Architecture Competition Legendary Bird Home / Edition 2 Honorable mention - Dianna Montzka, Kyle Elliott and Lily Cox-Skall

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Legendary Bird Home / Edition 2"competition – Dianna Montzka, Kyle Elliott and Lily Cox-Skall from United States!

Honorable mention from United States

Since 1947, Bassetti Architects has designed places where people learn, work, play, and connect. We believe that architecture is most successful when it reflects client goals and thoughtfully interacts with the surroundings. Our mission is to foster healthy communities through learning and design. The Bassetti staff is comprised of a talented team of architects, interior designers, graphic designers, planners, and office support. Our firm approach is to share our creative synergy and to join with clients and the community in a truly inclusive process with a commitment to excellence.

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?

Our offices in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon work primarily on academic, civic, cultural, and historic projects for public and non-profit clients.

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

To our team, architecture positively impacts communities by improving the environment people inhabit and therefore, improving their everyday lives. We are committed to incorporating equity and sustainability in every design. We believe that good architecture responds to community needs and local natural surroundings. Every architectural team has the responsibility to be good stewards of the land and of the urban environment we inherited; a responsibility to acknowledge what came before us and what will come after us.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We believe that participating in design competitions is essential to building community. The creative process that takes form in a competition is unique and refreshing. It allows us to stretch various design muscles, engage in new design ideas, and innovate in areas outside of our usual practice.

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

The beauty of architecture competitions lies in teamwork. We believe it is beneficial to be able to learn from others, expand your view to different mindsets, and gather innovative solutions from all submissions. We took this competition as an opportunity to do an in-house competition within our firm and had a lot of fun seeing what our coworkers came up with. Overall, it pushed our creativity and allowed us to build relationships within the firm.