My life: Carlos Marreiros
The Macanese architect, artist, poet and cultural conservationist tells Catharine Nicol about his love for his hometown
I can speak Cantonese. My mother's mother is Chinese, my mother is Eurasian, my father European. My father is a newcomer, he only came (to Macau) in the 1950s; but on my mother's side, her father was Portuguese, born in Macau, and his family has lived in Macau for 200 years. I was born here and studied at school in Macau and university in Europe. I came back in 1983 (to work on the government-run Committee for the Defence of the Architectural, Environmental and Cultural Heritage). The first regulations in Macau in the modern sense started in 1983, 1984. I was in the team to draft the new regulations of heritage preservation and other legal amendments.
My first building was here. I was 26 years old and very happy Macau gave me this opportunity. I love to restore old buildings. And I love to design new buildings which are completely contemporary, if the client allows us.
To be an architect, understanding the materials, technologies, engineering and construction are all very important, but it is not enough just to be competent. You have to care about the community, its identity, its culture. If you try to understand their lives, you understand contemporary urban culture. When I design a square or library I try, through architecture, to promote happiness. What everybody is searching for in the world is happiness, balance. When you suggest restoring a little square by not having a high-rise but providing culture, you become close to the community, and I think this is much more important than simply maximising reinforced concrete and steel.
When I was a kid I used to play during the Mid-Autumn Festival with rabbit lanterns. My grandfather told me (that he did) the same. When my kids were small, I also gave them lanterns. There are many forms of lantern, from the monkey to the airplane, but the little rabbit is the most traditional. The regulations for the competition (to create a pavilion at) the Shanghai World Expo (required) something that showed the identity of Macau, both East and West. I couldn't find a better example than this simple traditional lantern. In Macau there is a funny thing, because of the Portuguese cobblestones; when you pull the little rabbit it will shake its head in a very lovable way. I received so many calls from people I didn't know saying it was a good idea. When you have the community saying, "I am happy, I look at the pavilion and I identify myself", I think this is the best reward.
