Architecture Competition Milan Navigli Canal Challenge Honorable mention – SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Milan Navigli Canal Challenge" competition – Michal Galuszka and Agata Golesna from Poland!

Honorable mention from Poland

We are both architecture students at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. We started our studies in 2018. Together we have participated in many urban planning and architectural competitions in which we were awarded. During our third year of study, we both did our student internships abroad as part of the Erasmus + project.

Michał did his internship in Odense, Denmark at Graa Arkitekter, where he had the opportunity to work in a team of experienced Scandinavian architects. There he worked on social architecture projects and also did urban planning projects.

Agata completed his internship in Vienna, Austria at Querkraft Architekten. During her internship, under the eye of Austrian architects, she worked on conceptual and competition projects, both architectural and urban planning.

Michał's first degree graduation project was on the topic of model social housing, and Agata on the concept of a master plan for part of the city of Gliwice. We are currently continuing our master's studies at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.

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

For us as young architects standing at the threshold of a career in architecture, architecture is a response to the needs of a changing world and to the problems of society. With each project, we try to think about the users of the designed premises, but also about the impact on the environment and aesthetic issues. Bearing in mind climate change and the problems we face as a society in our projects we focus on ecological solutions. Also of great importance is universal design, which is shown in our projects by the emphasis on use by all social groups, from children to people with disabilities to the elderly. In conclusion, architecture surrounds us every day and we as architects must take care of its well-being for the whole society.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Architectural competitions are always a chance to create new and amazing concepts. The design problems presented in competitions teach us something new every time and open our minds to all sorts of problems that we try to solve. As a result, the experience gained from competition projects is always helpful for student projects or future professional work. In addition, each competition project done is a huge opportunity for further development and discovery of architecture.

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

Participation in architectural competitions is a wonderful process that builds personality and character as an architect, but most importantly as a strong person. It is also working on the ability to work in a group which is very useful in the architectural profession. Participation in competitions is also a huge lesson in working under time pressure. Each completed competition project enriches you with knowledge and allows you to acquire new skills. We recommend everyone, especially young architects, to participate in such competitions.