Architecture competition "Iceland Northern Lights Rooms" Honourable mention - Tyler Mcbeth, Veronika Smetanina and Benjamin Dossett

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winners of one of our Honorable mentions for the “Iceland Northern Lights Rooms” competition - Tyler Mcbeth, Veronika Smetanina and Benjamin Dossett from Japan!

Tyler Mcbeth, Veronika Smetanina and Benjamin Dossett from Japan

We are three architecture students from America and Ukraine. Tyler McBeth and Veronika Smetanina are currently students at the University of Tokyo working on a Master’s in Architecture; they will graduate this summer. Benjamin Dossett will be attending the University of Texas at Arlington for a Master’s in Architecture in the fall of 2018. Both Tyler and Ben obtained a Bachelor’s in Architecture at Texas Tech University. Veronika obtained her bachelor’s degree at O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv.

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?

Tyler’s current Master’s thesis is about natural light in dense urban environments, and he is developing a design tool for analyzing light in three-dimensional volumes. With the dense city of Tokyo as a testing site, the research has been cataloging the spatial treatment of light in current and historical, culturally rooted architectural interfaces.

Veronika’s current Master’s thesis research titled “Rooftop Urbanism" focuses on the rooftop space usage in the dense urban environment (on the example of Tokyo), needs and issues in connection to the rooftop usage, perspectives of urban dwellers on the potential of rooftop usage. It seeks to unveil the underutilized potential of the rooftop spaces in big metropolises like Tokyo and propose new perspectives on the rooftop space usage. You can learn more about the project by visiting the project's instagram page.

Benjamin is currently working on independent research, primarily in sustainable building techniques and technologies and how to apply them to urban and residential living conditions.

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

Architecture is like a filter through which art, creation, assembly and experience all pass and meet at a common point. Striving to realize what it takes to become an artist of the fragments and chaos we coexist in: drawing it out on paper, listening to it, capturing it through images.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

The competition is a means to rid yourself of the constraints of every day design, and explore your own creativity dynamically. It is also an interesting way to learn about the world.

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

As long as you put yourself fully into the design, there is no foreseeable downside to doing a design competition. You only gain and grow, even if you don’t win.