drive was to design new types of buildings to help poor people, especially following natural disasters and catastrophes... I will use whatever time is left to me to keep doing what I have been doing, which is to help humanity.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a commitment to using architectural skills to improve the lives of those affected by disasters.
Frei Otto emphasizes the importance of innovative architecture designed specifically for helping underprivileged communities, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters. His dedication to using his remaining time to contribute to humanitarian efforts highlights a deep sense of responsibility and purpose in his work, aiming to uplift those in need through thoughtful design and construction.
In practice
In a speech about community resilience, one could reference this quote to highlight the role of architecture in disaster recovery.
To build means to make architecture real on the borders of knowledge.
Why should we build very large spaces when they are not necessary? We can design halls spanning several kilometres and covering a whole city, but we have to ask, what does it really make? What does society really need?
Buildings are 'humane' only when they promote peaceful human co-existence.
Most architects think in drawings, or did think in drawings; today, they think on the computer monitor. I always tried to think three dimensionally. The interior eye of the brain should be not flat but three dimensional so that everything is an object in space. We are not living in a two-dimensional world.
Most of the wonderful places in the world were not made by architects but by the people.
I'm particularly interested in the public role that all buildings play. I believe that we architects should try to go beyond our basic obligations to the public, and our opportunities to do so are many.
I don't know why people hire architects and then tell them what to do.
The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines - so they should go as far as possible from home to build their first buildings.
A greater focus on design in all new homes would make the best use of land, create homes and public spaces, and reinforce the structures of urban life.
The difference between a builder and an architect is that an architect also cares about desire, about dreams.
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