Essay: Why do you enter architecture competitions. Jury Panel

Builder is pleased to announce its jury panel for its short essay competition, Why do you enter architecture competitions?, run in partnership with ARCHHIVE BOOKS.

Samista Jugwanth, Zutari
Anna Karagianni, ANT Architects
James Krueger, HMC Architects
Magic Kwan, OOA - Orient Occident Atelier
Inés Olavarrieta, selgascano
Kenrick Wong, OOA - Orient Occident Atelier
Yu-Ying Tsai, ZJJZ Atelier

Samista Jugwanth has over twelve years’ experience in engineering design (in public infrastructure, commercial and industrial projects), project management and construction management in Africa.  She is currently an Associate and shareholder at Zutari, which in 2020 was ranked first in the Top 225 International Design Firm Rankings for Africa by ENR. Samista strongly believes that for infrastructure development to be effective, designs should be human centered.  Design is not a linear process, but interactive and must be developed through engagement and inclusion of environmental, economic and social aspects.

Anna Karagianni is an Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture, Technical University of Crete. She holds a Diploma in Architecture from the University of Patras (2007), a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design (MSAAD) from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University in the City of New York (2010) and a Ph.D. from the School of Architecture, Technical University of Crete (2021). Ph.D. thesis title: ‘Digital Media Strategies in Architectural Design: the user as an active participant in the era of IoT’. Since 2014, she has been teaching Architectural Design, Digital Media in Architectural Design and Advanced Digital Media. She has been involved in research and design projects in Greece, Spain, France, US, UAE, India and Japan, while she has also collaborated with international award-winning architectural firms in Athens and Barcelona. She is a founding member of ANT Architects, a research-based design firm established in Athens, Greece. Her published research includes papers in scientific journals and conferences with proceedings, and she has co-edited a book. Her research efforts mainly focus on the analysis, use and integration of new human - centered technologies in Architectural Design.

James Krueger is a Design Principal in HMC Architects’ San Diego studio, and serves as the firm's Civic and Pre-K-12 Practices Design Principal leading designs for the firm. With more than 20 years’ experience working in studio, James brings a unique design perspective to the practice. What inspires James’ work is the idea that everything HMC builds has the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of each client. In a firm that focuses primarily in Education, Healthcare, and Civic markets, the facilities that HMC creates are focused on improving the fabric of the communities they serve.

Magic Kwan runs OOA - Orient Occident Atelier, a Cambodian architectural studio which focuses on discovering, researching and utilizing the interdependence of “objects” and connections with surrounding space as design inspirations.

Inés Olavarrieta is an architect and designer at Madrid-based selgascano. She graduated with a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the ETSAM, Technical University of Madrid in 2014, with honors. Her final thesis project, a finalist of Archiprix 2015, was widely published. In 2013, she worked at the exhibition Spain Mon Amour in the Biennale di Architectura in Venice. Inés has worked in London, Paris, Lisbon and Madrid. She was a collaborator at FRPO’s studio between 2011 and 2014. Since 2014, she has been a team member at selgascano in Madrid where she works on projects ranging in scale from large developments to interiors, including the Serpentine Pavilion (2015), Second Home Offices in Hollywood (2019) and the Design District Market (2020). Her work has focused mainly on reactivating spaces that are considered to be residual or forgotten. She understands architecture and design as a halfway between beauty and functionality, minimalism and chaos.

Yu-Ying Tsai is a lead architect at Shanghai-based ZJJZ Atelier. ZJJZ’s projects have garnered numerous recognition, such as its Woodhouse Hotel being listed as one of the top 10 Chinese architecture projects by Dezeen in 2019.

Kenrick Wong runs OOA - Orient Occident Atelier, a Cambodian architectural studio which focuses on discovering, researching and utilizing the interdependence of “objects” and connections with surrounding space as design inspirations.

For this annual essay competition, Buildner is asking participants to detail their views on the topic – of why enter architecture competitions. We’re looking for insightful essays that reflect on how architecture competitions can help architects and designers grow their skills and can help gain attention and recognition within the industry and for unique perspectives on how their own personal experience with architecture competitions has impacted their lives and their careers.