28
28
“We want to get into life, into the mud and dirt”
There’s not another large offi ce that creates the unique architecture like that of
Herzon & de Meuron. Pierre de Meuron explains why size is no reason for nightmares
and Basel is still the best place to work.
HW
YOU ARE NOW 62 YEARS OLD, AL-
MOST TWICE AS OLD AS YOUR
EMPLOYEES. DO YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU STILL UNDERSTAND WHAT
MAKES YOUNG ARCHITECTS TICK
– HOW THEY THINK AND WORK?
HW
HOW IS HERZON & DE MEURON
LEAD? WHAT LEADERSHIP STYLE
IS USED?
HW
AND? WHY WOULD ONE LEAVE
ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST
RENOWNED OFFICES?
PdeM
Good people leave the offi ce
because they want to create their
own independent companies. It’s
not only in Basel and Switzerland
that one can fi nd offi ces of former
Herzog de Meuron employees,
which
pleases
me
greatly.
Another group of employees
that we lose are expats who have
come to us from somewhere else
in the world. We have over 40
nationalities in the offi ce, many
start families in Basel, have
children and then at about age 40
feel homesick. This is a pattern
that is constantly repeated.
HW
TRUTHFULLY, WOULD YOU WANT
TO WORK UNDER THE LEADER-
SHIP OF PIERRE DE MEURON?
"IT'S NOT ONLY THE
LEADER PIERRE DE
MEURON. LEADERSHIP
IS SHARED AMONGST
A GROUP OF KEY PEOPLE."
HW
MR. DE MEURON, FIRST YOU WERE
AN ARCHITECT, THEN A SUCCESS-
FUL ARCHITECT, TODAY YOU ARE
A VERY SUCCESSFUL ARCHITECT
WITH MORE THAN 370 EMPLOYEES
ON FOUR CONTINENTS. YOU ARE
NO LONGER JUST A BUILDING
PLANNER, BUT ALSO A BOSS. IS
THIS A BURDEN OR A PLEASURE
FOR YOU?
PdeM
Both. Architecture includes the
creative process of design and the
development and undertaking of
implementation and realization.
For some projects these poles are
close to one another, in others it
is like a balancing act.
HW
YOU’VE KNOWN JACQUES HERZOG
SINCE
YOU
WERE
BOTH
IN
PRIMARY SCHOOL. DO DECADES
OF FRIENDSHIP HELP WHEN YOU’RE
RUNNING A BUSINESS – OR IS IT
A HINDRANCE, BECAUSE YOU BE-
LIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT THE
OTHER IS THINKING AND FEELING?
PdeM
We are very different, and
therein lies the charm. We
know each other’s strengths
and weaknesses and we use
these without mercy – for the
benefi t of the offi ce, which is for
us a project, just as any of our
construction projects. We would
have never been so successful if
Jacques and I were not con-
stantly engaged in an exchange
and even contradicting each
other. The dialogue helps in
questioning or confi rming one’s
own position. This could be one
of the reasons why it is possible
for us to run an offi ce together,
along with our Senior Partners
Christine Binswanger, Ascan
Mergenthaler and Stefan Mar-
bach. We all have different
qualities. Thus our projects
command a much stronger ar-
gumentative ground and the
common discourse leaves us
with a more powerful architec-
tural statement.
PdeM
I have no offi cial title such as
“CEO, Chairman, President,”
I work together with the senior
partners and the business man-
agers. I can only take this kind
of responsibility on as part of
the team. As an architect, it
really doesn’t work differently.
An offi ce of our size, that
doesn’t make corporate archi-
tecture, is relatively unique in
PdeM
The average age in the offi ce is
35, and apart from that, I don’t
think that we’ve forgotten what
makes architects tick. Early on
Jacques and I asked ourselves
how we want to develop our of-
fi ce.
We
have
deliberately
chosen to give our offi ce to
a younger generation. We want
to grow old in a young offi ce
and the exchange with the
younger generation is import-
ant to us. That is why we are
fi ghting every day for the best
talent.
HW
DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO FIGHT?
THERE
ARE
PROBABLY
ONLY
A FEW NAMES IN THE ARCHITEC-
TURE WORLD THAT CARRY THE
APPEAL OF YOURS.
PdeM
Many would like to come to
Herzog de Meuron, to have the
unique experience of working
on high-level international pro-
jects. But we constantly lose
good people too. The average
stay at our offi ce is about fi ve
years – this means that we have
a mid-sized fl uctuation, which
is unfortunate for us. We’re in-
vestigating exactly why we lose
whom.
the world, and this requires the
whole team. Our hierarchies
are as balanced as possible and
the knowledge of all employees
is taken seriously. However, this
means that we have to ensure
that even a student dares to
speak their mind. In the end, we
want young people in the offi ce
who will make active contribu-
tions.
PdeM
Oh, it’s not only the leader Pierre
de Meuron. Leadership is shared
amongst a group of key people.
