{"id":111401,"date":"2024-07-11T20:07:34","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T00:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/?post_type=metro_profile&#038;p=111401"},"modified":"2024-08-15T11:51:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T15:51:06","slug":"farshid-moussavi-open-ended-architecture","status":"publish","type":"metro_profile","link":"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/profiles\/farshid-moussavi-open-ended-architecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Farshid Moussavi\u2019s Open-ended Architecture Comes to the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-sandow-article-header article-header\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-header\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of architect Farshid Moussavi\" class=\"wp-image-111418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Portraits-21-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group article-header_intro none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"article-date\" aria-label=\"Post Date\">July 11, 2024<\/p>\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-post-title\">Farshid Moussavi\u2019s Open-ended Architecture Comes to the U.S.<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column article-header_meta is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<p class=\"summary size-regular\">The London-based architect keeps both her design process and her built projects fluid and ever-changing.&nbsp;The Ismaili Center in Houston will be her first project in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-sandow-byline byline size-regular\"><span>By: <\/span><a href=\"\/tag\/alice-bucknell\">Alice Bucknell<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-sandow-byline byline size-regular\"><span>Photography: <\/span><a href=\"\/tag\/manu-valcarce\">Manu Valcarce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"social-share\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmetropolismag.com%2Fprofiles%2Ffarshid-moussavi-open-ended-architecture%2F\" target=\"_blank\"><svg 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1.043-1.002 2.35-1.492 3.146 1.124.347 2.317.535 3.554.535 6.627 0 12-5.373 12-12 0-6.628-5.373-12-12-12z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/><\/svg><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fmetropolismag.com%2Fprofiles%2Ffarshid-moussavi-open-ended-architecture%2F&#038;subject=Farshid+Moussavi%E2%80%99s+Open-ended+Architecture+Comes+to+the+U.S.\" target=\"_blank\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M12 12.713l-11.985-9.713h23.97l-11.985 9.713zm0 2.574l-12-9.725v15.438h24v-15.438l-12 9.725z\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column empty-header-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column article-header_meta is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<p class=\"size-regular\">In her ecological horror novel Paradise Rot, author Jenny Hval viscerally blurs the boundaries between building and body; a similar intrigue in the affective and embodied experience of architecture drives the work of Iranian-born, London-based architect Farshid Moussavi. Moussavi has run her eponymous practice,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.farshidmoussavi.com\"> Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA<\/a>), out of east London since 2011. With projects spanning a flaneur-friendly port terminal in Japan, a shimmering cloud-shaped housing complex in France, and a soon-to-be-completed cultural and religious center in Houston, the architect is known for her innovative work that blends theory, politics, and practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column article-header_content is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote size-regular\"><blockquote><p><\/p><cite><br><br><br><strong>\u201cArchitectural practice is nonlinear,\u201d Moussavi reflects. \u201cThe project evolves along the way\u2014and constantly evolves. There is no way an architect has all the answers on day one, when a project takes six to ten years to come to fruition.\u201d<\/strong><br><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Prior to establishing FMA, Moussavi\u2014an elected member of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.royalacademy.org.uk\/page\/architecture\">London\u2019s Royal Academy <\/a>since 2015, a professor in practice at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsd.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD)<\/a>, and a recipient of the 2022 Jane Drew Prize for women in architecture\u2014ran a collaborative practice called Foreign Office Architects (FOA). Earlier works completed in this partnership, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.farshidmoussavi.com\/fmaprojects\/yokohama-international-port-terminal-yokohama-japan\/\">Yokohama International Port Terminal<\/a> (2002), reveal both a striking material sophistication and a deep understanding of the aliveness of architecture, qualities that have flourished in her later practice<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Speaking over Zoom from her studio in London, Moussavi describes this aliveness in two phases\u2014the design process, in which \u201cchaotic flows of desire\u201d like financial constraints, client expectations, and social conditions must be mapped together; and the \u201cmicropolitics\u201d that play out after each project\u2019s completion. Moussavi defines these as nuanced and evolving relationships between users and the building.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">The architect\u2019s latest publication\u2014an almost-600-page monograph titled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.park-books.com\/en\/product\/architecture-und-micropolitics\/21\"><em>Architecture &amp; Micropolitics <\/em>(2022<\/a>)\u2014highlights four key projects pursued over the past decade of practice, and includes a brief text by French philosopher Jacques Ranci\u00e8re, who examines the subversive role of the user in FMA\u2019s projects. Moussavi, for her part, draws her work into dialogue with the rhizomatic theories of Deleuze and Guattari, as well as the open-ended wanderings of experimental literature like that of Walter Benjamin. FMA projects channel the <em>Arcades Project<\/em>, for sure, but are also reminiscent of the player-led lore-making of an open-world videogame.