Ed Lippmann commenced private practice in 1985, after helping to establish Daryl Jackson's Sydney office and the Australian Film and Television School design team. Lippmann Associates has enjoyed a growing reputation in the last ten years, with commissions like the Andrew "Boy" Charlton Pool and the MLC Aquatic Centre, the Hausmann Communications Corporate Headquarters and the RTA Footbridges, Fairfield. Ed has taught extensively in Sydney and interstate, and he hosts his own radio program which raises issues of local architecture and planning. He is a founding member of the cultural foundation, AAA.
Why did you decide to become an architect?
I don't think I "decided" to be an architect. It is a genetic condition! What keeps you motivated and inspired?
I'm not too sure, I'm pretty driven, it's something I'm not really conscious of. What is your proudest achievement?
There have been many proud moments and I hope many more to come but working, as I now am, with one of my great heroes, Richard Rogers, is right up there. The East Darling Harbour Masterplan Competition is a wonderful opportunity for the office and for me personally. Strangest architectural experience?
The circumstances which led to the design of the Butterfly House were pretty surreal... I'll save the full details for my memoirs. Have you ever said no to a client?
Yes I have... In the early days I had to fight pretty hard for design integrity. These days, that's less of an issue. Instead I work hard to keep everyone on the same page. Straight line or curved?
The King George V Sports Centre and our latest "Butterfly House" are spectacular curved designs whilst the Andrew Boy Charlton Pool is about as Miesian as you could get. The geometry, straight or curved, is used to achieve an architectural synthesis. What quality can Australian architects export to the world?
Although we're isolated geographically, we can and do contribute to the global culture of architecture. Australian architects are perceived overseas as energetic "can doers". City or country?
Our urban centres contain the greatest concentration of human consciousness and for that reason demand the greatest focus of our intelligence and attention. Which Australian building excites you the most?
I'll avoid the predictable clichˇd response to this by saying my next project. If I could control the entire design process ...
Control is not something that I aspire to. It implies preconceived ideas and solutions which architects ought to avoid. My office operates as a kind of think tank and I feel very much part of a team - a very good team of creative and competent individuals - capable of responding appropriately to the changing requirements which confront us every day. What is your generation's legacy to the built environment?
We need to engage with the public to be relevant. The global issues of environmental degradation, financial inequality and social morality are as relevant, if not more relevant than aesthetics and architecture awards. What is the future of our inner cities?
Our cities will inevitably become denser. As long as we plan intelligently, provide proper transport, green open space and building stock of the highest standard of design, our inner cities will become highly desirable and very stimulating living, working and recreational precincts. If you weren't an architect what would you be?
Architecture is not a job or even a profession. After 20 years of practice, it has become a way of life. I couldn't seriously contemplate any other option. Book, film, song?
Bhagavad-Gita, Dr. Strangelove, any Beatles song. In my youth ...
I had a pretty good time in my youth. It was a time of experimentation and confidence. I remember Apollo 13 and the flower generation. That utopian sense of optimism had a great impact and I often think of the world as it might be ... rather than as it became. | 