Siamak Hariri: How do you build a sacred space?
Siamak Hariri: Comment construire un espace sacré ?
Siamak Hariri holds deep respect for the transformative potential of architecture, specializing in creating works of enduring value. Full bio
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that I studied at some 30 years ago
dans laquelle j'ai étudié il y a 30 ans
from the wonderful art gallery
d'une magnifique galerie d'art
architect Louis Kahn.
architecte Louis Kahn.
and I used to visit it quite often.
et le visitais assez régulièrement.
across the concrete wall.
sa main sur le mur de béton.
was moved by the building
était ému par l'édifice
avait la capacité
et je me souviens avoir pensé :
peut-elle provoquer cela ? »
a reaction of the heart.
the emotional response.
à une réponse émotionnelle.
an open call for designs
un appel d'offres pour les plans
in all of South America.
de toute l'Amérique du Sud.
for the Bahá'í community,
pour la communauté bahá'ie,
of the continental temples
le dernier temple continental
for national and local temples to be built
de temples nationaux et locaux
de la religion :
nine entrances, nine paths,
neuf entrées, neuf chemins
from all directions,
depuis n'importe quelle direction,
in the Bahá'í faith.
dans la foi bahá'ie.
walks of life, backgrounds,
de toutes les origines,
churches for Christianity
l'une des premières églises chrétiennes
mosquées pour l'islam.
un espace sacré de nos jours ?
what's sacred today?
ce qui est sacré de nos jours ?
from the Bahá'í writings,
sur cette belle citation bahá'ie,
which is already very interesting --
ce qui est déjà très intéressant,
will become ashine.
brilleront de mille feux.
of the inner and the outer,
d'intérieur et d'extérieur,
and you say, "That person is radiant."
est resplendissante. »
how could we make something
comment est-ce possible de matérialiser
au contact de la lumière ?
it becomes alive.
quand la lumière l'effleure.
capturant la lumière.
a single form of emanation
l'unique forme de l'émanation,
was looking too much like an egg.
ressemblait trop à un oeuf.
letting the process take you,
de recherche qui vous absorbe,
of a plant moving in light,
suivant la lumière
could have reach,
pourrait atteindre
que le mouvement dans un cercle
could mean movement and stillness,
et l'immobilité,
à plusieurs endroits.
as is humanly possible,
poussée aussi loin que possible
well, what is perfection?
de la perfection.
of this Japanese basket
sur l'image d'un panier japonais
of perfection need to be challenged,
de perfection étaient trop ancrées,
of this basket, this wonkiness,
de ce panier, ce côté bancal,
of what you might imagine a shoulder
ce semblant d'épaule
et créé des modèles,
folding but torquing --
mais aussi celle de serré,
and the way it was reaching.
et de son mouvement.
an interesting form,
d'une forme intéressante,
la conception des accès.
were received from 80 countries,
de 80 pays différents
of how to build it.
celle de la construction.
many experiments with materials,
plein de matériaux divers
this kind of shimmer,
ce genre de scintillement.
choisi le borosilicate.
as you know, is very strong,
le verre borosilicate est très résistant
just so and melt them
à la bonne température,
about two years to make.
après deux ans de travail.
que nous aimons,
something with a soft light,
une lumière douce,
but on the inside you touch it.
mais vous touchez l'intérieur.
in a huge quarry in Portugal
dans une carrière au Portugal,
for seven generations in his family,
depuis sept générations,
if you can believe it.
croyez-le ou non.
it has that translucent quality.
il est translucide.
all individual shapes,
toutes de forme différente.
with aerospace technology,
de la technologie aérospatiale,
of our $30 million budget
sur notre budget de 30 000 000 $,
bougeant dans l'espace,
to that beautiful quote,
à la hauteur de cette belle citation,
of mysterious ways.
de mystérieuses façons.
14 years ago when we made the submission,
lors de notre candidature, il y a 14 ans,
set against the Andes.
contre les Andes.
where we ended up,
nothing but pure nature,
nothing but the city below you,
vous voyez la ville en contrebas,
dans toutes les directions,
lors des cérémonies d'inauguration,
from all over South America,
quitté leur village.
belongs to people,
évidemment au peuple,
and walks of life,
is what it feels like on the inside;
est ce qu'on ressent à l'intérieur :
as that security guard,
que cet agent de sécurité,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Siamak Hariri - ArchitectSiamak Hariri holds deep respect for the transformative potential of architecture, specializing in creating works of enduring value.
Why you should listen
Siamak Hariri is a founding Partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects, a 120 person practice based in Toronto. His portfolio of nationally and internationally recognized buildings has won over 60 awards, including the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, celebrated as one of Canada’s Artists who mattered most by the Globe and Mail and with his Partner David Pontarini, the 2013 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Architectural Firm Award.
One of Hariri's earliest HPA projects, the Canadian headquarters of McKinsey & Company, is the youngest building to receive City of Toronto heritage landmark designation. He has recently completed public and private projects include the award-winning Richard Ivey Building, Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, the Jackman Law Building for the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, the Schulich School of Business at York University and the Integrated Health Sciences campus, with the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy and the McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in downtown Kitchener.
In the fall of 2016, Hariri completed a project he began in 2003, the Bahá’í Temple of South American, located in Santiago, Chile, the last of the Bahá’í continental temples. Won through an international call and a rigorous design competition (185 entries from 80 countries) the temple is poised to become an architectural landmark at the foothill of the Andes. It has already won some of the top architecture awards including the RAIC Innovation Award, the World Architecture News Best Building of the Year (selected by ninety-seven judges around the world); Architect Magazine’s Progressive Architecture Award (architecture’s top unbuilt projects award); the Canadian Architect’s Award of Excellence; the International Property Awards and was profiled by National Geographic Magazine.
Hariri is currently working on the complex Princess Margaret Space Transformation Project and has recently won two international design competitions, the first, the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, and the second, selected from over 92 international architects, for the new Tom Patterson Theatre, poised to become the heart of the Stratford Festival.
Born in Bonn, Germany, Hariri was educated at the University of Waterloo and Yale University where he completed a Master of Architecture. He has taught at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, as well as been a lecturer and guest critic for numerous organizations across North America. Hariri was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Architecture from Ryerson University for his contribution to architecture in Canada and abroad. The University of Toronto also honored him with an Arbor Award for his contribution to the University experience as a lecturer and adjunct professor. Hariri lives in Toronto with his artist wife, Sasha Rogers and their three children; Lua, Yasmin and David.
Siamak Hariri | Speaker | TED.com