WORKSPIRIT
INTERVIEW BY HARALD WILLENBROCK
28
28
“We want to get into life, into the mud and dirt”
There’s not another large offi ce that creates the unique architecture like that of
Herzon & de Meuron. Pierre de Meuron explains why size is no reason for nightmares
and Basel is still the best place to work.
HW
YOU ARE NOW 62 YEARS OLD, AL-
MOST TWICE AS OLD AS YOUR
EMPLOYEES. DO YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU STILL UNDERSTAND WHAT
MAKES YOUNG ARCHITECTS TICK
– HOW THEY THINK AND WORK?
HW
HOW IS HERZON & DE MEURON
LEAD? WHAT LEADERSHIP STYLE
IS USED?
HW
AND? WHY WOULD ONE LEAVE
ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST
RENOWNED OFFICES?
PdeM
Good people leave the offi ce
because they want to create their
own independent companies. It’s
not only in Basel and Switzerland
that one can fi nd offi ces of former
Herzog de Meuron employees,
which
pleases
me
greatly.
Another group of employees
that we lose are expats who have
come to us from somewhere else
in the world. We have over 40
nationalities in the offi ce, many
start families in Basel, have
children and then at about age 40
feel homesick. This is a pattern
that is constantly repeated.
HW
TRUTHFULLY, WOULD YOU WANT
TO WORK UNDER THE LEADER-
SHIP OF PIERRE DE MEURON?
"IT'S NOT ONLY THE
LEADER PIERRE DE
MEURON. LEADERSHIP
IS SHARED AMONGST
A GROUP OF KEY PEOPLE."
HW
MR. DE MEURON, FIRST YOU WERE
AN ARCHITECT, THEN A SUCCESS-
FUL ARCHITECT, TODAY YOU ARE
A VERY SUCCESSFUL ARCHITECT
WITH MORE THAN 370 EMPLOYEES
ON FOUR CONTINENTS. YOU ARE
NO LONGER JUST A BUILDING
PLANNER, BUT ALSO A BOSS. IS
THIS A BURDEN OR A PLEASURE
FOR YOU?
PdeM
Both. Architecture includes the
creative process of design and the
development and undertaking of
implementation and realization.
For some projects these poles are
close to one another, in others it
is like a balancing act.
HW
YOU’VE KNOWN JACQUES HERZOG
SINCE
YOU
WERE
BOTH
IN
PRIMARY SCHOOL. DO DECADES
OF FRIENDSHIP HELP WHEN YOU’RE
RUNNING A BUSINESS – OR IS IT
A HINDRANCE, BECAUSE YOU BE-
LIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT THE
OTHER IS THINKING AND FEELING?
PdeM
We are very different, and
therein lies the charm. We
know each other’s strengths
and weaknesses and we use
these without mercy – for the
benefi t of the offi ce, which is for
us a project, just as any of our
construction projects. We would
have never been so successful if
Jacques and I were not con-
stantly engaged in an exchange
and even contradicting each
other. The dialogue helps in
questioning or confi rming one’s
own position. This could be one
of the reasons why it is possible
for us to run an offi ce together,
along with our Senior Partners
Christine Binswanger, Ascan
Mergenthaler and Stefan Mar-
bach. We all have different
qualities. Thus our projects
command a much stronger ar-
gumentative ground and the
common discourse leaves us
with a more powerful architec-
tural statement.
PdeM
I have no offi cial title such as
“CEO, Chairman, President,”
I work together with the senior
partners and the business man-
agers. I can only take this kind
of responsibility on as part of
the team. As an architect, it
really doesn’t work differently.
An offi ce of our size, that
doesn’t make corporate archi-
tecture, is relatively unique in
PdeM
The average age in the offi ce is
35, and apart from that, I don’t
think that we’ve forgotten what
makes architects tick. Early on
Jacques and I asked ourselves
how we want to develop our of-
fi ce.
We
have
deliberately
chosen to give our offi ce to
a younger generation. We want
to grow old in a young offi ce
and the exchange with the
younger generation is import-
ant to us. That is why we are
fi ghting every day for the best
talent.
HW
DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO FIGHT?
THERE
ARE
PROBABLY
ONLY
A FEW NAMES IN THE ARCHITEC-
TURE WORLD THAT CARRY THE
APPEAL OF YOURS.
PdeM
Many would like to come to
Herzog de Meuron, to have the
unique experience of working
on high-level international pro-
jects. But we constantly lose
good people too. The average
stay at our offi ce is about fi ve
years – this means that we have
a mid-sized fl uctuation, which
is unfortunate for us. We’re in-
vestigating exactly why we lose
whom.
the world, and this requires the
whole team. Our hierarchies
are as balanced as possible and
the knowledge of all employees
is taken seriously. However, this
means that we have to ensure
that even a student dares to
speak their mind. In the end, we
want young people in the offi ce
who will make active contribu-
tions.
PdeM
Oh, it’s not only the leader Pierre
de Meuron. Leadership is shared
amongst a group of key people.
WORKSPIRIT
INTERVIEW BY HARALD WILLENBROCK
