Architecture & Design

Architecture & Design | 7 WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF ARCHITECTURE? It is a truism that as William Blake stated 'we become what we behold'. Apart from the initial imprint of my father being an architect, which meant that architecture was ever present in the home, there were specific loci which also influenced my formation. My pre-university days at St Edwards's College furnished me with not only an excellent education, but its confines within the formidable St Clement's bastions together with the College building's elegant arches also served as inspirational fonts. Taking in the island's South-North amalgam typology of the indigenous vernacular and imported baroque church domes also provided inspiration; as did my father's imposed visits to the local Neolithic temple sites, all of which further served to stimulate an already nascent penchant for architecture. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK? I would like to think of my buildings as primarily soul enhancing edifices, pastoral arcadias as opposed to fiscal dystopias, which adhere specifically to place and time. Site, context and the client's brief remain paramount influencing factors in the design process. According to the Roman architect Vitruvius' definition, architecture must provide 'commodity, firmness and delight'. It is however the element of 'delight', which lifts construction to the realm of architecture. Le Corbusier verified this when he stated 'you employ stone, wood and concrete and build houses and palaces. That is construction. You touch my heart, that is architecture'. In my work I search for an architecture of emotion, one which enriches both spirit and soul. My philosophy is perhaps best summed up by playwright Tennessee William's words 'I don't want reality, I want magic'. Ultimately the job of the architect remains that of making the ordinary extraordinary, by adding poetry to the pragmatic. Apart from aesthetically absorbed influences one needs an intellectual overlay. This was nurtured by a number of personalities I have been fortunate to have had as mentors; these included Gio Ponti, Basal Spence, Victor Pasmore, Quentin Hughes and Peter Serracino Inglott. Influences are also drawn from the literary works of such authors Bachelard, Tolkein, Juster, Lewis, Calvino, Okri, Pallasmaa and William J Curtis's architectural bible 'Modern Architecture since 1900'. The enigmatic dreamlike metaphysical paintings of De Chirico and Delvaux have also left their mark as have the symbolic narratives of mythology and the architecture of antiquity when architects were high priests, magicians and shamans. WHAT LED TO YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS AS AN ARCHITECT? Success to me is a journey (even if at times a long and arduous one) but not a point of arrival. What is personally more rewarding than prizes, awards and accolades are what architectural and critical peers have commented on my work. Renzo Piano: 'Richard England is a master builder. His is an architecture which is local but also global. His language is a language of poetry.' Daniel Libeskind: 'Richard England has built numerous projects, but what distinguishes his work in my view is his artistry; a great architect, brilliant artist and outstanding thinker'. Charles Knevitt, former architecture correspondent of the London Times: 'In Richard England we have a magician of form, colour and chiaroscuro that makes him the architectural Caravaggio of our times'. Denis Sharp, revered architectural critic: 'Richard England has enhanced the architectural values and traditions of his island'. CAN YOU COMMENT ON SOME OF YOUR RECENT PROJECTS? My recent work has focused more on writing and drawing (hoping that with ever progressing CAD techniques the mouse will not eventually eat the pencil). Recent publications include: Orpheus - his song and his music (Kite Malta 2017), Chambers of Memory (Kite 2018), Metropoli + Mythopoli (Timia Italy 2021), Lazarus (Kite 2021) and the forthcoming Cain and a collection of 200 drawings of Malta and Gozo entitled Melita et Gaulos also to be published by Kite. Recent architectural works include an ecclesiastical project for Simeri in Reggio Calabria Italy and the ongoing works in progress of a Biblical Meditation Garden, as an extension to the earlier M.U.S.E.U.M. Dar il-Hanin Samaritan enclave in St Venera. WHICH ARE THE PROJECTS YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF AND WHICH ARE YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE? One's projects are like one's children, one cannot have preferences. One project however does harbor particular favour, due to its manifestation methodology, and the fact that not only was it my first work (first born), but that the commission was given to me as a gift by my father on my return from my study period in the studio of Gio Ponti. Regretfully, father did not see it finished as he passed away before its completion. Another factor which contributes to my adhesion to this project is the fact that I was involved very much in the role of a medieval master-mason working hands on directly on the building, as opposed to the normal practice of others utilising an architect's prepared drawings to manifest the building. This was due to the fact that building operations were carried out by the village's farming community who were not versed to read architectural plans. What initially hovered as an irksome hindrance proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my whole architectural life. To this day I still encourage students and young architects to once in their lifetime make a building with their hands. Throughout my career I have been privileged and fortunate to have been involved in the design of numerous sacral spaces, the concept process of which constantly provided me with uplifting ethereal and spiritual experiences. In the process of manifesting sacred loci one is measuring We need to tread gently on our planet, with architects thinking more of eco than ego. In view of the world's current daunting situation my dream non- pollutive project would be one where the floor is the earth, the walls are the wind and the ceiling is the sky. " "

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