You know their buildings—but how much do you know about the architects themselves? The Proust Questionnaire is a new series that gets up close and personal with some of the biggest names in the industry.
Named after the personality quiz favored by the great writer himself, the Proust Questionnaire is a timeless tool for getting to know often hard-to-read highers-up. Sometimes the most innocuous of questions can reveal quite a lot.
Last month, we talked with Daniel Libeskind. For this month's iteration, we're chatting with Thom Mayne, Pritzker Prize-winning principal of Morphosis.
Who is your favorite living architect?
Paffard Keatinge-Clay
Who is your favorite dead architect?
Lebbeus Woods
How would you describe the personality of your practice?
Talkative / Inquisitive
What is your practice’s main weakness?
Over-optimism
What is the trait that you appreciate most in a building?
Ambiguity / Complexity
What is the trait that you deplore most in a building?
Lifelessness
What is the trait that you most appreciate in an architect?
Humility
What is the trait that you most deplore in an architect?
Deplore is a strong word… I don’t appreciate a lack of humor
What is your favorite type of project to work on?
Filled with apparent conflicts
What does architectural happiness mean?
Contentment, Attainment, Completion
What does architectural misery mean?
Sleeplessness
Where would you most like to build (where you haven’t already)?
Bali
What is your favorite color?
Gray
What is your favorite flower?
Copa de Oro
What is your favorite bird?
“Walter” (Our late sun conure)
Who is your favorite poet?
E.E. Cummings
Who is your favorite artist?
Duchamp
When do you lie?
Can’t tell you
What talent would you most like to have?
Musical (saxophone)
What architectural strategies do you most overuse?
One — relying on reason
How would you like to die?
Peacefully with family
Writer and fake architect, among other feints. Principal at Adjustments Agency. Co-founder of Encyclopedia Inc. Get in touch: nicholas@archinect.com
4 Comments
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Why is the lie question so fucking hard?
I lie all the time; ask me how I'm doing.
Excellent responses.
With the lie question he should have said in questionnaires.
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