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-24-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-24-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-24-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Moussavi holds up a model of the Ismaili Center Houston, a religious space for Ismaili communities. The center is currently under construction and expected to open in 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Books-08-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Books-08-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Books-08-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Architect Farshid Moussavi at her east London studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Process-32-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Farshid Moussavi and her team members are currently in the process of reviewing material samples for a project under way at FMA studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Building as an Open-ended and Multiauthored System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">When considering a building as an open-ended, multiauthored system, multiple clich\u00e9s from the history of architecture can be offloaded. First up: the building as a product of the so-called \u201cmaster architect.\u201d If architecture can be understood as an assemblage of \u201cactants\u201d\u2014defined by Moussavi as the architect, building, and user\u2014it can also be seen as something of a hive mind. For Moussavi, this distributed agency of the building is precisely the point. \u201cArchitectural practice is nonlinear,\u201d Moussavi reflects. \u201cThe project evolves along the way\u2014and constantly evolves. There is no way an architect has all the answers on day one, when a project takes six to ten years to come to fruition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">While one can read certain values across FMA projects\u2014flexibility, transparency, scalelessness, stacking, and reflectivity among them\u2014these qualities shape-shift across each building. Hence there is no trademark \u201cstyle\u201d that is intrinsically FMA-coded; it\u2019s less about a signature material output than a mood. For Moussavi, this affective capacity of the architecture is at the heart of a building\u2019s micropolitics, which can be more intricately defined as the small-scale encounters or details of a building that trigger necessarily unpredictable reactions from its users, who in turn extend the life of the building by interpreting and utilizing it in their own ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">In that spirit, it seems fitting to embark on a nonlinear tour through some of Moussavi\u2019s architectural worlds, beginning with two French housing projects completed a year apart:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.farshidmoussavi.com\/fmaprojects\/ilot-19-la-defense-nanterre-france\/\"> \u00celot 19 in La D\u00e9fense <\/a>(2016) and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.farshidmoussavi.com\/fmaprojects\/la-folie-divine-montpellier\/\"> La Folie Divine in Toulouse<\/a> (2017). \u00celot 19 appears like a great slab of glass and dark metal; horizontal screen-laden loggias and open balconies run the length of the building, alternating across its 11 floors, which are composed of mixed private and student accommodation, retail units, and public space. Its four lobbies are shared among all its diverse residents; each apartment\u2019s unique layout allows for continuous customization as the residents\u2019 needs change. Meanwhile, the bright La Folie Divine\u2014its curvaceous design defined by rippling corrugated aluminum\u2014likewise blurs indoor and outdoor space across its nine floors. The building offers its residents panoramic, unobstructed views of its&nbsp;garden surrounds from generous balconies lined with billowing curtains. Both projects advocate for a kind of universal luxury, with modifiable floor plans that enable residents to develop their own worlds while nestled inside a larger built ecosystem.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-4 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Nanterre-Residential-Complex-France-2-photographer-Stephen-Gill-680x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Nanterre-Residential-Complex-France-2-photographer-Stephen-Gill-680x1024.jpg 680w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Nanterre-Residential-Complex-France-2-photographer-Stephen-Gill-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The recently completed \u00celot 19 is the first new housing project to have been built in France&#8217;s La D\u00e9fense business district in 30 years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Folie-Divine-Housing-1-Montpellier-France@Stephen-Gill-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Folie-Divine-Housing-1-Montpellier-France@Stephen-Gill-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Folie-Divine-Housing-1-Montpellier-France@Stephen-Gill-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">La Folie Divine represents the initial installment of two apartment complexes commissioned by the City of Montpellier that follow the 18th-century tradition of opulent residences set amid expansive gardens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Gleaming like a gnarled block of silica, the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.farshidmoussavi.com\/fmaprojects\/museum-of-contemporary-art-cleveland-cleveland-usa\/\"> Cleveland Museum<\/a>, completed in 2012, shores up haphazardly on its axial boulevard as if dropped from outer space. The building\u2019s prismlike form is composed of two rhomboids and six triangles; the acrobatic gemstone contorts from a hexagonal base to a rectangular rooftop. Clad in black metal paneling, with thin strips of diagonal windows running along its flank like a rib cage, the building\u2019s reflective surface dynamically picks up its surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2362\" height=\"1572\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill.jpg 2362w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Museum-of-Contemporray-Art-Cleveland-photographer-Stephen-Gill-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2362px) 100vw, 2362px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland is clad in mirrored black stainless steel and features a compact hexagonal base that transitions to a rectangular roof. Moussavi&#8217;s design features a public square with landscaping by James Corner Field Operations, and visitors can enter through four entrances, which highlight the museum\u2019s flexible design.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">\u201cThe building\u2019s cladding was originally going to be a champagne-gold aluminum,\u201d Moussavi shares. \u201cBut a prompt from a donor at a meeting triggered a big color change some four years into the project.