Architecture Competition Iceland Cave Tower 3rd prize winners – FALA architektura

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 3rd prize winners of our “Iceland Cave Tower” competition – Kamila Szatanowska and Paulina Rogalska from Poland!

Kamila Szatanowska and Paulina Rogalska from Poland

FALA architektura is a Gdansk-based multidisciplinary design and research office, established by Kamila Szatanowska and Paulina Rogalska in 2018. FALA is gaining experience in both large-scale public architecture projects and smaller residential ones. Now, the collective is focused on multifaceted design in the context of progressive climate change.

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?

We have gained experience working on both projects of public buildings and interiors, such as museums, a historic railway station, an airport terminal, and smaller ones, such as multifunctional cabins and residential projects. Currently, FALA is focused on searching for new links between architecture and other fields, such as sociology or biology. We devote our work to the relationship between architecture and nature, treating it as the future of society and our planet.

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

Architecture is a combination of material and non-material components, structures and emotions, sensations that it evokes, arts and crafts, and at the same time the everyday environment of every human being, which should be both ergonomic and convenient. Architecture design is not only about structuring buildings and solving technical problems, but also, and perhaps above all, about giving shape to our lives, creating a background and narrative for everyday events, and, at the same time, taking great responsibility to form emotions, impressions, and experiences.

The architect's role is to be extremely attentive to the world around him, deriving the maximum amount of information and knowledge about human and animal functioning in space, and using it for creation. We should be more attentive to nature.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

For us, taking part in architectural vision competition is a big chance for experimentation with space and structure, an opportunity to celebrate the design process and to face unusual topics. It develops us as professionals and motivates us to search for new ways of thinking about architecture.

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

Regardless of winning the competition, taking on new challenges is an important element of every architect's professional development. The effect of our competition design work is important and can be highly motivating, but the most significant thing is to celebrate the design process that leads us to the goal.