Your projects, such as the ‘sails’ of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, express a sense of emotion and movement. What are some of the feelings you wanted to capture in Foggy, the yacht you recently designed for your friend, developer Richard Cohen?
I wanted to try to create a sense of warmth, which is why we chose the wood. We worked with [naval architect] Germán Frers to ensure that the material choice was appropriate for the type of boat that Richard wanted. I knew that he wanted to race it, so we had to make sure the wood did not slow it down. We were able to make a composite hull, so you got the beauty of the wood with the speed of carbon fiber. The wood reminds me of old boats, but we tried to use it in new ways.
Motifs of the ocean and fish are found in much of your work. What ignited this passion?
The thing that always got me about fish is their movement. I was searching for ways in architecture to take the place of decoration, which had been eliminated by the modernists. I saw this movement as a way to express feeling, which is what all of the best art and architecture does.
Exploring unusual materials that go against current thinking is a lifelong theme. In your Santa Monica home, for example, you used corrugated aluminum and unfinished plywood as expressive elements, while stripping the interior walls to reveal the structural elements. Which of your current projects relates most to this?
The Facebook campus. They want a space that works for them but is not overly designed or too fussy—something matter of fact but feels nice to be in, and facilitates collaboration and exchange of ideas. I feel a kinship between my house and Facebook.
What elements of your personality are most reflected in your design approach?
Relentlessness, curiosity, and humanism—I hope.
You’ve joked about one day designing a spaceship. What other projects are on your design bucket list?
I am too superstitious—I don’t ever wish for a project. I take the work that comes in the door and try to make each one the best I can.
