Architecture competition "Iceland Northern Lights Rooms" Honourable mention - Giovanni Simioni, Maximilian Rietschel, Lewis Williams and Damiano Toffanin

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 - Giovanni Simioni, Maximilian Rietschel, Lewis Williams and Damiano Toffanin from Denmark!

We are four students from different universities in Venice, Padova, Newcastle and Zurich, who became friends while working together in Copenhagen. From the beginning, we focused on the interdisciplinary dialogue which allowed us to create a feasible yet aesthetically pleasing proposal.

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 each come from different universities and have experience working within various architecture and engineering offices in Europe. This has allowed us to combine our various different viewpoints and areas of interest on the subject of architecture and design into a well-rounded and coherent approach.

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

In our opinion there is no such thing as ’your’ society, it is ‘our’ society. The architect bears a great responsibility for shaping the human environment in which our society exists, enabling it to thrive. That is also the reason why we created our concept around the community aspect of living. 

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

An architecture vision competition allows us to develop our ideas outside of the framework that reality usually places around a project. Of course we are also driven by the opportunity to realize our ideas, but a competition provides freedom, both in research, design development, detailing and presentation techniques.

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

Entering vision competitions is a highly rewarding and worthwhile experience. It allows the freedom to push yourself and explore new areas without the pressures of an office or university environment. It is often a fast-paced process, which teaches you to think and act quickly among a team of like-minded people, and it provides a blank canvas to delve into areas that are of interest. It is also a chance to showcase a full range of skills and develop a portfolio of work that is both creative and varied.