Architecture competition "Hong Kong Pixel Homes" 2nd prize winners - Maria Fernandez and François Chantier

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winner of the 2nd prize of our “Hong Kong Pixel Homes” competition -  Maria Fernandez and François Chantier from France !

2nd prize winners from France

François is a young French architect graduated from the ENSA Paris-Malaquais (DEA / Master degree) and the ENSA Paris-Val-de-Seine (HMONP / Official Licensing Program). After his studies he worked for a year in a Parisian office mainly on housing projects.

Maria is a French-Peruvian architect graduated from the UCSM in Arequipa - Peru and the ENSAP Lille - France (DEA / Master degree & HMONP / Official Licensing Program).

We both worked in an international office based in Lille where we had the opportunity to work among others on international competitions.

After some years learning new things and getting more experience about the architect profession, we decided to continue looking for new challenges and experiences in other firms and other countries.

We both worked in an international office based in Lille where we had the opportunity to work among others on international competitions. After some years learning new things and getting more experience about the architect profession, we decided to continue looking for new challenges and experiences in other firms and other countries.

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?

We both worked on international / big scale competitions during our professional experiences. For example, we worked on the Reinvent Paris consultation and the Adidas Headquarter in Herzogenaurach - Germany.

We have also been working on smaller scales and detailed phases for various programs: housing, theatres, museums, and wellness centres. The question of details or small-scale interventions captivates us as well!

We are actually working together on small personal projects.

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

For us architecture is about serving people. We think that the role of architects in our society is to offer good living conditions to all people, and to provide equally quality of life.

We also believe that architecture is not only a pretty facade or a particular shape, it is more about what we want to convey to people. A building is not made to be contemplated, but to be used and to be lived in. 

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

We enjoy the research dimension of vision competitions because it is a field where we can experiment new ideas. It is finally a way to continue to express ourselves as young architects. 

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

Participating in architecture vision competitions can only be advantageous! You can’t lose anything trying and it opens your mind to other perspectives and other solutions. In our case it was a way to discover a bit more about Hong Kong and the Chinese culture through the research that we have done.