Kinderspace / Edition #2 competition 1st Prize winners - Kenneth Anggara, Marco Kuo and Emma Aleah Garm-Straker

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 1st Prize winners of our Kinderspace / Edition #2 competition – Kenneth Anggara, Marco Kuo and Emma Aleah Garm-Straker from United Kingdom!

Emma Aleah Garm-Straker, Kenneth Anggara and Marco Kuo

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 currently intern architects who met during our Master of Architecture studies at the University of British Columbia. Since graduating in 2024, we have each pursued diverse professional and creative paths—working across Canada, the UK, and internationally—yet remain connected through a shared commitment to creating sustainable, transformative, yet playful architecture that responds to the complexities of the built environment.

Kenneth Anggara and Marco Kuo have collaborated on numerous projects across both academic and professional settings. Their collaboration is rooted in sustainable and equitable design, formal explorations that challenge the status quo, and research-informed approaches to practice. Kenneth brings over six years of experience working on primarily institutional projects across Canada, with a strong emphasis on data-informed design that aims to bridge architecture, technology, and social engagement. Marco, currently based in London, has contributed to arts and design practices in Canada, France and now the UK. His work focuses on spatial systems, formal exploration, and the integration of digital tools in design.

Emma Garm-Straker, based in Victoria, BC, is an intern architect with a multidisciplinary background in architecture, art, and research whose work explores how built environments evoke emotion and tell stories. She represented Canada at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale with AAHA and brings her multidisciplinary experience in exhibition design, public art, and cultural projects—grounding her work in narrative and environmental care.

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?

Individually, we have all worked on different projects. Each of us brings a unique perspective to the design table.

Kenneth has worked on a diverse range of projects that focuses on fostering well-being, education and community. He has worked on primarily large-scale projects including K-12 schools, First Nation projects, residential, and healthcare facilities across Canada.

Marco has a deep interest in heritage buildings, public spaces and artistic endeavours across North America and Europe. His work explores the intersection of architecture and art, using built form as a medium for formal and spatial expression. Together, they have pursued a wide range of competition projects from small to large scale, to challenge themselves and engage with architecture as a tool for experimentation and iterating.

Emma has worked in diverse projects ranging from small scale to large scale.  Her project interests span cultural institutions, public installations, and exhibition design, with a focus on storytelling and sensory experience.

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

Architecture is a powerful medium of expression that reflects and gives form to our collective aspirations. We all pursue architecture because of the same shared passion: to sculpt the built environment into something playful, beautiful, and deeply meaningful. In the face of today’s compex environmental, social, cultural and political landscape, we recognize that architects hold a significant power to shape the world. With that responsibility in mind, we believe in our roles as architects to create spaces that inspire and evoke joy, foster connection, and reimagine what our built environments can become.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We join architecture competitions as a way to reconnect through shared curiosity and challenges. Though we are geographically dispersed, competitions offer a space where our values rooted in sustainability, social responsibility, public engagement, and the intersection of the built and unbuilt can actively converge. They allow us to explore and test ideas outside of conventional practice, experiment with new tools and methods, and collaborate freely across disciplines. For us, idea competitions are about testing the edges of architecture—creating work that is speculative yet deeply rooted in the stories of place and people.

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

Our advice is simple: just do it. Participating in one has reminded us how valuable peer collaboration can be and how it has deepened our appreciation for the knowledge and creativity we share and build together. Competitions offer a space to experiment with ideas and projects you may not encounter in your everyday work—it's an opportunity worth taking.