Interview with BORD Architectural Studio

BORD Architectural Studio ("BAS") interviewed on Tuesday, 5 May.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

BAS : I started my studies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 1997. As a student I was very keen to start my hands-on experience so in my second year in 1999 I started working for a then leading architectural studio, ZDA (Zoboki Design and Architecture). I carried on working for them until 2006 when BORD Architectural Studio was established and as a project architect I had plenty of opportunity to take part in a wide range of projects from industrial buildings to cultural institutions. I graduated from the university in 2003. One of the first projects of BORD Architectural Studio was Villa Budapest, which is still under construction. While designing the building we collaborated a number of famous designers such as Tadao Ando or Ilse Crawford who agreed to create a concept for the interior of the building. This was a truly groundbreaking experience for me. https://bordstudio.hu/projektek/villa-budapest/

How did you become a designer?

BAS : When I was a child I had this instinct that I needed to build a house for myself. I was always busy building huts wherever I was until the age of ten when drawing took its place. I drew different buildings imagining what it might feel to live in them. This was such a strong intuition that paved my way to the architecture faculty of the university.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

BAS : In the very beginning I am not yet interested in space and the physical reality of the building. The first step for me is to find the message of the location and the environment the building will communicate. Then I start drawing. This usually is teamwork and it includes making mockups. Almost all projects are different as the key is the message we’d like to pass on. This often comes in a form of a story that will become a strong motif throughout the entire work process till the implementation of the building.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

BAS : Expectation. Planning is like a journey to an unknown destination. The difference compared to a regular expectation of a journey is that here we have no prior information of guidebooks or internet sources, we don’t know what will await us. The process of creation is like a journey to the unknown but instead of being surprised we are the ones who surprise others by creating something new for the people who will enter our buildings.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

BAS : I was born and raised in the Hungarian countryside. The most typical aspect of the great plains is its endless horizon, the Fata Morgana, when the earth becomes its own reflection on the horizon. The vision of multi coloured horizontal lines, the blurred boundary of earth and sky is floating in front of your eyes like some mysterious gate through which resides endless imagination. This is the heaven of dreamers and this is where I grew up. Of course, life in this part of the country appears in the most simple of forms. Local traditional architecture is simple and functional. So simplicity and beauty of nature appeared to me simultaneously. As if the functional canvas of the artist with its simplicity could appear next to the colourful painting it beholds.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

BAS : It is very important for us to share our vision with the people. We established a foundation and a prize that helps communication between young artists or architects and everyday people. This is DECODE – The Space for ARTchitecture. https://www.facebook.com/decodecompetition/ Recently we have been designing larger scale urban spaces and city centers. These keep us on our toes at the moment. In our constantly changing world we have to transform a long lasting story into an urban tissue. This the biggest challenge I can think of right now.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

BAS : I believe that nature communicates with us and would like to use us as its mouthpiece. In order to be able to hear this we have to shut out all earlier desires and unfulfilled thoughts. A new project is not another chance to manifest an earlier idea. The most important thing is to arrive to the location without preconceptions. This is extremely difficult, trust me, I speak from personal experience.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

BAS : In business there are many standard ways of selling an idea, these are all very important as this is the common language through which we can find our ways to each other. And yet these are not enough. For a designer manifesting a building is a personal cause. This personal attraction is so powerful that it shows on the designer. It must be visible that they believe in what they have created.

What is your day to day look like?

BAS : My hobby is creation itself, the mere idea of doing something. Unfortunately most of the days are revolving around solving routine tasks and it is also very common that a normal workday does not offer anything but running the business for days. Therefore I steal some time from the early hours of the morning to practice my hobby. Later on in the day I arrange my daily schedule and start going around the office from project to project. Needless to say, I rarely have time for everything but it is always a priority to encourage young colleagues to make decisions as this is crucial for their advancement.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

BAS : Trend and fashion are nothing but fast disappearing fads for architects. In the life of a building design trends are no more than short moments so it is dangerous to rely on them. Of course, society and technology are changing and buildings, structures and public places should react to these changes. We have to think ahead when it comes to social trends. A building can only be successful if it can adjust to the altered circumstances in the future too. As an architect I think it is high priority to follow and assess social and technological changes.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

BAS : Everybody is familiar with the sensation when we see some really simple yet perfect answer to a question and we ask ourselves why the answer did not occur to us. A simple design is crucial. It is also important that a building knows its place: should it be in the foreground or the background? Of course it is difficult to stay in the background and is a common mistake that designers overestimate their products, highlighting them more than it would be necessary.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

BAS : When we reach the stage of the process that we’d still like to add something but it would only make the building more complicated it is time to stop.

