With offices in Madrid and Kuwait, AGi architects works from a sustainable and contemporary perspective, researching and immersing themselves in the context to design tailor-made solutions that adapt to each client's personal and cultural reality. In this interview, Joaquín Pérez-Goicoechea, founding partner and director of AGi architects, reflects on how their projects aim to create spaces with lasting added value, committed to the planet and society, transforming cities and putting people at the center.
You have been carrying out architectural projects with AGi architects for many years, how did you bring this architecture studio to life?
AGi architects emerged from the friendship Nasser Abulhasan and I forged in the United States while pursuing our Master's degrees in Architecture at Harvard University between 2000 and 2002. After completing the Master's, I returned to the Netherlands—where I managed the Cruz y Ortiz office in Amsterdam—and Nasser began his doctoral studies at Harvard. Two years later, in 2004, Nasser contacted me because he had been commissioned to design a single-family home and wanted us to collaborate. We began working remotely. In the summer of 2004, I traveled to Kuwait for the first time to study the site, meet with the client, and design the project. In September, we began work on what would eventually become Star House, our first project and the origin of AGi architects. What started as a one-off collaboration grew until, in May 2005, I decided to leave my job to launch our own studio, which we founded in 2006 with the simultaneous opening of two offices, one in Madrid and the other in Kuwait.
How would you define your architectural style? Do you think there is a common thread running through all your projects?
While we do have established and shared modes of expression, we neither seek nor define ourselves by a predetermined style or formalism that expresses who we are. Each project responds specifically to existing constraints and the client's needs. We are a boutique architecture studio focused on sustainability and contemporary design, reinterpreting Mediterranean architecture from an avant-garde and international perspective. We strive for a continuous understanding between the local culture and our clients' aspirational lifestyles, so that, through innovation, research, and a deep understanding of the context, we can design tailored solutions.
What qualities should a house in the Middle East have compared to one in Europe?
The way of life in both places is very different due to their cultural, social, and climatic differences, and a single-family home in the Middle East plays a symbolic role that doesn't exist in Europe. Privacy is a value to be preserved to the fullest extent in the Gulf countries, where there is a duality of uses and privacy filters, ranging from the most intimate family spaces to social and public ones, not forgetting those designated for service.
The extreme climate also dictates the orientation and circulation between spaces that are generally closed off from the outside and open completely to the inside, through patios and gardens that allow for passive sustainability strategies to achieve greater energy efficiency and high comfort, as shown by Three Gardens House.
When it comes to bringing a project to life, where do you find your inspiration?
Depending on the project, we find inspiration in a wide variety of sources. From social aspects, the environment, or the landscape, to the abstract thinking of programming and how, through the analysis of the initial data and the simplification of the laws that unite and relate them, we can obtain very diverse results.
Functionality or aesthetics?
There is a profound difference between 'beauty' and 'aesthetics', and, considering 'aesthetics' a formalization or rationalization of the styles that generate beauty, we believe that 'beauty' can be in the gears of a clock, its precision and its sound, and not just in its visible face.
The combination of functionality and beauty is the expression of the solution to the needs set by the client and the project itself, never the other way around. For example, the concept of Villa Archipiélago stems from the idea of allowing each of its inhabitants to experience the house independently, and its formal appearance is the result of that process. The house is organized into independent islands, each with its own character and function, establishing a unique relationship with its own garden and connecting with the rest of the rooms through common spaces that link them naturally.
What is the Middle Eastern customer like? Are they more demanding than European customers?
Our client in the Middle East is very demanding. He is very familiar with Western culture and, although he may see it as something aspirational, he does not want to replicate the model, at least not in his family and social environment, and seeks an adaptation of the concepts to his personal and cultural reality, and his present and future needs.
Lighting is another element that helps define spaces, how do you take it into account?
Lighting plays a key role in our projects, both in the conceptual design phase and in the meticulous and detailed execution. We work closely with Lara Elbaz and Maria Gil de Montes, two exceptional professionals with whom we collaborate to improve the spaces and quality of life of our clients, and who guarantee the best possible service.
How does the concept of sustainability apply to architecture? How can it be achieved in an extreme climate like Kuwait's?
Sustainability, more than a trend, is a responsibility for us. We have always developed our projects in the most sustainable way possible, but we have never believed that there is 'just one sustainability' or a single path. We understand sustainability as a tailor-made suit that must be adapted to the local context, and I believe that time has proven us right: today we can see how architecture made with the available resources of each place is appreciated, as is the case with the work of Francis Kéré. There are ways to be more sustainable and improve the impact of our designs on the ecosystem, and these must always be developed in connection with the cultural environment and the site. We reinterpret local Middle Eastern architecture from a contemporary perspective and enhance passive strategies to achieve minimal energy consumption and adequate thermal comfort.
