For von Meissem

photo: Jiří Horský

Recently, Archiweb reported the passing of Prof. Pierre von Meisse (January 7, 1938, Zurich – August 7, 2020, Lausanne), a Swiss architect, outstanding theorist, and educator, author of the legendary book From Form to Place and on Tectonics (with a preface by Kenneth Frampton), which was translated into Czech by Assoc. Prof. Michaela Brožová, an educator at the Faculty of Architecture, CTU in Prague.
At the faculty, Assoc. Prof. Brožová has long been involved in teaching the Basics of Architectural Design and had the opportunity to collaborate with Prof. von Meisse, a top expert in this specialized field, when he served as a visiting professor at the Prague faculty three years ago.
Archiweb returns to the book, a wonderful guide to architectural thought, with an interview with the translator, published some time ago in the faculty bulletin Alfa.

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How do you say in Czech De la forme au lieu + de la tectonique?

We are talking to Assoc. Prof. Michaela Brožová, the translator of Pierre von Meisse's book

Alfa: The book From Form to Place + on Tectonics, subtitled An Introduction to the Study of Architecture, represents an extraordinary achievement. A challenging journey into the depths of the field in a beautiful Czech translation. The book is imbued with love for architecture and for the reader – the student. However, the book is read differently by a lay reader, albeit a professional one, differently by an expert – the translator… Before we get to more detailed questions, what comes to mind when you think back to the moments you spent on the translation?
M. Brožová: I first read the book without knowing that I would translate it. I was fascinated by its complexity, breadth, and the selection of topics it addresses. I liked that it provides a solid theoretical base for design and teaches how to think about architecture; it is not superficially instructional, and it encourages readers to their own reflections. Another reason I consider the book extraordinary is the concept of the parallel arrangement of text and images, which allows the reader another way of reading. The book contains 374 images with captions composed of approximately 680 separate images. The author works with reference buildings as exemplary examples, through which he introduces the reader to his private imaginary museum: he does not select them based on their image or publicity but based on how they specifically relate to space, light, facade concepts, etc. I am not a professional translator, but Prof. von Meisse wished for an architect to translate the book, and since we have known each other for a long time and moreover apply some of his pedagogical methods and textual materials in teaching, he entrusted the book to me. In retrospect, I wonder how I committed to translating such an extensive and challenging text; I had no idea at that time how much time it would ultimately take. Translating is a completely different type of reading; it is not enough to understand the general meaning of the message, but it requires engaging with each word, each particle, and their position in the sentence. I worked on the translation with varying intensity for four years, in various locations, so there were many moments of translation to which you refer; I remember both the anguish and fatigue when I couldn't make sense of certain things and the joy and pleasure when I successfully resolved a problem. The translation was a kind of daily meditation on architecture. A great support for me was Ms. Mgr. Zuzana Krýzlová, who read and commented on my translation; thus, I had feedback from a reader and a language expert, and we discussed various passages and compared alternative translations. The book only became apparent to me as a coherent whole after completing the Czech translation.

To what extent has the book influenced you as an architecture educator?
Years ago, after reading the first edition, I realized that we do not systematically teach project theory in our country and that it is necessary to convey certain information separately in the form of small lectures or collective discussions on specific topics, which we have integrated into the teaching of ZAN. I find this essential, especially for beginning students, and if it doesn't happen, the shortcomings will appear later. I also fear that if certain related topics, e.g., from shape psychology and their significance for design, are not covered in ZAN, students will not learn about them in other subjects. The book contains the fundamentals necessary for creation and design, and as von Meisse writes, for students to question or transcend them, they must first learn to master them. The book has influenced not only the teaching of architecture at the faculty: its first edition was independently discovered by colleague Krýzlová in Paris, and she still uses the texts in her French teaching.

