Massimiliano Fuksas is a person of great importance in the world of architecture. Born in Rome of Lithuanian origins, he obtained his degree in architecture at the University “La Sapienza” in the capital of Italy, in 1969.
Since the 80’s he has been among the leading figures in contemporary architecture. Eclectic, lively and well-liked, his creations are innumerable and you can admire them in almost any part of the world. Among the many amazing projects of Massimiliano Fuksas are the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa (Israel), Vienna Twin Towers, and the New Congress Center Rome-Eur, “La Nuvola”. The hard work of the architect Fuksas is mainly directed towards the study of urban problems. Along with his wife, Doriana, also an architect and an art historian, Massimiliano Fuksas created Studio Fuksas, among the most important and recognized studios of architecture in the world. With the help of a collaborating staff of 170 professionals working in branches located in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen, he was able to complete a wide variety of works which range from city operations to the realization of airports, museums, cultural spaces, offices and internal projects of design. During his career, the architect has been honoured with numerous acknowledgments, including the Cavalierato of Gran Croce of the Italian Republic, honorary membership to RIBA -the Royal Institute of British Architects- in Great Britain, and the French “Légion d’Honneur’’. From 2000 to 2015 Massimiliano Fuksas was the writer of the architectural feature for the Italian newspaper, ‘’L’Espresso’’, founded by Bruno Zevi. From 2014 to 2015, together with his wife Doriana Fuksas, they took care of the Italian Design feature in ‘’La Repubblica’’. He is a Visiting Professor at many universities, for example: Columbia University of New York, École Spéciale of Architecture of Paris, the Akademie der Bildenden Künste of Vienna and the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste of Stuttgart.
It is with great pleasure that we present the interview the he has kindly agreed to with SHOT Magazine.
For Leon Battista Alberti, the aesthetic factor in architecture, “is, to all, more noble, beyond being indispensable”. His works are aesthetically pretty, not just functional. But what does “beauty” mean to Massimiliano Fuksas?
Between the projects that you have completed and those which you are still working on, which one is particularly dear to you? The next one! Design, nature, space management… These features are always gaining more and more importance and they are always more interrelated. How will architecture be in twenty years?
Among the famous architectural works of the past, is there a building, a monument, that you would have liked to have built?
What does luxury mean to you?
Talking about current events, how can modern architecture create meeting places that can truly captivate people, in this moment in history where relationships are always less human and controlled almost completely by social media?
What would you recommend to all the young professionals who are fighting to work well in this industry, but every day collide with a difficult reality?
Italian architecture practice Studio Fuksas has completed the largest building in Rome in over 50 years. Opening to the public in October 2016, the New Rome /EUR Convention Centre and Hotel ‘the Cloud’ is a €239 million earthquake proof complex that has taken 18 years of planning and construction. It will host auditoriums, exhibition spaces and a hotel - amassing 55,000 square metres in new public space. Through both trade and tourism, the convention centre is expected to bring in between 300 - 400 million euros annually to the city of Rome.
The concept of the plan for Terminal 3 of Shenzen Bao’an international airport evokes the image of a manta ray, a fish that breathes and changes its own shape, undergoes variations, turns into a bird to celebrate the emotion and fantasy of a flight.
The structure of T3 - an approximately 1,5-km-long tunnel – seems to be modeled by the wind and is reminiscent of the image of an organic-shaped sculpture. The profile of the roofing is characterized by variations in height alluding to the natural landscape.
The symbolic element of the plan is the internal and external double “skin” honeycomb motif that wraps up the structure. Through its double-layering, the “skin” allows natural light in, thus creating light effects within the internal spaces. The cladding is made of alveolus-shaped metal and glass panels of different size that can be partially opened.
The Tbilisi Public Service Hall is situated in the central area of the city and it overlooks the Kura river.
The building is made up of 7 volumes that contain offices (each volume is made up of 4 floors located on different levels). These volumes are placed around a "central public square", which is the core of the project, where there is the front office services. Offices are connected to each other by internal footbridges that stretches on different levels.
