In a Proust questionnaire style, AA questions architects about their profession, their projects, their vision of the future. Meet Alex Michaelis, partner at Michaelis Boyd, who recently completed in London the interior design and layout for the 98 new apartments of Switch House West – the first section of Battersea Power Station restoration and restructuration project.

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Being an architect means…
Understanding your clients wishes and needs and interpreting them into the simplest design solution possible. The key is to surprise with your interpretation and excite with new takes on their original ideas, creating the sequence of spaces that will create the beehive they will work, play and sleep in.

Your ideal commission
Anything in Africa, where the vast landscapes humble you to design buildings that follow nature’s lead. I believe that fusing nature with architecture leads us not only creativity but also in function – the best designs take inspiration from the natural resources of the land you are building on.

Your job in 20 years
I will still be trying to be a better architect by creating homes that follow nature more and more, crafting forward-thinking spaces that tread lightly on the environment. Homes that are built and then are able to function using as few resources as possible.

The advice you would give a young architect
Listen to what your client wants, simplify the essence of their ideas and be brave in your proposals – work with nature and make the building work without external energy needs. Good design is not confined by convention, or by discipline, style or location.

The emerging architect we should all follow
Nicholas Schepaniak (visit his Instagram)

The project you would have loved to build
There are so many! If I had to choose, I would say the Vals thermal Baths by Zumthor or perhaps Falling Water by FLW.

Another career you’d have liked to pursue
A sculptor

Your favourite material
Wood, always.

Your major source of ideas
Nature is the starting point for every project; spaces that begin with light, form and flow. I believe we can learn so much from the slow growth of nature to slow down ourselves and reconnect with the lost roots of the planet.

Your motto
Follow the light

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Please visit www.michaelisboyd.com and follow them on Instagram!