Massimiliano Fuksas is a person of great importance in the world of architecture. Born in Rome of Lithuanian origins, he obtained his degree in architecture at the University “La Sapienza” in the capital of Italy, in 1969. Since the 80’s he has been among the leading figures in contemporary architecture. Eclectic, lively and well-liked, his creations are innumerable and you can admire them in almost any part of the world. Among the many amazing projects of Massimiliano Fuksas are the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa (Israel), Vienna Twin Towers, and the New Congress Center Rome-Eur, “La Nuvola”. The hard work of the architect Fuksas is mainly directed towards the study of urban problems. Along with his wife, Doriana, also an architect and an art historian, Massimiliano Fuksas created Studio Fuksas, among the most important and recognized studios of architecture in the world. With the help of a collaborating staff of 170 professionals working in branches located in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen, he was able to complete a wide variety of works which range from city operations to the realization of airports, museums, cultural spaces, offices and internal projects of design. During his career, the architect has been honoured with numerous acknowledgments, including the Cavalierato of Gran Croce of the Italian Republic, honorary membership to RIBA -the Royal Institute of British Architects- in Great Britain, and the French “Légion d’Honneur’’. From 2000 to 2015 Massimiliano Fuksas was the writer of the architectural feature for the Italian newspaper, ‘’L’Espresso’’, founded by Bruno Zevi. From 2014 to 2015, together with his wife Doriana Fuksas, they took care of the Italian Design feature in ‘’La Repubblica’’. He is a Visiting Professor at many universities, for example: Columbia University of New York, École Spéciale of Architecture of Paris, the Akademie der Bildenden Künste of Vienna and the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste of Stuttgart.
I would like to start with an ‘’intimate’’ question, let’s say. The house, the home, is something that is extremely private and personal. What is ‘’home’’ for you, Architect?
It isn’t the one where I grew up. But in my imagination, it would be looking out, from the inside, to an extraordinary exterior while standing with my books and my dogs in a huge and immense bedroom.
For Leon Battista Alberti, the aesthetic factor in architecture, “is, to all, more noble, beyond being indispensable”. His works are aesthetically pretty, not just functional. But what does “beauty” mean to Massimiliano Fuksas?
What is beauty? Beauty depends on the time period, on who is talking about it. There is no established standard for beauty. The concept of beauty, of balance, is a concept that is variable in history. The category of beauty is a subjective category. We confuse beauty with human dimensions.
Between the projects that you have completed and those which you are still working on, which one is particularly dear to you? The next one! Design, nature, space management… These features are always gaining more and more importance and they are always more interrelated. How will architecture be in twenty years?
There is no architecture and there is no art without interest in ethics and an intense commitment to society. Architecture is something that belongs to the city, to the people, to all. If an architect is “ethical” and committed to the whole community, it’s possible to conceive of good solutions and offer better places. Today and in 20 years!
Among the famous architectural works of the past, is there a building, a monument, that you would have liked to have built?
The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
What does luxury mean to you?
Luxury is the regional cuisine of quality, the home, height, space, light, transparency, green, landscape...
Talking about current events, how can modern architecture create meeting places that can truly captivate people, in this moment in history where relationships are always less human and controlled almost completely by social media?
Today, democracy is the most important thing which should occupy architecture: having millions of people live together, it must aim to develop more advanced types of democracy. We must take action and begin to invent new things: certainties are gone. My dream is, actually, to design an entire city. A city where there are very few cars, and where people meet each other. Where respect and protection of the environment exist in harmony with sustainable architecture and cultural growth. My dream is for everyone to be stimulated, and feel free to have passion and feelings. In a place we could call the village of “global peace”.
What would you recommend to all the young professionals who are fighting to work well in this industry, but every day collide with a difficult reality?
A suggestion to a young creator, I would say in general, is to first be convinced that he has ideas: because, if he is not convinced, he will not be able to convince anyone.