Material and Performance: An Interview with Jacques Herzog

Presented at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in 2005, Herzog & de Meuron’s “Rotterdam” olfactory object was composed of characteristic scents of its namesake: Rhine water, hashish, wet dog, and patchouli. Displayed alongside models, fragments, and archival materials, the perfume reinforced the firm’s interests in the sensual qualities of architecture. In this discussion with Future Anterior, Jacques Herzog details the firm’s investigations into the performative capabilities of smell in architecture, its role in the design of holistic, perceptual experience.