Iceland Ski Snow Cabin competition Honorable mention winners - Yingzhi Chen and Tuo Chen

 We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Honorable mention winners of our "Iceland Ski Snow Cabin" competition - Yingzhi Chen and Tuo Chen from United States!

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 designers based in NYC and graduates of UPenn.

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?

 Tuo works with Weiss/Manfredi on institutional, cultural, and civic projects like WUSTL’s New Arts & Sciences Building, the Dallas Museum of Art, and Lincoln Center’s campus. Yingzhi focuses on urban, high-quality living and working spaces for the post-pandemic digital era with Fogarty Finger.

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

 Architecture stands as a lasting witness to ordinary life; it is a sculptural living object evolving with its users and environment over time. All architecture, no matter how utilitarian, communicates larger ideas through matter.

Architects create spatial, formal, and spiritual dialogues between humanity and nature.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

 We love exploring the world through travel and design. Competitions offer fantastic opportunities to learn folklore, reimagine sites, merge experiences, and design new dialogues.

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

 Just do it.