A building can be well-built and still be wrong. The measurements are correct, the materials comply with regulations, and it has passed inspection: yet the stone is the wrong colour, the plaster is too smooth, and the door handle chosen at the last minute clashes with the rest. Nobody has made a mistake. It’s simply that nobody was responsible for looking at the building as a whole.
This role has a name: artistic direction. In this article, we explain what it involves, how it differs from site supervision, and when it is advisable to entrust it to someone else.
What is artistic direction in architecture?
Artistic direction refers to the aesthetic oversight of a project, from the initial design to the finished building. It involves two key aspects:
- the aesthetic and finishing decisions made on site, whilst the work was in progress, in consultation with the craftsmen;
- the project’s brand identity: the name, the logo, the website and the Instagram page.
The first concerns the way in which the building is constructed. The second concerns the way in which the building presents itself to those who will live in it, buy it or book it. These are two sides of the same coin: giving the building a recognisable character and ensuring that it does not lose that character along the way.
Artistic direction and site supervision: two different roles
The site supervisor ensures that the work is carried out to a high standard and in accordance with the approved plans. It is a technical role with specific responsibilities: the site supervisor is accountable for the work being carried out correctly.
The artistic director does not replace the site supervisor. The artistic director deals with what the design cannot fully specify and which is only decided on site, when faced with the actual materials: the shade of a lime plaster, the finish of a stone, the thickness of a joint, the design of a detail that was merely a line on the drawing board. These are choices that do not affect the safety or compliance of the structure, but determine its appearance.
In short: the site supervisor ensures that the building is constructed to a high standard. The artistic director ensures that it is built as it was envisaged.
Who is responsible for what?
When it comes to the same choice, the two characters ask themselves different questions:
| Site supervisor | Artistic Director | |
|---|---|---|
| The question | Is it well made? | Is it as it should be? |
| A plaster finish | Laid to the highest standard, using the specified materials | Colour tones, texture, how it looks in the light of the room |
| A stone | Laid correctly, with the correct joints and gradients | Finish, size, laying pattern |
| The kitchen | Systems and installations in the right place | Layout, ergonomics, space around it |
| Works for | The proper execution of the work | The result the client had in mind |
A practical example: the kitchen
Kitchens are usually chosen in a showroom or at a retailer’s, which has its own designers. They are specialists in kitchen construction: units, fittings, appliances and manufacturing dimensions. They are less familiar with functionality, ergonomics and the space where the kitchen will be installed, which they often only know from a floor plan with dimensions.
The artistic director guides the client through the selection and layout process, and raises questions concerning the entire home:
- Are the routes between the fridge, the sink and the hob short, and do they avoid crossing paths with anyone walking across the room?
- Is the height of the worktop right for people who actually cook?
- Is there enough space to open the dishwasher and the drawer next to it at the same time, and to walk round behind whoever is cooking?
- Where does natural light reach, and where is artificial light needed?
- If the kitchen opens onto the living room, do the materials and colours complement the rest of the house?
The result is a kitchen that is well-built by the retailer and well-suited to the home: these two areas of expertise complement each other, rather than leaving it up to the client to reconcile them.
For those renovating their home for the first time
Let’s imagine a couple who have just bought a house and are renovating it. In just a few weeks, they have to choose flooring, bathroom tiles, kitchen fittings, doors, lighting and colours. Every decision involves a different supplier, each with their own consultant, who knows their own product inside out but has no idea what the rest of the house looks like.
Meanwhile, the site supervisor ensures that the building work is carried out to the highest standards: that is their job, and it is quite a task in itself. No one, however, is responsible for bringing all those choices together. The artistic director is the sole point of reference: they represent the client’s interests, organise visits to showrooms, compare the options, and ensure that the finished home is a cohesive whole rather than a mere collection of catalogue items.
What does the artistic director do on a building site?
His work lies in the details and in his relationship with the craftspeople. In practice:
- assesses samples of stone, plaster, terracotta, wood and fabrics, and chooses from the available options;
- decides on the finishing touches as the work progresses, when an open question needs to be resolved;
- engages with the craftspeople – the blacksmith, the joiner, the stonemason – because their craft becomes part of the project;
- It ensures the overall coherence of the whole, so that the choices made at different times are consistent with one another.
In the Val di Noto, this matters more than anywhere else. Limestone, lime plaster and terracotta vary greatly from one quarry to another and from one craftsman to another. We also discuss this in the article on how to renovate a house in the historic centre of Noto.
Even a piece of architecture can have a name
A holiday home, a villa to rent, a small accommodation provider: even before they are visited, they are searched for, viewed and chosen online. This is why a piece of architecture can have, just like a brand, a name, a logo, a website and an Instagram page. If these are developed alongside the project, they reflect the very character of the building rather than being added as an afterthought.
One example is Casamatta, a villa designed by the practice in Noto. The name was chosen during the design phase, and the reel showcasing it on social media went viral. The building hadn’t yet been built, but it already had a recognisable identity.
When you need an artistic director
Artistic direction is particularly useful for:
- anyone who is renovating a house in the historic centre or a villa to be used for accommodation, and also needs a name and a brand image;
- people from outside Noto who are buying property there and are unable to monitor the progress of the building work in person;
- anyone selling or letting a property who wants the finishes and presentation to bring out its character;
- those who already have a site supervisor and are looking for someone to take care of the aesthetic aspects.
If the site supervision is carried out by another engineer
This is precisely the sort of situation where an artistic director is most valuable. It often happens that the building site is supervised by a surveyor, an engineer or a technician from the contractor’s firm: professionals who ensure the work is carried out correctly, but whose role does not include overseeing the final appearance. Having an artistic director work alongside them clearly divides the responsibilities: one is in charge of how it is built, the other of what the end result will look like.
From the design to the finished property
Artistic direction is a constant feature throughout the life of an opera:
- in the design, it defines the character of the building, the range of materials and its name;
- on site, it protects that character through the finishing choices and the work with the craftsmen;
- Once the work is complete, it communicates this through a consistent visual identity: logo, website and social media.
DIMORArchitettura provides artistic direction both on its own projects and in collaboration with other site supervisors. You can find a full list of the practice’s services on the architectural services page for Noto.