Let us face it, many of us have been thrilled by a piece of architecture designed by a big name in the field, be it Hadid, Gehry, Nouvel, Forster, Piano, Chipperfield or Herzog & De Meuron or others.
They are masters at selling a beautiful story, a dream, a concept, and it is naturally beautiful compared to most of the bland or sadly banal buildings. Whose fault is it: there is no need to pass the quid because we are all a bit complicit.
But the point is elsewhere: do the big names in architecture always think about the operational? Because there is a big difference between a good project and good content: architecture is no exception to this logic.
Having had the privilege of seeing some of the great names in architecture at work and visiting some of the world’s most iconic buildings, logisticians have often been forgotten materials that require special treatment, poorly dimensioned accesses, vertical links that are too small, complex circulation and oddly shaped surfaces.
The saying goes “never let the intellectuals play with matches”: architects are intellectuals and great artists, which is often far from pragmatic and rational in many cases.
The sponsors of large projects are often CEOs, boards of directors, investment funds or others who think in terms of “design” while forgetting the operational side: a building lives for decades with users who want not only “beauty” but also “well-designed”.
It is time to include logisticians and FM specialists in the discussions when the project is not yet complete and validated: this would avoid many disillusionments when the building is handed over.
It is true that this approach is not attractive at first sight because it generates often stormy and difficult discussions with architect-artists who are proud of their work and whose client - the payer - has little to say about “a reference”.
The inclusion of all parties in the discussions requires everyone to leave their comfort zone and accept compromise. This is the price to pay for not having to deal with inconsistencies for years. Integrating does not mean perverting or undermining a project, it means adding strength to it.
No hard feelings, architects, and courage to the facility management specialists!
Good thoughts and good reading.