Architecture Competition Berlin Affordable Housing Challenge Honorable mention - LUNDS UNIVERSITY

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Berlin Affordable Housing Challenge" competition – Kaylee Lamb, Alexander Johnsson, Palina Siarheyeva and Kristina Striewe from Sweden!

Honorable mention from Sweden

We are a team of four Master students from Lund University in Sweden with different academic backgrounds from different countries; U.S., Sweden, Germany, and Belarus. The four of us were strangers before this competition, however in the process of design we got to know each other and the project. The competition became a culmination of our different cultural insights which were critical throughout our design process.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

Due to our diverse backgrounds, we have worked on very different typologies and scales, we each studied architecture in our Bachelor degrees and have been involved in projects that range in scale from furniture to urban design. We all have varying fields of interest, including Interior Architecture, Trends in Architecture, Social Aspects of Architecture and the Urban Environment. Our diversity of interests enriched the discussions during the process and allowed us to create a dynamic proposal.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society? 


Architecture has the power to shape our world. It’s the architect’s role to ensure that the impact of the built environment betters society. As architects we must challenge conventional solutions in order to find innovative answers to the many challenges ahead.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

This particular competition was part of our design course this fall semester. During the semester we analyzed and discussed architecture competitions from different angles in parallel with developing this submission.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Go for it! It might feel daunting at first, but competitions are a great chance to grow your design skills, push your limits and to collaborate with others. This was our first experience in competitions and it was thrilling to push ourselves to the limits by creating a new typology while having fun together.