Kinderspace #1 competition 2nd Prize winners - Jona Paul Hermann Schulte and Karim Elghor

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 2nd prize winners of our "Kinderspace #1" competition – Jona Paul Hermann Schulte and Karim Elghor from Germany!

Jona Paul Hermann Schulte and Karim Elghor

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, Karim Elghor and Jona Schulte, are architectural designers at the beginning of our practice. We work in separate offices in different fields. Going back to our first years of university, we often shared a creative process and common design goals. Karim Elghor finished his B.Sc in Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Stuttgart and continued with his Masters Degree at the University of Darmstadt. Jona Schulte finished his B.Sc and Masters Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Stuttgart. We gained our first experiences in the design practice, both as part of firms and individually.

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?

In our academic career we have designed projects from the urban scale down the construction detail. We focus on the materiality and physicality of architecture, using the context as design tool and inspiration. Projects we were part in range from buildings for academical and health care purposes to small additions and transformations of individual homes.

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

Architecture is the built up fabric of a society. Thereby, the role of the architect is to respond to the needs and demands of society. In creating designs we should be advocates of the people and aspects of life not usually represented at the table. In a resource-heavy industry that creates structures that (should) last for centuries, we should take care that the decisions, which resources are expended, are not taken too lightly.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Participating in architecture competitions is a creative outlet without the restrictions typically found in our daily work. While fulfilling and challenging in the best way, architectural practice is often constrained by monetary, legal, and conceptual boundaries. Designing for competitions like these allows us to freely express our ideas and ideals. In a way, it fulfills our dream of contributing to the global discourse—and painting pretty pictures.

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

It completely depends on how one defines beneficial. By seeing the process as the goal of the experience and using competitions to refine your skills, participating is purely beneficial and can only be recommended. As designers not too distant from our academic life it continues the experience of studio design. Thinking and designing freely and idealistically.