Has it influenced you in terms of pedagogical methodology?
I studied in Switzerland and worked there for some time, and my colleague Jiří Hůrka, who once completed a several-week summer workshop with Prof. von Meisse as a ready architect, has greatly influenced me. By the way, prominent figures like Snozzi, Botta, Vacchini, and Galfetti participated in it. We were significantly influenced by the teaching methods at EPFL in Lausanne, where Prof. von Meisse was long responsible for atelier teaching. He founded and led the Experimental Laboratory of Architecture LEA, which served not only for research but also for students' self-education through manual work, as it allowed the simulation of two-level spatial compositions and their lighting with 1:1 scale models. His teaching texts, studio assignments, and final evaluations of students were characterized by great methodological sophistication. Even as a visiting professor at our school in the summer semester of 2014-2015, he left nothing to chance; he had the entire program meticulously prepared. From a pedagogical perspective, he remains a significant role model for us. In line with the structure of the book and its title – from form to place – we have adopted a procedure that moves from the design of spatial composition and form of the building to its adaptation to the environment and the creation of a place in ZAN. Many colleagues had problems with this approach during Prof. von Meisse's tenure at the faculty because a ready architect usually starts from the site and it is crucial for shaping mass. However, in the end, most of them acknowledged this approach from the abstract to the concrete as valid for beginning students.

Have you discovered any new topics?
It is a question of what perspective to evaluate the novelty of the topics; it is rather a certain novelty of perspective on topics traditionally associated with architecture. For example, the chapter Light and Shadow does not start from the usual, more technical approaches to lighting design as we are accustomed, but from Arnheim's assumption, which attributes illuminated objects the function of light sources. He views architectural composition as the art of arranging and dosing primary and secondary, if you will, reflected light sources in space and controlling light as one of the most important means of creating and enlivening space. Von Meiss seeks to reformulate the main principles of lighting design anew from an architectural perspective without diminishing the importance of technical knowledge. He also points out that during project processing, light becomes one of the least controllable phenomena and consequently one of the least taught in studios.

Which passages were the proverbial translator's nut to crack?
Aside from the challenges of accurately translating a vast number of technical terms, French is a language that is not inclined to express itself succinctly and tersely. It is full of twists, loops, and an endless amount of small words that you can easily skip over in global reading but can dangerously trip over during translation, as they can take on directly philosophical meaning... We had discussions with Prof. von Meisse about some formulations, starting with my question, why it can't be said more simply? A genuine nut to crack was, for example, the word modenatura (fr. modénature, from it. modanature, originating from the 16th century – editor's note). This word does not exist in Czech, and I hesitated whether to adopt it or to paraphrase, which seemed complicated and lengthy. It refers to the geometric arrangement of a wall surface – proportions, relief, profiles – into larger wholes. As Von Meisse repeatedly uses the word, I decided on the first option. By the way, in contemporary Czech professional literature, the Czech version of the word modenatura has only been used by Pavel Halík in the translation of Le Corbusier's work Towards a New Architecture. It is also worth mentioning the translatorily demanding text that Zuzana Krýzlová brilliantly dealt with in two philosophically oriented appendices by Sébastien Marotta and Bernard Huet at the end of the book.

photo: Jiří Horský

The book contains many inspiring quotes. Which ones did you like?
In the chapter Places, in connection with von Meisse's text on place, its need for temporal stability, and recognizable physical qualities evoking specific socio-cultural experiences, I particularly like the quote from Aldo van Eyck: The places we remember and the places we anticipate intertwine in the present. Memory and anticipation actually represent the real perspective of space and give it depth. The quote complements von Meisse's reflection on the double role of architectural space, which witnesses the past while simultaneously offering opportunities for the future. He calls for a rediscovery of the significance of place and its history in the process of transforming and creating new places, searching for the relationship between form, place, and history.

Can you say which passage appealed to you the most?
I definitely have more favorite passages; for instance, in the chapter Body and Cloak, it is the commented exploration of the interior of the church of the ancient monastery in Hosios Loukas, built in the 11th century near Delft, where I am fascinated in a way by the almost detective ability of von Meisse's reading, informed by a combination of modenatura of cladding panels and coherent cladding. Or, in the chapter The Aesthetic of Gravity, reflections on technology and modernity, bold yet illogical forms, including considerations on the collaboration between the architect and statician, specifically in the case of the library by Toyo Ito in Sendai, Japan.

Thank you for the interview.
Jiří Horský