Sebastian Aristotelis is a Danish architect and co-founder of SAGA Area Architects, a Copenhagen-based practice operating at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and space design. The studio focuses on research-driven tasks that check out habitation in severe environments, developing experimental structures, material systems, and construction methods. Its work covers from Earth-based models to space-oriented design, most notably LUNARK, a foldable, origami-inspired environment tested in Greenland to investigate living conditions for future lunar missions. Through this method, Aristotelis takes a look at how architecture can address seclusion, climate, and resource constraints while maintaining spatial quality and human comfort.
What motivates you?
Evolution inspires me; the manner in which nature produces style is very interesting. I likewise believe innovation is really motivating. We pursue projects since we want to learn more about a new way of manufacturing. Lastly, I believe, fiction books, specifically sci-fi, are also extremely inspiring.
What inspired you to become a designer?
I always wanted to produce adventures. I always wished to develop the feeling of a real experience. You know, Harry Potter is not real, but how can we create the feeling for adults like Harry Potter in kids? And I think the best way to do that is through architecture. You can view movies, but ultimately, the most powerful thing is the real world, and doing it through architecture is the very best medium to do that.
What is your preferred project?
I can not say, it’s like stating which is your preferred child.
What is your favorite information?
What enters your mind are the important things that we are working on today. Personally, I’m dealing with an aluminum chair, and I love the information on that.
Do you have a preferred product?
We don’t have a preferred product, but I think cork is probably one of my most favourite products.
What is your process for starting a brand-new project?
We begin with research study, we go into the topic, focus on truly comprehending, taking a look at the context, the nature, and the physics, which are carefully related. And then, right after that, we start making as numerous sketches as possible, 100 sketches per task, 100 ideas per job.
How do you fuel your imagination?
So the work we do itself is really motivating, which really fuels the imagination. However naturally, making progress, doing new things, bigger things, more remarkable things, more tough things, is likewise inspiring. So I believe our work itself and the momentum are quite motivating. However also, once in a while, taking a break and stepping back and taking a trip, going to conferences, not so much for the conferences, however to meet individuals. Just recently, I was at MIT, going to the architecture professors and going to different laboratories, and that was extremely inspiring. Talking with people who are some of the best on the planet at what they do is inspiring.
What motivated the LUNARK?
Origami was the main motivation. We knew that the expanding structures were fascinating, and we understood that the usage of stiff panels had not actually been explored in this context. And after that Origami, which is, you understand, the Japanese paper craft, was truly something that lined up well with the goals for the mission and job.
Interview with by Sebastian Aristotelis of Saga Space Architects 7 Interview with by Sebastian Aristotelis of Legend Space Architects
8 LUNARK/ SAGA Space Architects © Legend Space Architects
How did materiality shape the legend Vietnam Office?The materiality for the SAGA Vietnam Office indicated nearly everything. We had a strong idea of not wishing to do excessive to the area. I think it is among the couple of genuinely old structures in Vietnam. It’s more than 100 years of ages, and there aren’t lots of structures this old, especially non-commercial ones. So we wanted to bring that forward and do as little as possible. Then, of course, we wanted it to feel warm, so the obvious choice was bamboo flooring, and, naturally, light is very dear to our hearts since we work a lot with it, so we likewise got great lighting. We placed on limestone wash on the walls as it is non-disruptive, so you can eliminate it again. Especially with a building of this age, it was really important for us that our changes could be reversed if required. But whatever in the workplace is extremely tactile, and loads of bamboo.
Interview with by Sebastian Aristotelis of Legend Space Architects 9 Interview with by Sebastian Aristotelis of Legend Area Architects 10 Interview with by Sebastian Aristotelis of Legend Space Architects 11 Interview with by Sebastian Aristotelis of Saga Area Architects 12 SAGA Vietnam Workplace/ SAGA Area Architects © Trieu Chien What advice would you provide to young architects? This is going to sound crazy, but I would say don’t become an architect unless you are prepared for a challenge.
To see your work come to life, you actually need to put whatever you have into it. Once you put your hand on a task, you will just have obstacles on the way to making the job appear like how you pictured it to be, so this will be the reality. If you wind up decreasing the course of becoming a designer, then I would state start building and get useful recommendations as soon as possible. Leave the computer system and develop something. If you do not have the spending plan to get someone to develop your jobs, develop it with your own hands, get some references, no matter how little the job is, since that is such an excellent experience, and it will assist you for the rest of your career.