ArchiTeam interviews the architect LORCAN O' HERLIHY

What is the importance of Architectural Tourism?
Ideally Bilbao museum by Frank Gehry is a wonderful example of how it can help to invigorate cities by tourism and especially if you have significant buildings like the Bilbao museum. That really helped the whole city. It's a perfect example. Architectural tourism is important.

What is the importance of traveling, especially for Architects and humans in general?
It's about seeing different cultures and understanding that we are a global community. For me the fascinating of being a judge in World Architecture Festival because is that I see projects from all over the world. So what's interesting is that the projects we are reviewing are from Chile, they are from South America, from United States, from Norway, from all over the world you begin to see very interesting projects. So, travelling is tremendously important, to see the different approach to architecture and also have cities grow.

What is the added value that Architecture creates within a city?
As an added value, design inspires people by their environment. So if you create great architecture people want to go there, if you design well it means it's a place where enriches your life in terms of not only sustainably but other way. So it's enriching the process.

What is the importance of Architectural events (like WAF) worldwide? What are the profits for a city holding such kind of major events?
When people come to cities, hopefully experiences like WAF bring people from all over the world but they appreciate the efforts that Barcelona, for example, has reached out to have this kind of events. As a result of that, you tend to want to give back and be able to return economically perhaps.

You are the founder and principal of 'Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects', where you seek opportunities to engage the operative layers of the urban landscape with respect to spatial, sensory and experiential information.
Is the urban environment of American cities satisfactory for the people who live in it? Does urban planning need empowerment? In which ways should this be done?
Los Angeles is a city that you can speculate, you can look at ideas. We are not held down by history and having to design in a certain way to necessarily fit in. So as a result you tend to look at projects that are unique. My clients don't come to me and say "Here's a building next door. Let's make yours like that." They come and say "Here's a blank campus. Create."Los Angeles is that type of city where you can create unique architecture but also enhances the urban environment.

How would you characterize modern American architecture?
America is a very large country so the work is different from the west coast to the east coast. But ultimately there is a contemporary quality because it's a young country. So there's more modern, more contemporary work, not necessarily better work. I personally think that modern architecture in Europe is significantly stronger than in United States. But I do think that there are some great buildings in the United States of recent.

Is the world financial crisis an opportunity for everyone to reconsider the ways that we design and construct the buildings and the urban environment?
Based on the economic constraints you have to learn to design within very strict parameters where the budgets are smaller. So you have to be very specific to design projects that recognize that. That's good because then it's more for the masses. If you build for less perhaps you can do housing, or you can do projects like right now President Obama has provided funds for supporting housing for the homeless. The opportunity as an architect like me to do that benefits everybody.

In recent years attention turns to green urban regeneration. Do you think that it is imperative for the city or it's just a new fashion with economic outcomes and covertly interests?
I do think it's imperative. I think it's very important to do buildings that look at issues of sustainable. It's crucial because ultimately with many issues including global warming we have to be aware of the planet. I don't think it's just fashion. It has to be addressed. If you are a good architect you do that. I've always felt that we do it; people appreciate that.

At the end, can you please provide your personal proposal for 10 buildings (constructed and visitable) which you think as the most important worldwide that someone must visit anyway?
The Herzog & de Meuron's Olympic stadium is a wonderful project. I'm a great admirer of their work.
Other projects would Enric Miralle's projects here in Barcelona. The market is tremendous, the one with the roof on it.   I like the Seattle Library by OMA also.
The Yokohama Port Terminal, FOA is great, that's a great project.
There's a number of housing project throughout the world, like Elemental in Chile, it's a very small project but relevant in terms of seeing how that project works. Another housing project would be MVRDV's a number of social housing in Madrid. Madrid is a great city to seek for that.
In Los Angeles I'm a great admirer of Frank Gehry's work; The Walt Disney Concert Hall.
In Denmark, I like BIG's projects.
Steven Holl has done some great work too; the housing projects in China are very strong as well.

Production: Anagnostou Maria, Gkavogianni Kyriaki, Batsilas Andreas
Editing: Vandoros Alex, Anagnostou Maria
Video: George Vlachodimos