Benjamin Leclercq resurrects lost architectures
The grand narrative of architecture is captivated by monumental projects, with happy endings and memorable anecdotes. But what about the stories of buildings whose development was halted mid-project? Of structures destroyed? In short, of architectures that will never be, or never will be? These are the untold stories that journalist Benjamin Leclercq sought to tell in his book. The architect's ghost, published by Parenthèses.
A hospital designed by Le Corbusier in Venice. A luxury desert resort conceived by Frank Lloyd Wright. A children's park in New York imagined by Isamu Noguchi. What do these three projects have in common? They were never built. It is this architecture of absence that animates Benjamin Leclercq's book, which revisits ten passion projects by renowned architects that were never realized or, at best, destroyed. Born in the pages of the daily newspaper LibérationAs part of a summer series, this collection of architectural ghosts now takes the form of a book. “I wanted to find this small, submerged continent of unbuilt architecture, with projects that were dear to their hearts and in which the architects put a little more of themselves than usual.”. »
Absence and disappearance
Although in his articles the journalist only mentions absent buildings, in his publication he wishes to "add the notion of disappearance". "What does it feel like for an architect to see, during their lifetime, a building into which they have poured time and ideas disappear?" His collection includes works such as Lina Bo Bardi's Casa do Chame-Chame and Minoru Yamasaki's Pruitt-Igoe. This also provides the author with an opportunity to highlight unique artistic trajectories. “Yamasaki was a somewhat cursed architect, rather snubbed by the profession because he was quite gentle and sensitive. He paid great attention to ornamentation, at a time in modernism when the prevailing trend was towards purity, simplicity, and rationality. His career was somewhat unconventional, but he persevered.”. » A cursed architect, because he was the one behind the World Trade Center, which collapsed on September 11, 2001. “But the one who touched me the most was undoubtedly Noguchi. He wasn’t really an architect, more of an artist, even though he wanted to be a landscape designer. I was truly moved by his determination. He spent forty years trying to sell his playground designs to the New York City Hall. Despite his stubbornness, he was unlucky; he was a little too early, a little too innovative.”
Daily lot
In developing his cast, Benjamin Leclercq also sought to vary the types of failures. "In a competition, not being selected even though the project is great is an everyday occurrence for everyone." architect. I also wanted to show how other obstacles can derail projects, and how architecture collides with economic, political, and cultural history. In Charlotte Perriand's case, it's a world war; for Frank Lloyd Wright, the stock market crash; for Le Corbusier, his own death; and for Francis Kéré, a civil war. Regarding the case of Zaha Hadid and the Cardiff Bay Opera House, « It's more mysterious, more nebulous, but the main hypothesis is racism and misogyny within the local ecosystem, which wasn't happy to see this Arab woman come and build right in the middle of the city."
Anger and suffering
Ten trajectories written thanks to an in-depth study of press clippings, archives, but also thanks to encounters, such as that of "members of Zaha Hadid's team who were working with her on the project at the time", but also of the Indian Raj Rewal, the mastermind behind the Hall of Nations in New Delhi destroyed in 2017. The author then describes an interview "where you could really feel his pain", during which he finds the terrible and implacable answer to his question: « We architects never think about the disappearance of our work. So, when it happens, anger and suffering ensue.. »
THE GHOST OF THE ARCHITECT BY BENJAMIN LECLERCQ
PARENTHES PUBLISHING, NOVEMBER 2024
