Architecture Beyond Architecture

Abstract

Bernard Tschumi is widely recognized as one of today’s foremost architects. First known as a theorist, he drew attention to his innovative architectural practice, in 1983, when he won the prestigious competition for the Parc de La Villette. Since then, he has made a reputation for groundbreaking designs that include the new Acropolis Museum in Athens and Le Fresnoy National Studio for the Contemporary Arts in France. Very early in his career, Tschumi collaborated with RoseLee Goldberg on the exhibition A Space: A Thousand Words at the Royal College of Art, which brought together artists and architects as well as students and faculty from both the RCA, where Goldberg directed the school’s art gallery, and the Architectural Association, where Tschumi taught design. As evidenced in the conversation, it was precisely Tschumi’s exposure to such interdisciplinary exchanges early in his career that served to inform a radical rethinking of architecture. The many books devoted to Tschumi’s writings and architectural practice include a comprehensive monograph, titled Architecture Concepts: Red is Not a Color, the four-part Event-Cities series, and The Manhattan Transcripts. Tschumi has taught architecture at a range of institutions including the Architectural Association in London, Princeton University, and The Cooper Union in New York. He was dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University from 1988 to 2003, where he is currently a professor. Tschumi’s work has been exhibited in solo shows at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Venice Architecture Biennale, and the Pompidou Center in Paris. This conversation took place in New York on March 12, 2014.