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February 28, 2016

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Who is he?

Source: Shanghai Daily | February 28, 2016, Sunday | Print Edition

BORJA Trujillo Rodríguez is the general manager and chief architect at Mass Design and Build, which works in architecture and interior design. He has worked in Shanghai from 2007 to 2010 and in Berlin from 2010 to 2014.

Tell us about some of your works and the one you’re most proud of.

If I had to pick one project it would be the Base serviced apartments and offices on Shiziwan Road in Shanghai. In collaboration with architect Steve Liem, and graphic designer Lyla Sulaiman, it was the first Base project, and the birth of the Base brand, setting the tone of the later development. The name Base came, on one hand, from the aim of the project to give a space to be based on, and on the other hand from the approach to design focused on the basic elements of space and of aesthetics. The designed spaces are reduced to the basic ones needed to make a living space comfortable and fulfilling, and the textures and materials palette uses few and very basic elements.

What are you working on at the moment?

There is a Base serviced apartments building about to open on Hongqiao Road, which I started working on one year ago. Then there is a very large Base development on Songyuan Road, with a mix of residential, retail, co-working spaces and offices. Construction started recently and it is planned to open this summer. And recently I just started working on the transformation of a seven-story building on Longdong Avenue, Pudong. There is also an upcoming project in Beijing to transform a former theater into a combination of offices, co-working spaces and exhibition areas.

Describe your design style.

It should always be other people who point out what they find in someone’s work, since you might not say what it is but what you want it to be. But, nevertheless, I will avoid to use the word “style”, and I would say that my approach to design is minimal and conceptual in the composition, and sober, but honest and rich in the textures and finishing. I try to bring timeless references to my works, which might be anonymous or not necessarily from architecture. This could be vernacular architecture, the work of artists, painters, musicians or fashion designers.

Where are you most creative?

Inspiration comes sometimes during random walks in the city, like Berlin or Shanghai, where I have spent most of my time lately, discovering delightful architecture from other times, or informal and interesting urban layouts or compositions. It also happens when traveling, reading or watching movies, which are pretty much the same thing. I am very interested in film sceneries, and find myself paying attention to the background details, the photography or the costumes.

What does your home mean to you?

Home is somehow a temple of comfort and privacy. Home is rest and recovery. It is relax and pleasure.

What do you collect?

Having moved a lot for the last years doesn’t make it easy to actually keep many objects. Nevertheless, I have some objects I found in markets and shops, or gifts from dear friends, such as pots and ceramics, trays, glasses, fabrics. I also have a certain fascination for maps. When I’m starting a transformation project and I visit a building for the first time I often find very interesting objects that I sometimes honestly can’t help but to take with me!

Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

I have always loved to just randomly walk around Shanghai downtown, especially the former French Concession. There are corners and buildings of extreme beauty and with a very refined and solid design. I also like to visit my favorite cocktail bar and xiaolongbao and other local food places. And sometimes to ride my bike with no clear destination.

What will be the next big design trend?

I am not interested in trends themselves, so this question is both hard to answer and not really relevant to me. I am more interested in what’s timeless in design, be it coming from a genius, be it a trend that actually made it through time, or be it anonymous work.

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