#400 - JAMES CORNER, Founding Partner of Field Operations
SUMMARY
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by James Corner, Founding Partner of Field Operations to discuss his background; early interests; education in landscape architecture and urban design; the value of urban design; the difference between architecture and landscape architecture; design competitions; Field Operations' practice structure; the Highline Project; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT JAMES
James Corner is Founding Partner & CEO of Field Operations. He has devoted the past 30 years to advancing the field of landscape architecture and urbanism, primarily through his leadership on high-visibility, complex urban projects around the world, as well as through teaching, public speaking, and writing.
Important public realm design projects include New York’s highly acclaimed High Line; London’s South Park at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; Santa Monica’s Tongva Park; Chicago’s Navy Pier; Cleveland’s Public Square; Seattle’s Waterfront; San Francisco’s Presidio Tunnel Tops; Hong Kong’s Salisbury Garden and Avenue of the Stars; Doha’s new Arts and Cultural District; and Shenzhen’s Master Plan for the City of Qianhai.
James has been recognized with the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Architecture, the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award, and the AA&D Black Pencil Award. His work has been published broadly and exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the National Building Museum, the Royal Academy of Art in London, and the Venice Biennale.
His books include The High Line: Foreseen/Unforeseen (Phaidon, 2015), The Landscape Imagination (Princeton, 2014); Recovering Landscape (Princeton, 1999), and Taking Measures Across the American Landscape (Yale, 1996). He was named by TIME as one of “Ten Most Influential Designers;” by Fast Company as one of the “Top 50 Innovators;” and has been featured in many prominent publications.
James received a B.A. (First Hons) from Manchester Metropolitan University; an M.L.A./U.Des. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design; an Honorary Doctorate in Architecture and Engineering (Dr.-Ing. E.h.) from the Technical University of Munich; and a Doctor of Design (honoris causa) from Manchester Metropolitan University.
He is emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, where he has served on the faculty since 1989, and as Professor and Chairman 2000–2013. He is emeritus Board Member of the Urban Design Forum, sits on the Board of the Government Advisory Board of Shenzhen, and is an Elected Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Introduction.
(05:32) Preparing for Architecture or Landscape Architecture undergraduate school.
(11:50) Deciding to be a Landscape Architect.
“You're working with a bigger medium that is both hard and soft, organic and inorganic. [Landscape Architecture] is a fluid and time-based medium. There are certain things you must let go of. And I know a lot of architects who just can't let go. With bigger projects and bigger sites, many issues come into play that led to a lot of change, a lot of evolution, a lot of emergence, and a lot of flexibility. It's just a different mindset.” (16:35)
(17:47) Design style in Architecture vs Landscape Architecture.
(28:46) Value of Urban Design.
“Good urban design is about understanding all the ingredients that make a good city. If there's no dialog and no synthesis [between the architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and engineers], then you're creating a very fragmented idea of a city. [That’s why] I'm a big advocate for a more holistic mindset when approaching a mixed-use development.” (31:23)
(34:47) Generalist vs specialist in urban design and architecture disciplines.
(43:22) First milestone project as an Urban Designer.
(50:59) Design competitions.
(59:19) Architecture work and academic culture.
“There's an aversion now to criticism. “Don't say anything in case you upset somebody.” It's phony. It's just producing weak work where there's no sense of standard. [Criticism doesn’t have to be] radical, intense, over-intellectualized criticism on the one hand. But neither should it be over-generalized pandering and handholding on the other hand.” (01:01:40)
(01:07:55) Field Operations practice structure.
(01:14:09) Client’s perceived value of Landscape Architects.
(01:19:5) The Highline Project.
“The discovery of this green meadow that lived on the Highline was a big surprise. Nobody knew it was there because nobody could see it. Most people just saw the Highline as a hulking bulk of steel. The most exhilarating experience of the Highline as a found object is the sense of surprise. So, when we designed it, we wanted to curate a whole sequence of surprises so that as you walk along, there’s something else that surprises you. The Highline has grown into an extraordinary phenomenon filled with surprise. I hope, and I believe that it will continue to do so. I think the Highline that you see five years from now and ten years from now will be a little different in terms of how it's being used and what it looks like.” (01:25:29)
“All these cities have great characteristics. I think the best cities moving forward are those that can recognize their key assets. They should learn to leverage the city’s character and differentiate themselves from others. I think cities make a big mistake when they try to emulate others. I love that we have these different cities, these different experiences, these different feelings and moods. The trick moving forward is how to maintain those differences and their appeal. I hope that we can make a world that really celebrates differences.” (01:33:33)
