ROGER MORGAN, PRINCIPAL | SACHS MORGAN STUDIO, TEMPLE EMANU-EL
Inspiration can’t be summoned or predicted. It often appears while I sit staring at the walls or the floor.
I enjoy restoration projects, especially large and expressive buildings such as churches and temples and theatres. Having a building that’s standing there right from the first day is a real benefit. It may be filthy, decrepit, rundown, and perhaps crumbling, but there it is. After 50 or 75 years of accumulation, dirt and dust camouflage the good stuff; but it hides there, under the grime.
Inspiration often comes after I have spent many hours just being in the room, quietly looking, listening and running my hands over its objects and surfaces. That’s when the building talks to me. It doesn’t speak in pungent prose, but it’s a language I know. It just takes a little time to hear it. Shapes, patterns, motifs emerge out of the dun. Colors slowly appear. Sometimes days go by before I see things that were there all along. Eventually inspiration comes. Little ideas emerge.
At Temple Emanu-El I sat gazing with the architect. The sanctuary was very dark—about 5 footcandles with the lights full. Colored sun-spears moved across the walls. We noticed that Guastavino blocks facing the huge walls were darkest near the floor and became shades lighter higher up. The polychrome ceiling was dingy and muted, but it had been brighter. After cleaning, it would shine all by itself. Fresh upholstery, clean limestone, and polished marble would contribute reflections. With all those surfaces several steps lighter, the room would emerge in the glow of those reflections. The room was beginning to speak to us, and we were listening.
With courage, and plenty of trust in those who lighted the place in 1929, we decided to keep it simple. Out of respect for their building, the Temple leaders didn’t want to change anything. Beyer Blinder Belle felt the same way. As I became increasingly familiar with the room, I lost the urge to add or change things.
I knew that once old surfaces were restored like new, old lighting fixtures would do a fine job. There would be no need to shoot a lot of new ‘modern’ lights at the walls. Maybe that was inspiration. Sometimes inspiration is knowing when to eliminate options. Or, as the director said to the method actress, “Don’t just do something, stand there.”
MARTIN HAAS, PRINCIPAL | BEHNISCH ARCHITEKTEN, HAUS IM HAUS
First there is the design brief to which we respond. The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce had initially envisioned only a three-story inner extension of the original structure, yet the dimensions of this would have covered the hall’s entire ground floor surface area. We concluded in the course of the architectural design competition, launched in 2003, that such a broad three-story structure would considerably detract from the hall’s overall appearance. Therefore we proposed a five-story structure with a much smaller footprint, which would instead exploit the hall’s height.
The winning proposal’s core concept was to create a predominantly transparent structure with a large surface area. In the course of elaborating the design it became evident, however, that various technical requirements would hamper its realization. The original building rests on oak piles and this necessitated a number of security measures, including more comprehensive fire prevention. The client furthermore wished that “business as usual” continue unimpeded throughout the construction phase, which meant that numerous elements would have to be prefabricated and discreetly delivered to the site in manageable dimensions.
Transparency could consequently have been attained only in certain parts of the structure. Only by further revising the concept was it possible to achieve the desired impression of lightness. We therefore abandoned this concept and switched over to “immateriality”.
The structure unfolds as seemingly free-floating levels and planes that consciously contrast to the historic hall’s ponderous stone bulk. The soft lines of vaulted constructions play off of the clear lines of the new structure. The new part is a bright apparition constructed of luminous, transparent, and reflective materials, reminiscent of a glittering, multi-faceted jewel that absorbs and refracts light.
Translucent construction elements and silvered lamella produce trompe-l’oeil effects and remarkable dimensions: impressions that suddenly shimmer, seeming at moments to be almost unreal, and culminate in a fluid explosion of space, attained by the use of lighting comprising fields of square LED modules set into the ceilings.
Is there a clear moment of “beginning”?
Yes, once the team decides which idea is really strong we begin to look for ways of realizing it, asking ourselves which materials would be suitable to achieve the desired effect (for example reflection, blurred images). Materials must not only produce visual effects, but also haptic ones, their smell, the intensity of their color, and the way they address the senses are very important.
What did you do to set about creating a working environment that led to this award-winning work?
The working environment in our office is very stimulating. It is simple and functional, not distracting the mind from the creative process. There are many models around, colleagues working on other interesting projects, a common kitchen and garden where views can be exchanged among the international staff. The social atmosphere is certainly a very important prerequisite for creative work. So there is not much we have to put in place—everything is there. What is equally important is a good and regular relationship with the client and all parties involved. Their input is of great importance and we see to it that we meet each others’ expectations as often as possible. Site visits, either with the client or alone, are also very important. We see to it that our architects are on site at least several times per month to experience the particular atmosphere and to develop ideas further.