Dubai Urban Elements Design Challenge competition Honorable mention winner - Róbert Gallo

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce the Honorable Mention winner of our Dubai Urban Elements Design Challenge – Róbert Gallo from United Kingdom!

Róbert Gallo

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.

When I design, I often begin from a technical architectural foundation and then allow the project to become more intuitive. Sometimes the process works in reverse. Regardless of where it begins, the goal is always the same: a unified balance of practicality and beauty.

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?

My work seamlessly transitions between scales and locations, from a Victorian house renovation in London to site- specific public installations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and large mixed-use developments in California, as well as residential projects for private clients in the Middle East.

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

The longer I practice architecture, the harder it becomes to define it. I’d most closely identify with Peter Zumthor’s statement that architecture is not about form, but about a feeling.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

The variety of competitions I choose to join reminds me of why I chose architecture as a career and way of life: curiosity, exploration, and the freedom of thought.

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

Architecture competitions only feel like a lottery if you enter them for the wrong reasons. Treat them as a workout for your ideas, and you can’t lose.