Genius Loci

An architect has a clear social task and is always part of the organization of society.

Since ancient times, someone did the hunting and someone made sure there was shelter,

The architect is a Robinson Crusoe today,

As in the past, you have to take possession of the location,

Understand the climate,

The atmosphere,

And the genius loci.

You must capture the spirit of that place in order to construct something beautiful and useful.

Architecture is at the edge,

Between art and anthropology,

Between society and science,

Technology and history,

Sometimes memory, too, plays a part.

Architecture is about illusion and symbolism, semantics, and the art of telling stories.

It is a funny mixture of these things.

Sometimes it is humanistic,

And sometimes it is materialistic.

by Renzo Piano