Alchemy of Building: Architects Herzog and De Meuron

Director: Beat Kuert

March 17, 2011 | 6.00 pm
Goethe Hall, Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai

The Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron were jointly awarded the 2001 Pritzker Prize, their profession’s highest honor, for combining ‘the artistry of an age-old profession with the fresh approach of a new century’s technical capabilities’. Over the past twenty years they have been involved in finding inventive architectural solutions to building a diverse range of projects — domestic, municipal and commercial — from a modest switching station for trains to a strikingly innovative approach to the design of a winery. Their highest profile commission to date was the conversation of London’s giant Bankside power station into Tate Modern, acclaimed by their peers, the media and the public alike.

Visiting examples of Herzog and de Meuron’s ground-breaking style, this film reflects their capacity to astonish and explore the way in which they transform what might otherwise be ordinary shapes, materials and surfaces through new treatments and techniques. Their perspective on and approach to architecture; their design dialogue; the way their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, and their collaborations with others, particularly artists, will all be brought into focus to give a fascinating insight into the cutting edge of architecture today.