Architecture Competition The Last Genocide Memorial Honorable mention - Nicholas Boyarsky, Chia-Hsuan Lung, Hsin-Wu Chen and Hao-Yang Huang

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "The Last Genocide Memorial" competition – Nicholas Boyarsky, Chia-Hsuan Lung, Hsin-Wu Chen and Hao-Yang Huang from the United Kingdom!

Team - Boyarsky Murphy Architects 

We are a London-based studio led by Nicholas Boyarsky and Nicola Murphy, established in 1995. Both Nicola and Nicholas studied at the AA School in London and they have taught architecture and design across the world. Nicholas is currently a Professor of Architecture at RMIT University and he also teaches at the University of Greenwich.

Brief information about the projects that you have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

Our built projects are primarily small–scale, residential and often engaged with historic fabric – such as Christ Church Tower, a former Christopher Wren Tower in London. We also work on larger scale urban design and landscape projects, and we have been researching and speculating on monuments and memorials for projects in London, Pamplona, Spain, Bosnia Herzegovina, South Korea, and elsewhere.

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

These are big questions that deserve lengthy answers! In short, architecture is a creative and intellectual practice to make the world and society a better place, to provide visions of future possibilities and alternatives to the banalities of the everyday built environment. To be an architect is to be constructively critical of society.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We participate to test and develop our architectural skills and imaginations.

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

Be aware of the pitfalls and illusions of the process and the uncertainties of success. There is often little or no feedback which is disheartening, considering the input required to complete a submission. However, if a competition interests you and you can see how you could learn from the challenges, do it!