wohin geht die reise, frau mahmoudieh?
lufthansa magazin 2/99

neither cold functional buildings, nor postmodernist dazzlers, but timeless living spaces are yasmine mahmoudieh’ creations

lufthansa magazin: you have been hailed by the press as a “comfort artist”. what exactly does this mean?
yasmine mahmoudieh: i don’t consider myself an artist, as i want more than to be exhibited in galleries or museums. i am an architect, which means that i try to transform my creative thoughts into useful space. functionality serves comfort if my offices and hotels are designed so that people feel comfortable, and even happy to be working there.

lufthansa magazin: what do offices have to be like for both, men and woman to feel comfortable?
mahmoudieh: they must have an atmosphere that promotes creativity and inspiration. most offices promote nothing but monotony. the problem with our working environment is that it is used more for decision-making than for thinking. this is because thinking simply takes more time. we need offices which people look forward to going to every morning.

lufthansa magazin: what does that mean concretely?
mahmoudieh: creative processes and good ideas are only able to arise through communication which in turn can only be supported by well thought-through, people-oriented interior design. i am as unimpressed by battery farms as i am by open-plan offices. in the offices i design, i develop work centres for a maximum of four or five people.

lufthansa magazin: do you find it difficult to get companies to accept your ideas?
mahmoudieh: entrepreneurs are slowly beginning to understand that good design is a way to substantially increase their company’s profitability and that of their staff. large companies generally have a harder time than smaller ones. yes, i have found they often show much more courage, flexibility and openness when considering new ideas than large concerns with their numerous sceptics.

lufthansa magazin: since the eighties, we have been virtually flooded with a wave of design.
mahmoudieh: pardon me, but all this postmodernism was, for the most part, just dreadful. good design is clever design that serves people rather than forcing itself upon them. there is no compromise between function and aesthetic. with my design i want to create feeling and warmth, rather than be trendy at all cost today and then ridiculous and out, tomorrow.

lufthansa magazin: you are now flying from budapest. what where you doing there?
mahmoudieh: i look on the task of remodelling the interior of the kempinski hotel budapest.
lufthansa magazin: you did the balchug kempinski in moscow as well. won’t the hotels have a similar atmosphere?
mahmoudieh: my goodness, no! hotel styles should never be interchangeable. that is precisely the mistake that many chains make. guests should be able to remember where they stayed. unfortunately, most hotels, particularly in the business sector, have a complete anonymous character. they give away nothing of the individual atmosphere of a country or city. even business hotels should impart an entirely different feeling in copenhagen than in instanbul.

lufthansa magazin: what buildings projects do you find fascinating?
mahmoudieh: in rheinsberg near berlin, i look on the exciting task of building a 100-bed hotel for the handicapped. this kind of thing fascinates me because, through my work i can approach people who are truly in need of inspiration. i would also love to design the interior of a hospital, and avoid the anonymity and negativity these facilities emanate. i am convinced that patient would get better much faster in totally different surroundings.

lufthansa magazin: your design has been around now for twelve years. you have been in germany for six, but founded your company in los angeles before that. did you find difficult to acclimatize?
mahmoudieh: some people thought i was crazy, but what i love about europe is that you can be in london, paris or rome in only an hour and a half. the current process of west opening up to the east is very exciting for someone in my field. i am expanding. my offices in hamburg, berlin and barcelona (soon to be followed by one in london) are staffed with cosmopolitans.

lufthansa magazin: speaking of berlin, what do you think of architectural upheaval taking place in germany’s capital?
mahmoudieh: to be honest, i am very disappointed with potsdamer platz. the world’s best architects haven’t exactly come up with their best building there. why are there no proper skyscrapers like in frankfurt? why did no one dare to develop any extraordinary projects on this exposed site as mitterrand did in paris? i think it was the german fear of size, that hiding behind-inherent-necessities the germans hold so dear, that allowed the constructions at potsdamer platz to become as fainthearted as it is.

lufthansa magazin: how do you envision the future of modern architecture?
mahmoudieh: more humane, and more harmonious. the prevailing international mediocrity and interchange ability must come to an end. there is something architects and designers must always bear in mind, namely that it is not enough to be different, if we are not better as well.