\u201d The museum\u2019s final plate and form\u2014a reflective black-mirror stainless steel exterior, with a royal-blue metal gallery overhang interior and an origami-like twisted staircase hovering above the lobby\u2014ditch the white-cube formalism endemic to museum design for something much more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moussavi Turns Micropolitics into Macroscale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">FMA\u2019s first project in the United States\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/the.ismaili\/ismaili-center-houston\/news\/features\/gallery-ismaili-center-houston-design\">the Ismaili Center in Houston<\/a>, initiated in 2021 and due to complete in 2025\u2014offers a whopping 150,000 square feet for the architect to put micropolitics into macroscale practice. Commissioned by His Highness the Aga Khan, the imam of Ismailism, and conceived as an \u201cambassador building\u201d to bring Islamic faith into dialogue with other cultures and communities, it is also the first Ismaili center in this country. Moussavi\u2019s design features intricate stone tile cladding with&nbsp;Persian detailing, a large veranda supported by thin columns, and three interior atria. Set within ten acres of gardens designed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbwla.com\/\">Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dlrgroup.com\/\">DLR Group<\/a> serving as executive architect and engineer of record providing architecture, MEP\/FP engineering, acoustics, audiovisual, lighting, and theatrical services. The building offers a combination of mixed-use social spaces alongside more private pockets including a Jamatkhana for worship. \u201cThe building is designed to be very porous and open, responding to the local ecology and weather patterns of Texas,\u201d explains Moussavi. \u201cThe larger the project, the more can be done with its micropolitics.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_8-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_8-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_8-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The stepped structure of the central atrium, adorned with ceramic screens, pays homage to the ancient cupolas that exerted influence over both the architectural styles of the Sasanian period in Persia and the Christian edifices of the Byzantine Empire.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_studio-03-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_studio-03-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_studio-03-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_studio-03-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A model and facade study of the new Ismaili Center Houston is on display in Moussavi&#8217;s London studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group none\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"size-regular\">In addition to FMA, Moussavi maintains a robust pedagogical and research practice. This includes FunctionLab, the research arm of FMA, and a housing-themed studio at Harvard GSD since 2017. Prior to her new monograph, Moussavi published <em>The Function of Ornament <\/em>(2006), <em>The Function of Form <\/em>(2009), and <em>The Function of Style <\/em>(2014)\u2014a trilogy of texts that analyze architectural affects and propose new means of conceptualizing the flows of material, ideology, and agency within built systems. FunctionLab unites Moussavi\u2019s material and theoretical practice, enabling the built projects to feed into research and vice versa, ouroboros-like, tending to an ever-evolving ecosystem of ideas.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-regular\">Moussavi\u2019s keen attention to the sense-making of sensory experience, matched by the architect\u2019s commitment to framing architecture as an ongoing and collaborative act, distinguishes her approach and output from many contemporary practitioners. For Moussavi, it\u2019s never been about imprinting the practice on the project, but each project shaping the practice according to its needs. \u201cWhen the architect goes, the building remains,\u201d reflects Moussavi. \u201cThe key is always keeping the system open.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Books-04-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Apart from her architectural practice, Moussavi established FunctionLab as a platform for FMA to engage in collaborative research endeavors, yielding publications such as books, interviews, and pamphlets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-scaled.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ME_24_SUM_FSH_Portraits-19-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"comment size-regular\">Would you like to comment on this article? Send your thoughts to: <a href=\"mailto:comments@metropolismag.com\">comments@metropolismag.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"tag-cloud\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/domains\/cultural\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Cultural<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/domains\/education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Education<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/domains\/research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Research<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"tag-cloud\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/academia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Academia<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/alice-bucknell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Alice Bucknell<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/metropolismag.com\/tag\/architecture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Architecture<\/a><\/li><li><a 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<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The London-based architect keeps both her design process and her built projects fluid and ever-changing.\u00a0The Ismaili Center in Houston will be her first project in the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1135,"featured_media":111418,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"featured_image_focal_point":[],"legacy_WP_ID":0},"tags":[3347,3349,872,3346,3345,277,3348],"metro_tax_domain":[8,75,11],"metro_tax_topic":[13],"metro_tax_program":[],"metro_issue":[3273],"metro_cat_profile":[],"internal_flag":[],"class_list":["post-111401","metro_profile","type-metro_profile","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-academia","tag-alice-bucknell","tag-architecture","tag-design-research","tag-farshid-moussavi","tag-london","tag-manu-valcarce","metro_tax_domain-cultural","metro_tax_domain-education","metro_tax_domain-research","metro_tax_topic-architecture","metro_issue-summer-2024"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Farshid Moussavi\u2019s Open-ended Architecture Comes to the U.S. - Metropolis<\/title>\n<meta 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