Jury-GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN / Published on December 23, 2020
Share to
Bryan Wiens
Principal & Interior Designer
LWG Architectural Interiors
Ottawa, Canada
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE – PEOPLE OF DESIGN VERSION!
What prescient youthful memory relates to your present career? I was seventeen years old. It was my first year at university, studying Architecture. I knew NOTHING about architecture and design, but was very interested. Learning about the world of architecture and design opened my eyes in ways I had not envisioned and I would no longer look at the world around me in the same way.
What are three basic rules you learned from your mentors?
■ Design is for people.
■ Design is a group activity.
■ Trust your team.
What project launched your career?
There isn’t a single project that I can pinpoint, I think.
Any music playing while you work?
Unless I’m in a meeting, I’m listening to music. I have quite broad musical preferences, but when I’m working I primarily go for instrumental music, ranging from ambient, to minimalist, electronic, classical and jazz.
Brian Eno is my guru.
Click on the name to listen
aomarks, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Do you work in PJs or three-piece suits?
I would probably fall somewhere in the middle. If I really had to make a choice, I’d pick the three-piece suit. Bespoke, per favore!
What is your current design state of mind?
Since my career has been focused on workplace design, we’re currently tracking how COVID-19 is impacting physical space and what the outcome will be for the future of the office. My state of mind is set on viewing the positive opportunities and impact that the COVID outbreak will have on the built environment.
Payments Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 2014.
Photo credit: Miv Fournier.
A project that typifies the work we do as a team.
Payments Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 2014.
Photo credit: Miv Fournier.
What living designer/architect do you most admire?
I love what Snohetta is doing. I attended a design masterclass led by Craig Dykers a few years back that left a deep impression on me. They are fundamentally team-oriented and cross-disciplinary in their approach. We need more of this.
SNØHETTA
CRAIG DYKERS
Kkupfers, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Photo : https://www.michaelgraves.com/
What past designer/architect inspires you the most?
MICHAEL GRAVES.
I followed him closely at the start of the my career and heard him speak a couple of years before he passed away. At that point in his life, he was disabled and yet, his demeanour and attitude toward design and the world was most moving.
What is your most marked design quality?
In my line of work, communication is just as important as design ability. I consider myself to be a very clear and consistent communicator. This is so important in relationship building, which, for me, is a crucial aspect of the design process.
How would you like your designs to go down in history?
I don’t really think about how my designs will be viewed in history. I don’t think the work I do is in that type of milieu. If it is, I would hope that they would be viewed as a direct response to meeting the needs of users in an elegant way, and the quality people’s lives are improved through the design.
What peer quality do you most value?
Collaboration. The key!
Which project is the epitome of your work?
The Canada Centre for Innovation. While not a ground-breaking design project, it stands as a good example of the type of work my firm undertakes. The space is client-focused and, like all of our projects, was a team effort.
Canada Centre for Innovation, Ottawa, Canada, 2018.
Photo credit: Miv Fournier.
An example of the typical project that my LWG team and I deliver on a regular basis.
How are your country of belonging’s values reflected in your work?
Canada aspires to be a welcoming place, open to people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and more. I would hope that the spaces I design embrace these values and provide dignity to all users.
What always inspires you?
Travelling! And all it includes, meaning: art, architecture, music, theatre and food.
If a spell were to transform you into an object, by all means, what would you like to be, and why?
Oh dear – I really have no idea. I’d be happy to be one with the universe.
What is your favorite place in the world?
London, England.
What design or architecture project do you wish you would have thought of yourself?
The Barcelona Chair designed by Mies van der Rohe, for Knoll.
Mies Van Der Rohe (1886-1969), Photo Credit: Hugo Erfurth,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
