i
respecting the genius loci. We work on an
architecture combining long-lasting solutions,
tradition and new technologies; an architecture
saving resources, generating measurable economic
results, while contributing to beauty. This means a
constant challenge!
What has been your favourite project to
date?
Let me put it like this: the next one.
What existing project do you wish you could
have been involved in?
Actually I would take it as a privilege to work on a
church for the new Pope in a sub-Saharan country –
only with local craftsmen – in adobe and local wood.
What are you currently working on?
We are working on several challenging projects: At
the moment we are transforming an Island facing
Venice into a hotel resort, a lux-hotel in Hamburg,
a resort at lake Garda in Italy, ceramic totems in
Tuscany, glass birds in Venice…
Where do you see architecture going in the
next decade?
Sustainability is my ‘leitmotiv’ – and this is what
architecture should be about. The respect for the
spirit of the site, with its cultural and historical
background, its climate and morphology, its flora
and resources, determines our creative process.
As we are a magazine for Africa, what are
your thoughts on African architecture?
I think African architecture should focus on building
for Africa’s urgent needs of today: survival, disease,
poverty and climate change. It should be about
integration and about respect of the recourses and
Further recommended viewing:
Matteo Thun interview
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africandesignmagazine.com