Renowned American Architect Professor Rafi Segal
STYLE INTERVIEW
www.posiv.cz ǀ 63
Based on your rich experiences what can
you tell us about this situation?
Obviously it is not an easy shift to make
from the excitement of a project on paper
to its realization. I believe in the power of
architecture to transform and revitalize
a city. There are several recent and older
examples that support the belief and
power of investing in architecture, primarily
through cultural programs and institutions
that infuse new life and excitement in cities.
Examples range from Sydney’s opera house,
the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to the
urban-architectural transformation of Tirana.
I see an enormous positive in such projects
when they are thoughtfully designed as with
Steven Holl’s design for Ostrava’s Concert
Hall. Such construction is an investment
rather than an expense. I believe that if
the city undertakes this project in the right
way it will directly and indirectly invest in
itself, in tourism, in economic growth, and
obviously enriching its own cultural heritage.
Over time this investment will pay back two-
fold. More so, undertaking this project claims
a cultural stake, preserving, commemorating,
and keeping active the Czech love and
contribution to music worldwide. The city
of Ostrava has the opportunity to be known
internationally as a symbol of this meaningful
contribution.
Since 2014 you have been a professor at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) which has been ranked consecutively
as the best architecture school in the world.
What makes MIT stand out compared to
other schools? How do you explain the
role of architecture to your students? Is it
a craft, a service to the client, or can it be
seen as a form of art?
In short, architecture for me is the art of
giving form to spaces intended for human
habitat. A creative act which I refer to as
artistic in the sense that it aspires to go
beyond the technical organization of spaces
and materials, seeking to capture and express
collective beliefs, ideas, experiences that
transcend the everyday, and claim a positive
view in our world.
As it relates to my teachings and research at
MIT – where I direct the Masters of Science
in Urbanism program - - I explain to students
that architecture begins with observation,
whether physical, social, environmental or
more specifically urban. Observations that
promote studies to better understand and
shape relationships between the individual
building and the city or any site, rural or
urban for that matter. This relationship is
symbiotic in the sense that the building
and its site contribute to each other and
potentially benefit from one another.
Architecture does not ‘stand-alone’ but is in
dialogue with its context. The architect must
work through obstacles and restrictions
presented by the reality on ground.
These limitations can be used to enhance
the work. This approach is most prevalent
at MIT since more so than other schools
in which I have taught, architectural and
urban studies at MIT address real world
problems and challenges of an incredibly
diverse scope and scale. We adapt a critical
approach to technology (perhaps because
it is very much present in the institute) and
look for ways to integrate technology with
the livelihood of the communities that we
are designed with and for.
Of course your accomplishments
and recognition came through your
own Boston-based architecture and
design practice Rafi Segal A + U,
especially as the world first learned
about your remarkable talent when
you won the International competition
for the National Library of Israel in
Jerusalem in 2012, winning against over
90 submissions including recognized
architects such as Shigeru Ban, David
Chipperfield and Moshe Safdie. Can you
share what interesting projects you are
currently working on?
I am very fortunate to be working now on
a few exciting projects.
Carehaus – is the first U.S. care-based
co-housing project, will commence
construction this fall in the city of Baltimore,
Maryland. Carehaus (www.carehaus.net)
is a mixed-use residential building where
disabled and older adults, caregivers and
their families live in independent living
units clustered around shared spaces. In
exchange for their labor, caregivers receive
good wages, childcare, and various benefits.
Through my collaboration on this project
with artist Marisa Morán Jahn and developer
Ernst Valery, we are expanding the new
housing -care typology to other cities.
The Korthi Houses currently under
construction on the island of Andros,
Greece comprise five individual family
homes organized across existing terraces
facing the Aegean sea. Shared outdoor
areas, vegetable gardens, paths and
recreational spaces are designed in
between the houses and fully integrated
within the existing landscape.
Additional projects I am currently
undertaking vary from public space
installations (most recently in Mexico City)
to urban studies and proposals in the US,
Turkey, and Kosovo.
Those interested in architecture will be able
to see some of my projects and realizations
from April 9 to July 9, 2024 at my exhibition
titled Architecture as Dialogue, at the Villa
Tugendhat in Brno and which I am very
much looking forward to.
I was also delighted to accept the invitation
to become a member of the international
jury for the 31st edition of the Grand Prix
Architects 2024-National Architecture
Award competition, so it is quite possible
that I will appear in the Czech Republic more
frequently than before.
Rafi, thank you for the interview.
For the POSITIV Business & Style
magazine, an interview was prepared by
Ing. arch Tadeáš Goryczka, the Cabinet of
Architecture | an independent platform for
architecture, design, and art.