KNOWN for his work on internationally acclaimed projects such as Saudi Arabia’s US$1.2-billion Jeddah Tower, Jamaica-born architect Gordon Gill’s vision for his homeland is complex. It’s influenced by the need to push the envelope, mixed with a healthy dose of practicality that’s liberally sprinkled with the knowledge that his name will eventually be forgotten but work well done will live on.

The 61-year-old dreams of a time when Jamaica’s major cities are once again “visionary leaders in global standards of architecture”. He knows the importance of sustainable structures that build community and improve lives; he’s familiar with the value of a well-placed window that captures a cool breeze, and he gives a lot of thought to the merit of each project before deciding if his team should take it on.

As founding partner of award-winning Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS + GG), Gill has designed projects that spur conversation. Jeddah Tower, for example, will be the world’s tallest building when completed in 2028. The Jamaica Observer’s Real Estate on the Rock spoke with Gill — who for more than half his life has found great delight in the field of architecture — about the need for Jamaican architecture to find its voice, the importance of urban planning and what he would do in his native land if time and money were no object.

Read on for excerpts from the interview.

What are your thoughts on where Jamaica is now, in terms of the architectural design of our buildings?

“I can see that the language or the expression of the buildings is advancing. I can see that the scale in some areas, like Kingston or even Montego Bay, is advancing. And so in terms of the design, my hope is that, from an urban standpoint, we take a step back and look at the cities as a whole — understand the scale of the cities and what we want them to become, and that the architecture can then grow into that. I think that’s the most important thing to do, first.

“As part of that, there’s a wonderful opportunity for architects, designers, planners in Jamaica to think about what it means to be a Jamaican language. It would be interesting to think about what a contemporary vocabulary of architecture might mean for Jamaica, as opposed to importing a language from overseas. I think that’s a wonderful opportunity. We need to find our voice. In that voice, there’s a very strong, sustainable aspect of it that’s rooted in Jamaica — the natural attributes that Jamaica has as a country. It’s not everywhere that it’s comfortable to open your windows all the time, or you have those kinds of cross-breezes, or the beautiful aspects of Jamaica that we all love.

“From an environmental standpoint, there’s a real opportunity to find that in the buildings of tomorrow, and you see it in the buildings of the past. You see the traditional housing being very well situated for things like cross-ventilation, or protection from the sun, and it would be wonderful to see that expanded into a modern vocabulary.”

If you had the time and money was no object, what would you do in Jamaica, architecturally?

“I would like to see a comprehensive perspective on the country as a whole — national standards around architecture. I would be curious about looking at the existing towns and cities and villages, and polishing those up and getting those to a standard that is what the Jamaican people deserve. That would be my dream.

“If money became no object at that point, then you begin to think about, ‘What does Jamaica represent to the world? Now that you’ve taken care of all the things at home, what does that outreach mean? How do the major cities in Jamaica become visionary leaders, again, in terms of a global architectural standard?’

“That doesn’t mean it has to be big. It just means that it has to be good. And I think that’s entirely possible. It’s not about being tall or large; those are other ways to think about things. What I’m really interested in, if I had all the money in the world and had time in Jamaica, is to just do projects of global-standard quality, which I think is entirely feasible.

“It’s not only doable from an economic standpoint. I think it’s doable from a technical standpoint, and I think it’s something you’re going to have to do. I think it’s going to come, whether you like it or not, it’s just going to come to you, and at that point, I think you should be prepared for your own success.”

What is your yardstick for ‘good’?

“Although we, as a firm, are known for very large-scale projects — super tall cities — we’re extremely diverse. It could be a park, it could be a small neighbourhood theatre, it could be the world’s tallest building, it could be a city.

“When we talk about quality and value, we define ‘good’ as something that is clearly serving the people of the district that we design in, something that is establishing a standard of architecture that is exceptional at a global level. Our expectation of the project is that it commands observation or inquiry at an architectural level from people around the world. We expect that the constructability of it is of that same standard, and we find that when we pursue projects like that — which is how we work in our office, we will only pursue projects that we feel have that ability to achieve those standards — it elevates everything.

“It elevates the construction ability, it elevates the expectations of the client — whether they come to the table with it or not. It elevates things like code and zoning standards. It elevates urbanism and the role that that project plays in a city. It can elevate an entire city. It can elevate an entire nation. It can change industries, which we do often, by creating innovative solutions. And that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all about technology. It can be something very simple, like concrete block or brick.

“How do you define quality? Ultimately, the truth is that we don’t. When we’re done with the project, it’s the people that define the quality, and time defines the quality. We hope that the projects are timeless. We hope that they have legacy, that they are long-lasting, and that they maintain that impact over time.

“Even though we’ll be 20 years old next year, we have projects that are 15, some almost 20 years old. They’re still significant pieces of architecture and that’s wonderful to see. That’s what we want. If you walk around Kingston, you can see buildings like that. You just have to dust them off and polish them up a little bit, but they’re there.”

Central Park Tower in New York is the world’s tallest residential building. It was admitted into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the tallest cantilever in the world.

The US$1.2-billion Jeddah Tower is more than 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) high. The mixed-use building will be the centrepiece of the US$20-billion Kingdom City Development in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Completed in 2008, Za’abeel Signature Tower 2 is part of the Za’abeel Energy City Master Plan in Dubai.

Waldorf Astoria is located in the antiquities heritage area of Beijing.