5 QUESTIONS ASKED BY ETEM - WE PRESENT YOU ANGEL ZAHARIEV, A&A ARCHITECTS

Do you have a favorite thought of a famous architect or such thought related to the architecture?

I am not sure that this idea truly belongs to architect Jan Geel, but he has repeated it many times in his presentations and it has impressed me. We do not have to think about what the city should do for buildings, but on the contrary, what we, with our buildings, can do for the city.

 Take on the role of a prophet and tell us how you see the city of the future 50 years from now? What will be the architecture then?

I personally hope, I do not want to make predictions, but to express a hope that in 50 years the architecture will be very diverse and we shall totally overcome the modernism that wanted to put us in "uniforms". It will be much more concerned with the environment and more focused on the person with his/her individual needs.

Who is the architect whose projects inspire you most?

It's hard to point out certain people. There are really a lot of professionals and a lot of offices working in different directions and on different projects. Definitely among the speakers at the Facade Conference are people who inspire me with their creativity and dedication to work. For example, the colleagues from SAOTA are amazing. I am also inspired by American architect Rick Joy, who designs residential buildings, as well as Rem Kolkhas and colleagues from OMA who have most influenced us in their work, precisely because they think of the city and architecture in a wider context of social, economic and cultural aspects.

What is the masterpiece project of all time according to you?

The universe. If there is a God, then he has done something truly magnificent. All the natural processes that we humans strive to recreate with our architecture and human creations, but we can never reach them. This is a purely metaphorical answer to the question. Otherwise, if we talk about an architectural project, every masterpiece has its time. In other words, architectural masterpieces are of two types – those projects that are ahead of their time and manage to change attitudes in society, and those that in a very successful way fit into their time and maximally reflect the present. Like the Frank Lloyd Wright Waterfall House, which reflects the 20th century, but also new technological materials such as steel and concrete. Prior to that, the Eiffel Tower was the climax of the Industrial Revolution. So, every period in history has its masterpieces. And in order to determine one of our presents that is extremely dynamic, we need the distance of time in order to be able to appreciate it.

What is your favorite book and what are you reading right now?

I'm reading a lot of different books right now. If we talk about fiction, my favorite book will be specific, but in the technical and scientific literature - another book. Since the summer I am reading a book called “Walkable City” by American author Jeff Speck, who researches and gives examples of how cars have taken over American cities and how destructive it is for their development. Another book I'm reading right now is “Chamkoriya”, which I couldn't read when it came out on the market and now I'm catching up.