You can forget what your brain thinks, he continues, and get on with something that is a bit more intuitive, and one step later you can stop and reflect. Heatherwick is unwilling to put his faith in anything but models that represent physical reality. Filled with models of completed projects and prototypes, Heatherwick s studio in Camden Town reflects his hands-on approach to design. One designer works full time making models. The remaining players have backgrounds in product design, landscape architecture and structural engineering, although in practice no clear-cut distinctions exist.
Individual specialities tend to be disregarded, and everybody gets involved in each project.
On occasion the group even includes associates or trainees. Teamwork in this studio is a means of pushing the envelope, of challenging preconceived ideas. Discussion moves beyond the point at which it s a purely intellectual, problem-solving exercise and focuses on identifying the logical strategy and best solution for each individual project. In this context, Heatherwick sees himself as the guy whose job is to define a vision . His ability to listen, to mediate and to relate to others sets him apart from other designers.