What is your biggest design work?

BAS : My longest projects was designing a stadium. The main reason for this was that its location was an abandoned forest in the heart of the city. I knew that my job was not only to pull up a sport complex but also to rebuild a whole district. We needed to come up with a catalyst that generated newer and newer developments. Since the implementation it became the centre attraction of the city that attracts fresh investments endlessly. https://bordstudio.hu/projektek/debreceni-nagyerdei-stadion/ At the moment I am busy with an ongoing planning and construction process where a hill is called to life and a new dweller is being moved in to a wine region. Its name is Elf Padi. I honestly hope that by the time it will be finished people will admire it like a sentient being instead of a building and it will have plenty of visitors. https://bordstudio.hu/projektek/sauska-boraszat/

Who is your favourite designer?

BAS : The first names that spring to my mind are architects Louis Kahn and Alvar Aalto. They managed to reinvent space and balance industrial and craft structures at the same time. I also admire high tech, the buildings of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers are big milestones in my professional life. I adore the zest of technology and science in a building. I find it inspiring how human scale and industrial measures change in the spaces created by them.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

BAS : Apart from our Budapest headquarters BORD Architectural Studio also set up offices in Debrecen and Zurich. Commuting between the offices takes an awful lot of time so I try to insert some inspiring recreational programme like investigating a previously unknown part of the city or so. Otherwise I really enjoy traveling around the world. I prefer North European destinations. The goal is mostly nature, abandoned areas. We share this passion with my wife who is also an architect. If it comes to a family outing, we go for a sailing trip with our three children. The family nest is in Budapest, this is where we spend most of our life. We like spaces permeated by light, the closeness of nature so we live in a house surrounded by a jungle like grove. Of course we also like to surround ourselves with pretty objects and paintings - these provide the atmosphere of our habitat.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

BAS : Our studio is dealing with general planning so apart from the creative parts of the job responsible engineering tasks are also crucial. Almost all phases of projects are carried out in teamwork, we work with a standard staff who are well accustomed to each other. The first ideas are followed by the common task of creating the story that will shape the building. Despite the size of the studio we are persistently maintaining the family like atmosphere. As for the work process I would compare ourselves to a clockwork where each cog has its responsibility and carries out their task flawlessly. In business life we try to get contractors we had already worked with so we can be present in the very beginning of the investment at the business planning phase.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

BAS : We constantly take on designing tasks pro bono in regions that need support. In the past years we designed kindergartens and public spaces this way. BORD Architectural Studio established two different foundations. One of them - Aranymadár Alapítvány (Golden Bird Foundation) supports poetry, literature and runs an online magazine: https://drot.eu. The other one is DECODE Foundation which supports contemporary art and architecture. Every year there is a competition for young artists who then have an opportunity to put their works on display in an exhibition. Its aim is to draw attention to thought driven art and creating value which lead to special places, characteristic buildings and inspiring, intriguing artifacts. https://bordstudio.hu/en/2019/11/29/decode-award-ceremony-2019/

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

BAS : Entering competitions and receiving feedback from a professional jury comprising of the most prestigious members of the profession are essential. It is a great support for us, a sign that we are following the right path. Due to the wide range of international entries, A’ Design Award is a perfect indicator of excellence. The prize is not important only for us, architects but also for our contractors as it adds value to their buildings. On a larger scale the users of the buildings and the local community can also pride on it. We are honored that the International School of Debrecen received gold prize. This is a great feedback that we can create value of.

BORD Architectural Studio Profile