Argentinean-born and Barcelona based architect Willy Müller has worked on a wide variety of projects, ranging from private homes and large resorts to public buildings with a primarily functional focus. He feels equally at home in all these genres, following as he does a multi-scale methodology that suits them all equally. “We develop our projects from a two-dimensional point of view,” says Müller. “This means that everything we design has to work from a micro-level to a macro-level, or from the parts of the whole all the way to the geography and surroundings of a particular structure that we are producing.”
In this process the clash between theory and final practice can sometimes be quite powerful, as conceptual design encounters the real-life concessions demanded by location, budget, function or indeed logistics. “By being aware of how the parts and the whole interact you are better prepared to create something that works on all levels, combining aesthetics of design with functionality, cost-effectiveness and the practical realities that always have to be addressed.”
This practical approach does not come at the expense of architectural artistry, for Müller’s designs seem to tell a story beyond the obvious. “The success of our projects, be they in Barcelona or Russia, has been our ability to engage with our clients and enter into a process by the end of which they have become co-authors of their own project. Our ideas always have a background, a kind of rucksack of knowledge that has developed over the years and been shaped through different projects, yet we employ an open way of working in which we allow the client to participate and be aware of the problems and challenges, and become a part of the solutions.”
The firm’s involvement in a series of high-profile projects in Russia ranks amongst its most exciting work to date. “This is an important stage in the country’s history and we feel proud to be a part of it,” says Müller. Perhaps their most important Russian project to date was winning the international design competition for the construction of an urban resort in Saint Petersburg. “The modern environment demands more flexibility of approach, collaboration with other specialists and indeed the desire to continue learning than ever before. Modern technologies are overlapping, new tools interfacing, but the basic concept of the architect as a bespoke designer and creator of unique works will hopefully remain the same. Our own role and niche in this international market is represented by the intensity with which we live and design projects, and the visible results that this produces.”
