Siamak Hariri: How do you build a sacred space?
Siamak Hariri: Hoe bouw je een sacrale ruimte?
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
waar ik zo'n 30 jaar geleden studeerde,
from the wonderful art gallery
de wonderlijke kunstgalerij
architect Louis Kahn.
de grootse architect Louis Kahn.
and I used to visit it quite often.
en vroeger bezocht ik het regelmatig.
across the concrete wall.
de betonnen muur glijden.
was moved by the building
onder de indruk was van het gebouw
a reaction of the heart.
the emotional response.
en van het onmeetbare.
an open call for designs
een publieke oproep voor ontwerpers
in all of South America.
for the Bahá'í community,
voor de Bahá'í-gemeenschap,
of the continental temples
continentale tempel zou zijn
for national and local temples to be built
om nationale en lokale tempels te bouwen
nine entrances, nine paths,
negen deuren, negen paden,
from all directions,
langs alle kanten zou kunnen betreden.
in the Bahá'í faith.
kent geen geestelijken.
die muren aan het bouwen is,
walks of life, backgrounds,
levenswijzen, achtergronden
churches for Christianity
ontwierp voor het christendom
voor de islam.
what's sacred today?
wat vandaag sacraal is?
from the Bahá'í writings,
uit de Bahá'í-geschriften
which is already very interesting --
-- wat al heel interessant is --
will become ashine.
zullen oplichten.
of the inner and the outer,
van het binnenste en het buitenste,
and you say, "That person is radiant."
"Die persoon straalt."
how could we make something
hoe zouden we hiervan
it becomes alive.
dan komt het tot leven.
die het licht vangt.
a single form of emanation
een enkele soort uitstraling,
was looking too much like an egg.
bleef te veel op een ei lijken.
letting the process take you,
waarbij je je laat meeslepen
of a plant moving in light,
van een plant die in het licht bewoog
could have reach,
zich zou kunnen uitstrekken,
naar het goddelijke.
could mean movement and stillness,
beweging en roerloosheid kan voorstellen,
as is humanly possible,
als maar enigszins mogelijk is.
well, what is perfection?
of this Japanese basket
van een Japanse mand stootte
of perfection need to be challenged,
op perfectie betwist moesten worden,
of this basket, this wonkiness,
van de mand, deze wankelheid,
of what you might imagine a shoulder
als van een schouder
folding but torquing --
maar ook te wringen --
and the way it was reaching.
an interesting form,
interessante vorm te worden,
en de toegangen maakten.
were received from 80 countries,
vanuit 80 landen ontvangen
of how to build it.
hoe moesten we dat bouwen?
many experiments with materials,
vele experimenten met materialen,
this kind of shimmer,
om zo'n glans te verkrijgen
as you know, is very strong,
zoals jullie weten, heel sterk
just so and melt them
breekt en smelt
about two years to make.
dat ons twee jaar kostte om het te maken.
something with a soft light,
iets met een zwak licht,
but on the inside you touch it.
maar vanbinnen raak je het aan.
in a huge quarry in Portugal
in een gigantische mijn in Portugal
for seven generations in his family,
in zijn familie had gehouden,
if you can believe it.
als je het kan geloven.
it has that translucent quality.
het heeft die doorzichtige kwaliteit.
van heiligheid en geometrie.
all individual shapes,
allemaal individuele vormen,
with aerospace technology,
met luchtvaarttechnologie,
of our $30 million budget
van ons budget van $30 miljoen
die met elkaar verbonden zijn
die in de ruimte beweegt
to that beautiful quote,
op dat prachtige citaat:
van de ochtend,
of mysterious ways.
mysterieuze manieren vangend.
14 years ago when we made the submission,
14 jaar geleden, toen we het inzonden,
set against the Andes.
where we ended up,
was dat toch wat we verkregen:
nothing but pure nature,
tegenover niets anders dan pure natuur.
nothing but the city below you,
zie je niets anders dan de stad onder je.
een uitzicht langs alle kanten
de openingsceremonies plaats,
from all over South America,
nog nooit hadden verlaten.
belongs to people,
aan mensen toebehoort,
and walks of life,
van vele culturen en levenswijzen,
is what it feels like on the inside;
dat is hoe het binnenin voelt:
as that security guard,
als die veiligheidsagent,
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