Architecture competition "London Affordable Housing Challenge" 3rd prize winners - Medina Dzonlic and Daniel Andersson

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winners of the 3rd prize of our “London Affordable Housing Challenge” competition - Medina Dzonlic and Daniel Andersson from Denmark!

Medina Dzonlic and Daniel Andersson from Denmark

Studiolovenest is an art and architecture studio established in 2018 by Daniel Andersson and Medina Dzonlic based in Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Our work confronts ideas and/or spatial motifs through concrete and poetic approach to architecture. Working with different medias, materials and representations to investigate the tension between generic and subjective, defined and undefined, imaginary and concrete.

Daniel Andersson holds a Master’s degree of Fine Arts in Architecture from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

Medina Dzonlic holds a Master’s degree of Fine Arts in Architecture from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

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?

Studiolovenest is currently working on a summerhouse in the outer Stockholm archipelago for a private client.

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

For us the role of the architect is to navigate parallel structures between poetic, academic and built work, redefining historical and present narratives into architectural gestures. To create a matrix of common elements and situations, a field of connections and relationships, functions and spaces, materials and tectonics. We believe that architecture is a struggle that constantly needs to question how we organize and transcend our own culture into the built environment.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

Social housing as a typology is a complex work of architecture intended to be inhabited by a diverse population. The answers given to this typology are unfortunately based on simplified assumptions, repeated standards and uninspired architecture. Our interest in this competition was to create a vision beyond today’s monotonous development, which this competition allowed for.

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

The work coming out from these types of visionary competitions is important, as it’s an interesting forum for challenging existing conditions and norms.