Michael Arad Quotes & Sayings

“As architects we are often involved in the concrete-steel-and-glass aspect of it, but cities are social structures, and to be involved in imagining the future of cities and the type of relationships and the types of places that we're making is something that intrigues me very much.”

“When I was in the Army, the unit I served in, you could never stop. It was a volunteer unit, and there was a fairly high rate of attrition. The people who stayed through are the people who were either great at it or the people who just didn't know how to stop. And I fell into that second category.”

“When I started this project, I was a young architect. I was very apprehensive about any changes to the design. Whether I wanted to or not, I learned that you can accept some changes to its form without compromising its intent. But it's a leap of faith that I didn't want to make initially - to put it mildly.”

“I built a series of supporters that had my back. I never abused that trust. You can't cry wolf. You have to solve most problems yourself.”

“I believe that people are fundamentally are decent. And, yes, you will have people that sometimes will misbehave.”

“No rendering can really simulate the way the light bounces off the bronze panel. From some angles, it's almost a mirror, and from others it's a matte surface.”

“I hope for the experience of people standing together, turning their backs to the city and facing this, and hearing the leaves rustle. Well, maybe it won't be as bucolic as at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but I know you will feel removed from the city.”

“How do you design it so that people can form a space of their own, and feel quiet and contemplative?”

“I had a dual role: designer and advocate.”

“I have no choice but to fight them every step of the way. I can't tell you how many other stupid ideas have been proposed over the last two years.”