Interview with Paolo Tombesi, new professor at the smart living lab
© 2016 EPFL
Paolo Tombesi, who was a Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, has been named Full Professor of Construction and Architecture in the School for Architecture, Civil, and Environmental Engineering (ENAC). He has just taken up his position at the smart living lab, a research and development center that is run jointly by EPFL Fribourg, the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, and the University of Fribourg.
How did you get interested in your field of research?
I am always been an utmost example of academic misfit, falling into the cracks between disciplinary boundaries: I am an architect interested in logical realization rather than ideas; I am a builder interested in social capital rather than sole efficiency; I am an industrial analyst interested in political frameworks. You put all this together and you realize that the histories of building projects, or the policies behind building processes, are the only topics that offer solace to your confused soul.
What are some of the questions you will be focusing on over the coming years?
There is one in particular: How can the building sector learn from its own mistakes? How can a true culture of self-reflection be established? Construction is one of those socially complex disciplines where no one is ever at fault, even though, as an essentially experiment-based activity, error is a natural component of the building procurement process. Anyone capable to metabolize mistakes into disciplinary and industrial discussion will have done a great service to the constructed environment.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I play classical guitar (very badly) and I have a fascination with how the instrument is actually made, its different traditions, materials and models. The world of guitar-making provides a perfect reflection of the evolution of the building industry. When I travel I usually put time aside to visit the workshops of famous artisan luthiers in the area. Often this is what determines my itinerary. I also collect measuring instruments from around the globe, for the moment as far back as the XVIII century. To me, they open windows on systems of thinking about production, one of my fixations. Last, but certainly not least, I am interested in contemporary and primitive art, particularly when the two overlap, as in the case of Australian aboriginal culture. When time permits, I am a serious art center hopper.
What are you most excited about?
I am long past the age of excitement and right into the age of fastidious jadedness, though a feeling I am not entirely at ease with. For this reason, there are things I consider worth doing to redress it – and these are the ones that move me. The most important is the possibility to make a difference in people’s lives through the critical application of knowledge. I believe building has a lot to contribute to in this respect, particularly in developing economies; I live in confident hope that the combination Switzerland / EPFL / smart living lab will substantiate this conviction, thus bringing the opportunity for true excitement back into my horizon.
Have you already had a traditional moitié-moitié Fondue from Fribourg?
Not the Fribourg one. I am waiting until I make a final decision on which gym to join. Fondue and exercise (before and after) for me are inextricably linked.