’Through stable, quiet and serene architecture (rather than through loud and ostentatious forms) the soul gives up fighting against its earthly fate and finds peace’. This intriguing aphorism by architect Claudio Silvestrin forms the crux of his work, and appears in his latest tome, ’The non-materiality of the material - Claudio Silvestrin’ - itself an altogether calming 366 page journey from one minimalist project to the next, capturing the essense of Silvestrin’s work over the last 20 years.
Armed with a substantial preface by Franco Bertoni, an essay by Francesco Alberoni and a postscript by Germano Celant, the book also features a selection of Silvestrin’s writings - a welcome glimpse into the mind of this architect, who despite his many high profile commissions, often chooses to let his spaces - strong and inventive, yet never intimidating - quietly shape a landscape.
Born in 1954, the London-based architect worked in partnership with John Pawson for a few years, before setting up his own practice in 1989. He has since garnered a diverse following, including the likes of Kanye West, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein and Victoria Miro - who all want a piece of his austere vision.
Almost bordering on monastic, the calm serene forms of a Silvestrin building have even compelled Alberoni to describe it in the book as ’a place in which fragmented man can rediscover the roots of his culture and tradition, through earth, water, air, fire, wood, stone and light.’ Spiritual words, but looking at Silvestrin’s favouring of simple, natural material, and his unwavering committment to the essense of architectural configuration - spaces are an interplay between geometry and its horizon, stripped bare of embellishment - it’s a natural conclusion.
Front cover of The non-materiality of the material – Claudio Silvestrin
