David Chipperfield, british architect, born December 18,

1953, London, England, is known for his modern,

minimal designs and for his work which has earned
numerous accolades over the years. David Chipperfield
Architects was founded in 1984 and currently has four
offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai.

David Chipperfield Architects London is one of the 17

British architecture practices to sign an open letter
declaring a climate emergency and has established
that they will raise awareness of the climate and
biodiversity emergencies and the urgent need for Fig. 1. CHIPPERFIELD, D. Inagawa Cemetery,
action among their clients and supply chains, out of a 2013-17.
list of things they will seek to do.

His conservation projects include strategies ranging from the most rigorous and scientific restoration
to the most abstract interpretation and even invention without representing a conflict. Chipperfield
stated in an interview, “In my work I have always been concerned with what an intervention might
somehow borrow, strengthen, protect or enhance” (5) He later gives an example about the concept of
borrowing is applied to the landscape in Japan. A view of landscape is borrowed to include it into a
scenic composition of nearby and distant things. “I don´t see architecture in itself as the centre of
attention. I always think about the frame...” (1) Chipperfield does not only focus on designing from a
spatial view but his use of colour supports and emphasizes his architectural design. Chipperfield
employs the colours provided by the architectural context and the building materials in a way that is
both modest and meaningful. He also has a very strong control of the detail seen in his projects.

“My position architecturally would be that I am more interested in normality than I am in the
extraordinary” (4) “ the motto of...my work… where it allows you more to conduct your rituals and it's
like special” (2) Chipperfield motto is left very clear after stating that he finds normality in the projects
that he does and designs within the restrictions but looking for comfort in the every life .

He has a passion for what he does and believes “There should be a purpose in the story that can
explain why you've done whatever you have done” (3). He stands out by the way his designs
incorporate the location’s specific history and situational framework. Chipperfield remembers, through
the evocation of the building, the importance of architecture as an idea of society and community.

Bibliography:

1- CHIPPERFIELD, D. In: ZAERA, A “A Conversation with David

Chipperfield”. In: El croquis n. 120 David Chipperfield. Madrid: Croquis
Editorial, 2004. p.16
2- Ibidem. p.17
3- Ibidem. p.20
4- Ibidem. p.23
5- CHIPPERFIELD, D. In: ESCOBAR, N “David Chipperfield: Architecture Is
Never Dead”. In: MATERIA ARQUITECTURA #11 pp. 20-27. London: NE
Castrillón, 2015

References used:
Fig. 2. CHIPPERFIELD, D. Museum Island Berlin,
David Chipperfield Architects,
1999. davidchipperfield.com/bibliography/essays/simple_ordinary_complex.

“David Chipperfield.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,

Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/David-Chipperfield.

Source of images:

Fig 1. “David Chipperfield Architects” website.

Fig 2. “Insplosion” website.