May 25, 2008
May: Mattias Göthberg, Architect
If these walls could speak …
When architect Mattias Göthberg co-founded the architectural office Boys don't cry he had a clear cut vision.
Great architecture should not only be a fiesta for the eyes, it should deliver a message as well.
Meet a well-groomed snowboarder from Falun who much rather goes to church in Rome than spends a single minute in Bofills Båge.
The unconventional name, Boys don't cry, refers to the song with the same title by British pop icons The Cure. For the founders it's a name that symbolizes the fusion of hard and soft - but more important, it's a reference to the narrative music of the post punk era. The connection might seem farfetched, yet it's simple. Just like the pale faced post punkers spoke to their audience through lyrics and melodies, Mattias and his colleagues want their architecture to deliver an unambiguous message from sender to receiver. In the world of the crying boys architecture is a means of communication. The physical expression should always take shape within the framework of the clients unique story - a story which the boys also help develop together with their customers.
Tell us a little bit more about your line of work.
- Boys Don't Cry is an architectural office that focuses on delivering great ideas for communicating with the help of built environments or objects. We create unique stories for clients interested in reaching and interacting with their customers. Our clients are mainly within the retail segment and the output is usually interiors or objects of an architectural scale.
What was the big challenge you faced when you started Boys don’t cry?
- I think the biggest challenge for us have been to convince the market that they can come to an architectural firm with broader questions concerning communication and strategy and not only with a specific question on design or architecture.
How does the work with Boys don’t cry compare to your previous architectural work?
- In many ways there are similarities to my previous work. Before BDC I've done interior design projects ranging from offices and apartments to shops for Swedish fashion labels like Acne and Tiger of Sweden. The big difference to what we're doing now is the methodology and our focus on innovation. BDC pay much more attention to the strategic delivery in our projects than other architectural firms and aim to create unique and interesting stories for our clients. Our main concern is how their customers/users perceive the environments we're creating. This approach to design helps our clients to communicate both internally, within their organizations, and externally with customers and users. When we can predict what experiences from an object or environment people have, we are controlling one of the strongest media available.
Which of your work are you most proud of?
- Hard to tell, but I think the work we've done for Swedish multi-brand fashion retailers, SOLO, is interesting on so many levels ranging from strategy and story to actual design output. Among our top projects is of course the one we've just finished for Level Vodka, in collaboration with renowned fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, which perfectly fits our way of thinking. The question was how to transform the experience of the premium Level Vodka into a bodily experience by creating a single object.
You have also done work together with Hussein Chalayan, will you do more ”cross-over work ” that could be considered to be art? - I think of our work as answers to questions, usually coming from clients, and in that sense, of course we could do more work considered to be art rather than design. The big difference is that we then have to ask the questions ourselves. This is something we are discussing lively in our office right this moment because when we start asking our own questions we will come closer to the core of what we do and why we consider our work important in a larger context.
What kind of work do you enjoy most? - I definitely find the projects where we can open our clients eyes to what they are doing, the most interesting. These are projects where we by design are answering questions they didn't know they asked, but were in need of. In terms of types of clients we're very attached to project within fashion. We love the tempo and creativity in the fashion industry and their direct link to the final consumers.
If you had unlimited resources and no restrictions, what would you create? What is the project of your dreams? - Hard question, but this comes back to asking our own questions or of course a project where there's great opportunity to reposition a brand by strategic and emotional use of design and architecture. One of the world's major fashion houses would be nice. There is definitely work to be done there. Many of them are telling too much of the same story. On a more personal level I would of course want to design a house for myself at some point.
Can you give some examples of good and bad architecture? Which is the ugliest / most beautiful building in Stockholm? - I've always been very found of "Kulturhuset". The way it is positioned in the middle of the most urban part of Stockholm and the way it displays its content to people passing by. It acts like it's a department store for culture. A very contemporary approach, even though it's almost 40 years old. An example of bad architecture would be "Bofills Båge", an apartment building that, in my opinion, is wrong in so many ways. The way it is placed, the way it has a fake classical touch and the way that the exterior is disconnected from the interior. It's just not a good idea.
What do you think about Swedish architecture in general? - I think Swedish architecture is based on skills and a good sense of honesty, but may be lacking a bit of self confidence and innovation. I'm not sure it's the architects' fault though. I would say it's a cultural thing that has more to do with politics and people's opinion that every single person should have a say in every single question in this country.
Are you always happy with your own work or have you ever looked back and thought: what the hell was I thinking? - I'm actually quite satisfied with most of my work but I also think it's getting better and better with every project we do. You learn as you go, I guess.
Recipe for men’s man of the month in May
Name: Mattias Göthberg.
Age: 34.
Family: My wife, Susanne and my son, Otto.
Occupation: Architect/interior designer.
Place of birth: Falun, Sweden.
Current hometown: Stockholm.
Enjoys on his spare time: Reading, traveling, snowboarding and hanging out with family and friends.
Most beautiful place on earth: The Alps in general, great views, great air, lots of snow and a potentially lots of fun.
Coolest building on the earth: There are many great ones but I'd have to say that not many compares to the churches in Rome, grand and spectacular buildings which evokes purpose specific feelings. Storytelling by architecture at it's best.
The world's most beautiful man: I don't know if he's the most beautiful man but I like Vincent Gallo. He has an interesting understated rock-look that is really cool. Just look at the way he wears red high heel boots throughout the movie Buffalo 66.
P.O. Box 24102, SE-104 51 Stockholm