Ciao Everyone! We are pleased to welcome Ar. Christian Dobrick for our next episode of Tete-a-Tete series powered by ArchValor in collaboration with Conscious Collective, an initiative by Godrej Design Lab and hosted by none other than Ar. Kritika Juneja. Christian Dobrick is a Partner at West 8, and with over 25 years of complex landscape design experience has led a large number of international and interdisciplinary projects. His management of winning competitions, exhibitions and completed designs in China from 2011 on-wards has been the foundation of the Asian portfolio of West 8.
KJ:-First of all, thank you so much for having this interview with us. To begin with, could you tell us about your early brush with landscape architecture? How has your background influenced your journey so far with West 8?
CD:- I think I’ve always been testing or having trial and error with landscape. Growing up, whenever I saw a beautiful plant, I would dig them up and I was lucky enough that my mother would let me bring it into our garden and experiment. This background inspired my further study landscape architecture. When I started studying in Germany, at that time, the profession of Landscape Architecture was very limited in scope and less interdisciplinary. As a result, I moved to the Netherlands, where I found an environment where landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture collaborated across all levels of the process.
KJ:- What is the genesis of the name West 8, how it came up?
CD:- In the Netherlands, the force of the wind is named both in direction and in strength. Strength eight is a strong wind, but it doesn’t cause destruction — rather it alerts people that there could be a land-shaping storm. Naturally, there is a long tradition of safeguarding the coast, and, when the wind gets to West 8, those who are in charge of protecting the dikes will be called into action. In this way, we want to create landscape architecture that makes people alert: we are not about destroying, but rather – West 8 is about building with nature.
KJ:-During this age of profit and productivity, we sometimes overlook the importance of human emotions and the positive health effects that come with nature by building these concrete structures around us. So how do you think that we should rebuild this relationship between architecture needs to end the cities?
CD:- The more I learn about India, the more I discover we need to regain a lot of the past wisdom and knowledge. There is a wealth of historical and cultural traditions, but the overarching way that people relate to and respond with nature is unilateral. Furthermore, it is the logic of the family, the logic of the community, the logic of the village, and the logic of the city, lots of varied traditions that are being lost to time and for example, when raising children, you need this supportive infrastructure to do so. Through research and speaking with a broad range of people, we start a basis for designing beloved spaces that respond both to nature and the people who use them.
We notice that the process of architecture can take precedence over landscape – where the outside space is seen as an add-on or filler at the end of the design. Our approach is different. We believe it is important that, on a larger and multidisciplinary scale, we start with thinking about the logic of a site’s broader needs: from the way the landscape and nature interact to how the human being feels and needs from the space. This systemic logic is a key aspect of what we do, and reflects on how the infrastructure and architecture interweave into our work, where people are re-centred as the primary agent in the narrative.
KJ:-What is your definition of luxury? Do you think that luxury and sustainability can coexist?
CD:- Indeed, one of my own personal luxuries is our edible garden at our family home. As a garden itself, it might seem unstructured, but almost all the plants in it can be eaten or used as a herbal tea. This ‘luxury’ allows our children to witness and understand the process of growth – from blossom to fruit, vegetable, or root. They can harvest and enjoy them, providing a personal connection with nature through nurturing and experimentation. In many ways, I still do trial and error in the garden. I try new species, I try plant something from abroad to test how it works in our changing climate and also how it performs the kitchen. My twins are my toughest critics, unafraid to tell me, “oh, I like this” or “I don’t like that”, too sour, too sweet, or just right. In so many ways, inviting them to have this connection with nature has been one of the greatest luxuries.
I believe that we are reflected in everything we do because of what we are from within.
Ar. Christian Dobrick
KJ:-Could you tell me about any of your latest projects?
CD:- Our most recent site visit was to the biodiversity park in Chennai. It was beautiful to be back there and explore the vast biodiversity of the site and attend a kick-off meeting with the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, Supriya Sahu. Our concept for the design is to incorporate and refer culturally to Ainthinai, the five regions of the Tamil Nadu landscapes, embedding and showcasing the rich diversity present in the region. Our team are fascinated by local botany and working with both soil and monsoon conditions, as well as poetics and narrative. Working in such a diverse cultural environment is always a wonderful opportunity and, as we come from abroad, we are excited to learn. We are partnering with a collective of local teams to incorporate their knowledge, and to produce a plan that brings the idea of a ‘Botanical Garden’ to a contemporary, accessible, and future-proof level.
