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Q - Ian Moores
Architect and sustainability expert Ian Moores faces the Q treatment this month
This article appears in the September 2009 issue of Designer
Ian Moores is MD and founder of ARK Design and Architecture, a firm that undertakes full building design services across a number of sectors, together with urban design and space planning. As well as running his own architectural practice, Ian is a Sustainability Consultant and a Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor
How and when did you first become interested in architecture?
When I was about four. I spent days building Lego houses, I was completely fascinated by all the components and I still get the same feeling even now when I'm designing.
At what time of day do you find the most inspiration?
Early morning is when my head is clear, before the complexity of the day's events begin to unfold.
Which designer/architect do you admire the most and why?
That is almost impossible to answer because there are so many influences for different reasons. Of the last 100 years, I think that in many ways Frank Lloyd Wright was way ahead of the abstract modernism of his day, and I see much of what he was doing in the emerging architecture of today.
What music inspires you?
Again there so many but I always gravitate towards Jazz influences. When I think about it most of what I listen has some Jazz connection in one way or another.
Describe your design philosophy in one word
Responsive
Where do you work on your designs/projects?
I could actually be thinking about the schemes wherever I happen to be. Sometimes you get ideas in the middle of a completely different task. They are generally worked up in the office/studio though.
What has been the biggest challenge for you throughout your career?
The biggest challenge is the pursuit of producing something of excellence when everyone wants to accept the easy option.
What profession would you have pursued had you not become an architect?
I love drawing and art, and I would have definitely ended up in some kind of graphic art or media career.
What is your favourite city in the world and why?
I love New York for a lot of reasons, the fact that it is a microcosm of the world in one place, combined with that US optimism much maligned by cynics, but which is so appealing to me.
What is your favourite memory from university?
The freedom of autonomy, and finding out who I was.
How well do you feel your education/training prepared you for the world of work?
We were really a bit green when entering the profession, but I question how much more prepared we could have been without sacrificing the design focus.
What are the most important challenges facing architects today?
Our greatest challenge is to become central in the process of building like we never have before. We are presently peripheral, and yet we have the unique skill set to revolutionise the way buildings are produced. We have to prove that we can be trusted and that we understand money.
Who would you most like to design something for?
A private residence for Barack Obama, I'd like to get to know him and it would be amazing to try to reinvent the concept of the house for a US audience.
What advice would you give to young people trying to break into the industry today?
I think we are seeking a new generation of architects who are not at the mercy of their own egos, but are prepared to get serious about delivering radical new solutions. If you believe in yourself and are prepared to work hard you can succeed.
What book are you currently reading?
The Elegant Solution: Toyota's Formula for Mastering Innovation by Matthew E. May
What projects are you working on now and how do you envisage your work developing in the future?
We are working on a growing number of social housing schemes. Independently we are also working on new sustainable models for mass housing, which could be produced using adaptable modular construction methods to suit bespoke site conditions.
What is the most important lesson that life so far has taught you?
You may not be able to choose what life throws at you, but you can choose your response to it; in that way you are never trapped as a prisoner to circumstance.
