When an architect becomes a prisoner to a particular signature style, he/she may fall into an abyss where adhering to style takes supremacy over what the project needs to be. It may end up like a highly stylised K Jo movie without a gripping storyline. It may appeal for a fleeting moment but will certainly not stand the test of time.
At RLDA, we don’t have an official style for this reason. This doesn’t mean that we don’t believe in stylisation, but that we do not subscribe to a one size (or in this case one style) fits all theory. When approaching a new design project, we try not to judge; and we try not to bring my own predispositions to the project. We don’t believe in what’s in and what’s not.
It’s more important for us to understand the essence of the project; what the space really needs to be. After we have asked ourselves that question, it allows for an easy translation into the built space without resorting to individual whims or current trends. The style required for a hill resort nestled in a virgin mountain-scape has to be very different from a hip city hotel. A home library should be stylistically nuanced quite differently from a trendy salon.
We believe architecture is a spatial art which constantly engages with its inhabitants. In this engagement, moments get created - moments, whether they are Spatial, Material or Visual - dictate a project’s style.
We strive for an honesty – a directness with which our spaces communicate with their inhabitants. In that directness should lie an honesty towards one’s engagement with both the materials of construction and the manifestation of their expression. That for us is our ‘House Style’
