Chris Bosse

Chris Bosse
PTW

9 Castlereagh Street
Sydney NSW 2000

www.ptw.com.au

Born in 1971 in Stuttgart, Chris Bosse was educated in the art of architecture in Germany and Switzerland, before expanding his repertoire with architecture firms throughout Europe. Using the inspirational form of skeletons, coral and foam, he collaborated on the Bubble-Highrise in Berlin with SMO Architektur in 2002.

Bosse joined PTW in Sydney, Australia in 2003 and with them collaborated on the ‘Watercube' design for the Beijing Olympics National Swimming Centre, which received the Atmosphere Awards at the 9th Venice Biennale. He has recently designed a range of futuristic, organic, computer generated ‘genetic furniture', and was the brains behind PTW's avant garde champagne-bubble meets spider-web meets coral-reef Moet and Chandon marquee at the 2005 Melbourne Cup. This ongoing interest in the genetic bubble form permeated Bosse's design for a Tsunami Memorial in Thailand (2005), and the cell-like structure of the Genetic Pavilion for the Seche Zollverein ENTRY 06 Exhibition in Germany.

Why did you decide to become an architect?
I realised that I don’t need money or spare-time.

What is your most treasured possession?
My Laptop? Just kidding. My girlfriend and our little doggies. Actually can I keep both?

If you weren’t an architect, what would you be?
Rockstar? Certainly musician.

Your favourite subject at high school?
Chemistry. When the chemistry is right, everything else works out.

What books do you have on your bedside table?
A design book about the worlds of Starwars, and a biography of Frank Zappa.

Who would you most like to design something for?
Issey Miyake. Or better: Aliens?

Favourite tool of the trade?
Mesh smooth in 3d max. Runner up: lens flare. Occasionally: pencil

Your greatest extravagance?
A study trip from Dubai to London, Berlin, Vienna, London and Sydney, in one week.

Your greatest achievement?
PTW architects with cscec and Arup winning the competition for the National Swimming Centre Beijing against the best firms in the world.

What is the best moment of the day?
Walking the dogs around the park in morning. Closing my eyes in the evening.

Best architectural holiday destination?
Great Barrier Reef.

An upcoming international architectural project that excites you is?
The Beijing Olympics, Birdnest by Herzog de Meuron, Watercube by us, CCTV by Rem Koolhaas.

How did you become interested in micro-organisms and cell structures as an inspiration for architecture?
Nature has always been the greatest inspiration for designers of all kinds. There is a fascination in the unpredictability of growth, while being at the same time highly organised.

What are you afraid of regarding the future?
China and other countries making the same mistakes as the rest of the world 20 years ago. Economic interests prevailing over environmental concerns. The world is missing a historic chance.

Do you discuss your work with other architects?
Continuously, and with students, and scientists and hairdressers and cabdrivers.

If you could meet one person alive?
Toyo Ito, architect. Cecil Balmond, structural engineer. Slash, Guitarist of Guns and Roses.

One artwork that inspires you is?
A tree. A cloud. A spiderweb.

Straight line or curved?
Straight. Just kidding ;-)

The greatest hero from the history of architecture?
Frei Otto, who built the Munich stadium in 1972 based on soap bubbles.

The dastardly villain?
The one who thinks he knows the rules.

Perfect happiness is . . .
None of my business

Any advice for the young?
Practice and experiment as much as you can while you are young. Don’t believe in THE way, there is none. The only thing you are responsible to when designing, is the future of architecture. Ignore good advice.

PTW
Level 17
9 Castlereagh Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
t: +61 2 9232 5877
f: +61 2 9221 4139
e: info@ptw.com.au
w: www.ptw.com.au

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Chris Bosse