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LC: Houston is blessed with 11 Philip Johnson– designed buildings — more than any other city but New York, which has 18. What is it about Houston that attracted Johnson in 1957 and attracts PJ>AR now? AR: I think first his relationship with the de Menil family and later with Gerry Hines. It was the friendships, as much as business relationships, that called Mr. Johnson back. Over time, his reputation grew, and he attracted other prominent people in Houston, and his body of work here grew. I was fortunate to have worked on these projects, and I'm eager to continue these rich relationships. MD: Houston is like a blank canvas for an architect. You are free to design whatever you want. There are no vernacular rules that you have to adhere to, and it is the only major city in the U.S. with no zoning. This means total freedom of expression without the limiting rules and regulations cities typically force on designers. But you still want to respect the character of the neighborhoods that have been developed, and design accordingly. Amon Carter Museum, Dallas INSIDE The Heads of ... LC: I understand Frank Gehry's work, specifically the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, literally moved Philip Johnson to tears. Who are the architects past or present you most admire? AR: Philip Johnson and Frank Gehry became good friends over the years, and both admired each other's architecture. Our firms worked closely together on a number of projects, which unfortunately were never built. I was particularly moved when I traveled to the Guggenheim in Bilbao with Mr. Johnson, Charlie Rose and Steve Wynn, as a guest of Frank. As we walked to the main lobby, Mr. Johnson looked up and, with tears in his eyes, said "Wow, I have never been so moved since my mother took me to Chartres cathedral when I was 14 years old." MD: Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Calatrava. Corbu developed his vocabulary inspired by the Cycladic islands, for which I have a great love. Calatrava understands structure and develops his works based on a human scale. ALAN RITCHIE MARKO & DASIGENIS Principals of Houston's Hot Philip Johnson, Charlie Rose and Frank Gehry at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 1997 NEW PHILIP JOHNSON LC: What's the dream project you'd love to land? ALAN RITCHIE ARCHITECTS AR: I'd like to [continue building] the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas. AS TOLD TO LAURANN CLARIDGE That was one of the last buildings that Philip and I designed together. Philip Johnson, Gerald Hines, circa 1970 COURTESY HINES Laurann Claridge: Let's talk about the professional history between you and the late, great Philip Johnson. Alan Ritchie: I was introduced to Mr. Johnson shortly after I arrived from England, and he invited me to join the firm of Philip Johnson, John Burgee Architects as a junior architect. Later I was promoted to project manager, associate and partner. In 1987, when Mr. Johnson and Mr. Burgee parted ways, I also left to create my own company, Alan Ritchie David Fiore Architects. I remained in contact with Mr. Johnson, and in 1993, he proposed we become partners and merge the two firms, and we did. He retired in 2004 and passed the firm to me, leaving the 60-year legacy in my hands. Marko Dasigenis: I met Philip in New York in 1988, and we hit it off instantly. When I told him I was from Kavala, Greece, he went off on a tangent, talking about all the beautiful things he saw when he visited my birthplace in the 1930s. LC: What makes a great client/architect collaboration? AR: A great client is one that listens, someone who is open to ideas and makes decisive decisions. It is important to us that the client participates in the design process but also allows us the freedom to create, and respects our knowledge and experience. MD: An alignment of communication and vision. The best projects I've seen were a result of a strong client/architect collaboration. Look at Philip and Hines. The client is the sail that provides the wind force, and the architect is the steering wheel that navigates. It takes both to get to your destination. Amon Carter Museum, Dallas LC: Tell me about PJ>AR's best practice standards. MD: It is not only our desire, but our duty to create buildings that are inviting and user-friendly, as well as environmentally responsible. Every architect is talking today about LEED architecture. PJ>AR was actually doing LEED even before the term existed. That's why you see all these Hines buildings getting Le Corbusier's Chapel of NotreDame-du-Haut, Ronchamp LC: If you could have authored any one quotation in history, what would it be? AR: "God is in the details." — Mies van der Rohe MD: "I hope nothing. I fear nothing. I am free." — Nikos Kazantzakis LC: Art/artists you favor? AR: I love all forms and periods of art but particularly love Monet, Erté, Calder and Henry Moore. MD: Giacometti; Matisse and classic Greek sculpture. P Marko Dasigenis LC: Do you collect anything in particular? AR: Stamps and antiques — mostly 20th-century Art Nouveau, Art Deco and modern pieces. Alan Ritchie hilip Johnson has arguably done more than any other architect to shape Houston's skyline. He was commissioned by the likes of art patron Dominique de Menil, whose COURTESY HOUSTON POST / MENIL LC: One of the tenets vital to your work is the interior architecture of a project. What is its significance to the project as a whole? AR: It's always been the firm's philosophy that there shouldn't be a separation between the interior and exterior of a building. The designs created for its exterior appearance should also be expressed internally. We have always approached the client to engage us as the architects and the interior designers of the building so that the designs are completely integrated. Some of our most successful projects have been when we have designed not only the building, but also all the interior public spaces, such as The Sony Tower (formerly the AT&T Building) and the Lipstick Building in New York City, the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth and the "Number 5" Tower at 5 East 44th Street. LC: You've said that good design doesn't have to cost more, but it's the best investment you'll make. MD: Good design does not have to be expensive. It is the synthesis of different components organized in their right place. Those do not have to make a statement of "look how expensive I am." It's all about the fundamentals. design in 1948, to commercial real estate magnate Gerald Hines, who hired Johnson to design seven buildings in Houston. Carrying on Johnson's mantle is his longtime partner, British-born Alan Ritchie of Philip Johnson Alan Ritchie Architects, who has in Houston with colleague Marko Dasigenis. Meet the men who bear the weight of Johnson's iconic past as they interpret his style and apply his monumental vision to structures soon to be built in Houston and beyond. Dominique de Menil and Philip Johnson, Houston, 1949 Williams Tower, Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at University of Houston Rendering of Cathedral of Hope, Dallas Williams Tower Water Wall, Houston Henry Moore's Reclining Figure, 1951 Knoll Bird chair Chapel of St. Basil at University of St. Thomas, Houston APRIL | PAGE 44 | 2012