#65 - Patrik Schumacher - Zaha Hadid Architects, Parametricism, AI, Metaverse, and Gaming

We had a great conversation with Patrik Schumacher, the principal architect of Zaha Hadid Architects. At ZHA’s London Office, we discussed his approach to parametricism, parametric design, computational tools, artificial intelligence, education, and the future of architecture.

Many of us hear his name with the “parametricism” term; initially, In 2008, he launched a manifesto for “parametricism” at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2008 and published an article named “Parametricism: A New Global Style for Architecture and Urban Design.”

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[Devnci]

21:00 I think the issue comes in where as he quite rightly said, parametric architecture is the most difficult contemporary architecture to create. This means that it will usually be used as landmark buildings (by Kevin Lynch’s definition) but what about all the other buildings? It means that everyone else will have to work on another body of work. I also think contextuality is key and making sure that architecture is intellectually and aesthetically accessible enough to our audiences. I’m seeing some patterns emerge but although the thought is unified it’s not only parametric. And then there’s the ‘other stuff’ which is confusing things.

[erfanhabibpour]

As always very valuable information, we gotta learn to adapt as architects and catch up!

[Devnci]

5:13 I actually think it might be Meta-Modernism which means that parameticism will need to share the field with culturism which means that Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Centre, Xi’an International Football Centre and New Delft Blue are essentially part of the same body of work with other buildings that are not digitally aided. This is my tentative understanding of part of the current architectural field.

[smithmultiverse]

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Hamid Hassanzadeh.... thank you for this gift of your conversation with Patrik Schumacher, and his logic for access to a biomimetic future.

[arthurmani]

I agree with him but I do think it still lacks "relatability" with the general public and a clear link with circularity.

[svart-rav]

33:50 "This audience of teenage video game is... tiny"

"In 2022, the revenue from the worldwide gaming market was estimated at almost 347 billion U.S. dollars" (source: statista)
"The global Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) market was valued at US$ 9.6 Billion in 2023." (source: statista)

[kanstantsintsviatkou]

Most of parametrism architecture built today isn't a human scale or a community scale architecture. It's motst often a metropolis-scale or even state-scale project, or, to better put it, metropolis and state funded projects. And not only scale of the budget matters at this point (obviously Rhinoceros + Revit liecense doesn't cost that much), but the intent of the investor. And most of small investors, as i see, find parametrised design quite uncanny, if not to say alien for certain projects. Mreover, they often do not have an intent to impress anyone. And they have a market to supply them with anything they want to build everything except parametrised architecture.

So, essentially, making parametrism a mainstream would be a "revolution" in architecture, replacing all old suppply chains. It had already started, but haven't been that massive yet. Essentially, parametrism at the moment is about building a jet plane with copper axe and some stones, meaning that we are building something designed and calculated not by human with only human tools and capabilities. So, maybe in 30 years when welding robots and 3d-printing concrete pourers are good enough to make a 0, 5km X 2, 0km Jef Besos amazon store by themselves, that would be a rise of parametrism. Just with right tools.

Lastly, China and other asian states are not less conservative than europe, they just have enough controll to allocate a huge piece of land for a "mindblowing megastructure", which is a nightmare of an European investor buying hundreds of scraps of land from local private owners.

[KrewBeton]

He talks about architecture like a salesman (and therefore tries to create a monopoly for public buildings, because they have to be tectonic blah blah blah), not like an architect. The beauty of this unidirectional thinking is that it can easily be reversed, as Zaha did in the 80s with postmodern architecture.

[StephenCoorlas]

He's trying to say there is an elevated state of being if we continue chasing complexity. Unfortunately, complexity is a superficial self indulgent pursuit, and not a fundamental necessity in life. When global pandemics, epidemics and financial crises hit it reveals what humans truly value, and it's not this. I was on the parametricism/tectonism wave, but I now clearly see how it is not the path forward. It's beautiful, and intricate. But it's just an aesthetic fad. The next wave of computational designers will focus on performance, and if form derives from a necessary function them so be it - But architecture is at its worst when we are reverse engineering monolithic amorphic shapes, and post-justifying their meaning with efficiently scripted panelizations. We need a more integrated approach. A more nature based approach. 3D printing with natural materials will help with this.