Interview with French architect Paul Andreau

French architect Paul Andreau, who just recently saw the unveiling of his egg-shaped National Grand Theater here in Beijing, shares his thoughts with Alex Pasternack in this month's issue of tbjhome. The architect also reveals his reaction to the May 2004 tragedy in which a section of the roofing of a terminal he designed at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport collapsed and killed four travelers, including two Chinese nationals:

“I would say it is the worst thing that can happen to any architect in his life, and it was for me. It was a terrible shock. And I look at it with a full sense of responsibility … from the beginning I never wanted to say, ‘It’s not me.’”

Although investigators never concluded that the collapse was due to a "conceptual error," the French government and Andreau himself both concede that the "building’s budget" may have prevented "more rigorous safety checks," and he scoffs at any suggestions that the terminal's modern design had anything to do with the structural problems.

For the full interview, pick up a December issue of tbjhome and turn to page 26 or go to the tbjhome website and download the PDF of the feature section.