Concrete Pavilion competition Honorable mention winners - Shivani Rastogi, Jialu Hou, Kaixin Su and Taoyu Han

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Honorable mention winners of our Concrete Pavilion competition – Shivani Rastogi, Jialu Hou, Kaixin Su and Taoyu Han from United Kingdom!

Honorable mention winners from United Kingdom

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We are a collaborative group of architects who came together to explore questions of infrastructure, material reuse, and public space through competition platforms. Our collective background spans professional architectural practice and research driven academic work, with experience in large-scale urban projects as well as experimental design investigations. Re:Concrete emerged from a shared interest in circular construction and the social afterlife of infrastructure. Through discussion and iterative development, the team translated this idea into a modular spatial proposal that reframes discarded concrete elements as civic architecture.

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?

As a team, we bring experience from both professional practice and academic research environments. Our work ranges from urban masterplanning and architectural design to speculative and experimental projects that investigate sustainability, public realm, and adaptive reuse. We are particularly interested in projects that operate at the intersection of infrastructure and public life, where material systems, environmental performance, and social interaction converge.

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

To us, architecture is not only the production of buildings, but the shaping of relationships, between people, materials, infrastructure, and time. It reflects how a society understands responsibility, resource use, and collective space. Today, the role of an architect extends beyond formal aesthetics. It requires critical thinking, ethical material choices, and the ability to reinterpret existing systems in more sustainable and inclusive ways. Architecture has the power to make visible what cities often hide, and to transform overlooked elements into meaningful public experiences.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Competitions provide a space for exploration and experimentation that is often difficult to access within conventional practice. They allow us to question assumptions, test alternative material strategies, and respond to urgent global challenges such as environmental resilience and circular construction. They also create opportunities to contribute to broader architectural discourse and engage with ideas beyond immediate project constraints.

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

Competitions can be demanding, but they are deeply formative. Even when proposals are not selected, the process strengthens conceptual clarity and design discipline. We would encourage individuals to approach competitions as platforms for research and intellectual growth rather than solely as opportunities to win. The most valuable outcome is often the refinement of one’s thinking and the ability to articulate a clear Position.