Our goal is to create spaces with lasting added value, low consumption and energy efficiency, either through the implementation of passive strategies – orientation, thermal insulation, high inertia materials, taking advantage of the building's natural shadows, improving hygrothermal conditions, etc. – or by establishing Passivhaus, EnerPHit, LEED or BREEAM criteria.
If someone didn't know what sustainable luxury is, how would you describe it?
Sustainable luxury is about how we perceive the world and ourselves, something highly representative that helps us stand out and enjoy life to the fullest. Today, the concept of luxury has changed, and we no longer identify with anything that is separate from a commitment to the planet and society—two concepts that have become ingrained in our culture.
What impact do you think architecture has on the lives of people and cities?
The impact of architecture on people's quality of life is total and undeniable, so, first and foremost, it must reflect social needs and provide the best possible response in a specific economic environment.
The design of new urban developments must put people at the center and take into account the new mobility and social interaction options that will shape our societies. We need to transform cities into more natural spaces, with different and much more energy-efficient mobility, without forgetting that they are economic, social, and cultural engines, and we cannot impose unilateral, often simplistic, visions that are out of touch with the needs of the citizens. We must consider the daily lives of individuals, families, and the various economic actors operating in the city to create spaces that reflect the society to which they belong.
There's obviously a lot of pessimism about climate change, what are your thoughts on this? How do you envision the future of architecture?
Currently, the problems—logistical, employment-related, and those stemming from the scarcity of raw materials—are global, and strategies and policies aimed at combating them are the way forward. Architecture must be able to respond to external constraints in an agile manner, be systematic, adaptable, transformable, and sustainable, thus supporting citizens' desire to remain in direct contact with nature.
Urban planning regulations need to promote green, mixed-use, inclusive, and safe cities, with a rapid response capacity thanks to 21st-century data and information management and more agile and automated processes. We face a major challenge that we must be able to overcome, and to do so, the industrialization of architecture is fundamental, without compromising the identity of the environments where it is implemented.
We admire your work and this interview with you is a privilege for us. Do you think that Gunni & Trentino offers you any advantages when it comes to carrying out your projects?
We have collaborated on several projects where you have contributed your professionalism as a supplier of exclusive furniture. Having you on board facilitates the assembly and distribution of the selected catalog, tailored to each project, and also allows for the customization of bespoke pieces, which undoubtedly enhances the overall quality of the project.
What's important for successful execution and achieving an excellent final result? How does Gunni & Trentino help you elevate your projects?
The final result is the sum of many phases, beginning with the conceptual design, where the attention to detail we at AGi architects provide is crucial. The careful selection of materials, finishes, furniture, and lighting is fundamental, and for this we always rely on the support of Gunni & Trentino, through a high-quality catalog that meets our needs and helps ensure the client feels supported by two companies that guarantee personalized attention and satisfaction.
What challenges arise when designing a project like Three Gardens House? What has your experience been like working with us?
The main challenge was designing an outdoor space for year-round use and enjoyment in Kuwait's extreme climate. This starting point led us to develop new strategies that allowed us to stratify outdoor uses according to the time of year and day, resulting in three gardens at different levels. These three gardens are unified as a single outdoor space and connected, both visually and physically, by exterior staircases, which create the voids around which the rest of the house's uses are arranged.
Our experience with Gunni & Trentino on this project has been very positive, thanks to a team that was always accessible and helpful. It's always invaluable to have experts in furniture specification and delivery who can respond to designs with realistic deadlines and estimates.
Throughout your career, which project would you highlight for its design? And for its execution?
While it's true that single-family homes and luxury villas are the ultimate expression of personalization and attention to detail, and showcase our capabilities most clearly, one of our greatest challenges was the Opportunity Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, whose central theme addressed the relationships between human beings and the impact of their actions. In the residential sector, I would highlight the high-rise buildings Wind Tower and Wafra Living, with which AGi architects participated in an ambitious research project exploring Kuwaiti society's lifestyles to find alternative, socially relevant, culturally grounded, and context-sensitive approaches to housing. Both projects propose an innovative organization of housing in Kuwait, a new type of multifamily living that emerges as a social response to the country's urban needs and is detailed in the book "The Multiplex Typology: Living in Kuwait's Hybrid Homes."
What challenge do you think you still have to overcome?
Undoubtedly, many, always bearing in mind that the scale or size of the project is not the most important thing for us, but rather responding to the social needs it raises.
In Spain, we expect to complete several important projects related to Historical Heritage and Cultural Heritage Sites in the coming months. One of our internal objectives for the next three years is to consolidate the department that researches and carries out cultural projects, museums, and exhibitions. In residential design, we have already designed and built over 200,000 square meters, so our office operates with its own standards and automated systems, allowing us to reduce lead times and improve service to our clients while maintaining the quality of our designs.
Finally, if it hadn't been architecture, what would you have dedicated your passion to?
I find it hard to imagine myself in another profession, but, without a doubt, if I hadn't been an architect, I would be involved in any other activity that involves creative processes of research and development.
