Javier Villar , a native of Logroño, still remembers his first encounter with architecture. He was just a child, spending the weekend at a childhood friend’s house, when, for some reason, the place gave him a “serene and revealing” feeling. From that moment on, he became aware of the importance of the quality of spaces and the effect they have on those who inhabit them.
In this interview, he gives us a glimpse into his professional career and his perspective:
How did the opportunity to move to Tokyo come about?
After completing my programs of study at the Barcelona School of Architecture, I spent some time traveling around Japan, where, at that time, some of the most diverse and surprising architectural designs of the era were emerging.
There I discovered projects that were based on materials rather than forms, that sought transparency rather than mass, with a focus on detail and craftsmanship in construction that I had never encountered before.
That's where you took your first steps in your career…
After knocking on many doors, I ended up doing an internship at the Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) studio, eventually becoming the only European on staff. Years later, I became one of the first five partners.
How has working in Asia contributed to your professional perspective (and your projects)?
It made me realize that different cultures have different ways of approaching creative processes, including (and especially) architecture.
In the West, the creative process is viewed as a "search" for ideas based on intuitions or impulses. In Asia, however (especially in Japan), individual impulse is not the starting point; rather, it is about embarking on a journey to "finding" ideas that predate us and are inherent to the nature of project itself.
What have you learned from its architecture?
His approach to the design process. I find it fascinating how the questions and answers that shape the design emerge. It involves starting with a consideration of all possibilities, then comparing them and selecting the most appropriate ones. This is based on a selection process in which solutions are evaluated and chosen through analysis and assessment, setting aside individual impulses and staff preferences.
I believe this approach financial aid architectural designs that focus less on "by whom" and more on "for whom" they were conceived.
You’ve graduate lecture Looking at Things.” Would you say that contemplation is a necessary first step in designing any space or product?
It is through this observation of objects, materials, places, and cultures that the ideas we develop are grounded.
Contemplation takes time. It is a slow process of learning, and the less deliberate it is, the deeper it becomes. It is not a reaction to a project; rather, that observation comes first. Projects come later and become opportunities to put internship we have learned into internship . By approaching things with this mindset, we can arrive at proposals that are more honest, sensible, and necessary.
How did the OCA platform come about, and how does it enrich the studio—and vice versa?
Office for Creative Affairs (OCA) was born out of a desire to surround our lives with the things that fascinate us and the people who create them. The designs, exhibitions, and brands we’ve created are simply excuses to incorporate them into our daily lives.
