Fadi Jabri: I am a cosmopolitan person
Fadi Jabri, Executive Director for the Middle East, North Africa and India at the NikkenSekkei Architectural Bureau (Japan), visited Yekaterinburg for the first time. Mr. Jabri took part in the work of the thematic sections of 100+ ForumRussia. He spoke about the high-rise buildings in Tokyo, Mumbai, and Dubai, and about the concept of Vladivostok development that he was developing. In an interview with our journalist, Fadi Jabri appreciated the high-rise construction in Yekaterinburg and in Russia as a whole.
- Have you seen the city yet? What is your impression of the layout and architecture of Yekaterinburg?
– This is my first time in Yekaterinburg and I really liked the city. Firstly, because it is clean and well-maintained. But this is where I left off, in the very center. I was struck by a large number of high-rise buildings. This is unusual compared to other regional cities. They always have concerns about tall buildings. And Yekaterinburg feels like a step forward in this sense. Beautiful, well-maintained embankment. Thanks to the 100+ forum, I learned about a new city in Russia. Oh, so charming.
- Speaking specifically about architecture, how do you rate it? Especially the high-rise architecture of Yekaterinburg?
– I think it is qualitatively done in comparison with other cities. I would rate it as a high level. I'm talking about the new high-rise architecture in the center. But if we develop the city in this direction and create Yekaterinburg City, we need to correct some mistakes. First, the buildings must be close to each other. Not like this. The Hyatt Hotel is currently located about 500 meters from the Iset Tower. And it shouldn't be like that. There must be concentration. And not the dotted construction of skyscrapers, as it is now in the center of Yekaterinburg.
- Is Yekaterinburg closer to Asian or European cities in terms of architecture that you have seen?
- The central part is closer to the European architecture. And modern buildings even have some similarities with Dubai. This is already a universal style that can be seen everywhere, including in Asia. If you take a picture, a segment of new buildings, and ask people - guess where it is? I think few people will say that this is Yekaterinburg. This is a style that can be found in Korea, China, and Dubai.
- Do you prefer to live in a skyscraper or in a low-rise building?
– In Dubai, I live on the 15th floor. And I have a very beautiful view. In Tokyo, it's on the 38th floor, and it also offers a full panorama of Tokyo. Living in a high-rise building, of course, has its own charm. Sometimes it's scary when there are earthquakes in Japan, because there are fluctuations at altitude. Sometimes it's not comfortable. I think that when I was young (in my 30s and 40s and 50s) it is interesting and comfortable to live in high-rise buildings, but in old age you will want to be closer to the ground.
- How do you assess the current state of high-rise construction in Russia?
"I think it's a little late." In the world, it is in megacities that the development is currently on the rise. The buildings are connected at a height. In my project, which is currently under construction in Dubai, two towers are connected at a height of 100 meters. There will be a passage from one tower to another above the motorway.
Why is Russia now late in high-rise construction? I think for two reasons. The development market in Russia is very young. Developers currently working in the country's market are at most 15 years old. There are development companies in Asia and Japan that have been operating for 100 to 150 years. And the number of buildings they have built in their history is an order of magnitude different. The company I work for has implemented 25,000 projects, which is a lot of experience!
The second point is legislation. It's outdated. It does not encourage developers to go up. In Japan, for example, there is now a law that says if you go up, but you open part of your land to the public, you get a reward, a bonus, and you can be even higher. What is it about? There is private land around the house, but the territory is not closed. Residents of a particular house take care of it, improve it, but all citizens can use it, i.e. the spaces are open to the public. There are no fences, fences, or prohibitions.
- Do you and your company have projects in Russia now?
- Yes. I work in Vladivostok, but this is more of an urban planning decision, and we have an interesting "Preobrazhensky" project in Krasnoyarsk. We have several projects in Nizhny Novgorod. And in Moscow. We have a very interesting project there now called the Botanical Garden.
- Did you learn Russian when you started working in Russia?
— no. My family and I lived in Russia for a while in my childhood, and I still have a love for the language. When we started working in Russia 10 years ago, I, of course, began to pay more attention to the language. It was difficult for me at the first meetings. I wrote what needed to be said, then crammed. I'm getting much easier and better now.
- Which cities have you worked in that are the architecture closest to you? Which city do you consider an example from the point of view of urban planning policy as well?
- Which girl do you consider the most beautiful? (laughs)
- Well, what is your favorite city?
– I love Berlin, I was born there, I love Moscow. I love Dubai, my family is there now, I love Tokyo. But maybe I'll like quieter cities more in my old age. Such as Côte d'Azur (Cote d'Azur). They're so sweet and calm. And when you're young, you want to be at the center of movement and information.
- In an interview with one of the speakers of our forum, I heard an interesting, but controversial, opinion from my point of view, that famous world architects and international architectural bureaus are invited to Russia for prestige and more for PR. But this is not quite right, this brand, this building can be built anywhere - in Tyumen, in Kazan, in Krasnoyarsk, in Warsaw, in Spain, somewhere else, because such international bureaus do not take into account the cultural and urban context. How do you feel about this point of view?
- I am a cosmopolitan person myself and I do not believe in a single badge of distinction. All this is the era of the 20th century, the world is changing very fast now. Of course, the specifics of the place are very important. But there's nothing wrong with having the symbol of some good architect. For example, the Bilbao Museum was not designed by a Spaniard. But he created a very good attraction for this city. And this project is very successful. Zaha Hadid is not from South Korea, but she designed an interesting center in Seoul. Very popular. On the contrary, it helps to open up the city and the country to the whole world.