Architecture competition "European Velo Stops" 2nd and Student prize winners - Kaiserslautern University of Technology

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winners of the 2nd and Student prize of our “European Velo Stops” competition - Alica Clemens and Julian Lengert from Germany!

2nd and Student prize winners from Germany

We are two 23 year old students of architecture in our 4th year of study at the Kaiserslautern University of Technology in Germany.

Wood as a future building material is an important part of our studies. At our Faculty of Architecture, several departments are researching the possibilities of using timber in an efficient and sustainable way in construction, for example the "digital timber construction department" and our "timber-laboratory". Currently we are working on sustainable, wooden 5G-transmitters, that-besides meeting all technological requirements-are also a valuable part of the streetscape.

Julian completed his first internship in 2012 and worked since then in two architectural offices.

Alica is a research assistant in the department of "Methodik des Entwerfens und Entwerfen“ ( Methodology of Design and Designing) and "Tragwerk und Material“ (Structure and Material) since spring 2017. She is also very engaged in the student association and student council of our faculty. In 2018, she completed a two-month internship at a local architecture studio.

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 company/ individuals have been involved?

European Velo Stops was the first competition we participated in. At university we mostly designed residential projects as well as an automobile-showroom, a petrol station and a temporarily wooden pavilion.

This semester we are completing our first proposal design of our main studies. Alica is planning an industrial museum and Julian is working on a wooden structured research laboratory for students.

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

Architecture is the interaction of context, ideas, gestalt, discussion, criticism, transformation and makes us question the existing.

Architecture means creating spaces beyond necessities. If you create places that are loved by the people who inhabit them, they will care about them.

Saving money doesn't have to include saving creativity. Our approach is to create spaces that are of high value. It is about being creative and getting the most out of the situation.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

We were highly interested in the task set by the competition, to encourage people to explore Europe and to support the European idea.

Architecture is international. The competition is a way to experience different attitudes towards architecture and is a great chance to gain practical experience. Furthermore, we want to support the implementation of timber-structures as a future building material, so EVS was a perfect opportunity for experimenting. And, of course, it is about the fun of architectural designing and pursuing our passion as a profession.

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

Just try it. It is all about learning and experimenting. If you have fun with working on architectural tasks, every competition is beneficial. Even a loss is a great win on experience.