Architecture competition "Irish Cult Music Venue" BB Student and Green prize winner - Vilnius Academy Of Arts

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winner of the BB Student and Green prize of our “Irish Cult Music Venue” competition - Ineta Leonavičiūtė from Lithuania!

Ineta Leonavičiūtė from Lithuania

Before coming into the field of architecture, I was studying communication, but at some point I understood that I needed to find another way to express and challenge myself. So I just graduated from the Vilnius academy of Arts  specializing in Interior design.

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?

For now I am involved mostly in academic projects - from individual houses to public purpose objects. So far, I mostly enjoy doing public purpose projects (such as a shop or historical food market in Vilnius) where you have to find a way to represent the brand through function and space design and, at the same time, find a way to turn the place into a public attraction. Of course, it’s extra fun to create a project in such way that my personal beliefs can be seen or felt.

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

I have always been interested how society works, how people and their needs change as time passes, so for me, architecture is the best way to reflect that. I always try to do the research and answer these questions - what is this place about, why it does or doesn’t work, and how can I improve that or make it more relevant in the most respectful way. So, this being said, I believe that architects can influence the environment we live in and raise discussions about problems that society is dealing with.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

It’s a challenge and only by challenging yourself can you find something special and broaden your own mind. For this particular competition, it was also the theme that got me interested in it, because I’m deeply in love with music and finding place like Connolly’s of Leap just blew my mind, so I simply couldn't resist. Also, with this project I was defending my Bachelor’s degree and after four years in university I wanted to end it with a project that I’m passionate about and I think that this was the best path I could take to do that.

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

I think it’s very simple - if something catches your eye - just do it! Don’t start to question yourself, is it worth your time, can you do that... just do it. You could be surprised how many new things you can learn from participating in competitions, because throwing yourself into unknown situations is the best thing you can do as a creator. And it’s actually really fun, believe me. :)