Architecture Competition Portugal Elderly Home Student Award winners – Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Student Award winners of our "Portugal Elderly Home" competition – Samuel Andrejcak, Jakub Ceresnik and Lukas Bim from Slovakia!

Student Award winners from Slovakia

We are a group of friends studying at Faculty of Architecture and Design STU in Bratislava. We know each other practically since the beginning of our studies and since the first time we have met we became friends as well as colleagues with identical perspective on architecture. We are currently in the last year of our studies and beside our studies we all work on projects of different scales and different assignments in active studios. We love being a part of different architectural competitions and enjoy the feedback we can get this way. It pushes us further a helps us to get better at what we do. We try to work as a team at every opportunity we get at our university, but also other projects. In the future, we would like to open our own studio after graduation.

At the end, we would like to personally thank our mentors that helped us develop as architects during our studies, prof. Marius Žitňanský and prof. Vladimír Šimkovič, for their valuable advices and time.

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?

We enjoy practically all scales of assignments and always try to find the right answer and solution. The connection between person and space or a building in a landscape are important to us. Most often we work on scales similar to this competition, but we have done interior design projects and on the other side we have done urban design projects as well. We have also been part of designing a number of exhibitions displays where we have realised how important the form of presentation of a particular idea is, which is generally true in our profession.

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

First and foremost, for us, it's about creating a quality space and environment for people. In architecture, we often enjoy a multidisciplinary approach to working on different briefs, finding interesting solutions for a given context. In our projects, it is important to us to address the smallest detail. Part of our passion for architecture is the process and the creation of the work itself, watching the evolution from first sketches to realisation.

For us the being an architect means helping people and society to exist in everyday life. A person's life is greatly influenced by surroundings, the creation of which architects should devote themselves to.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We appreciate the fact that competitions contribute to the creation of new and high-quality projects. For the client, this means having access to multiple answers for a specific brief, which enhances the quality of the final design by validating it through various solutions. Simultaneously, we embrace competition as it stimulates our interest in the perspectives of other architects and the diversity of ideas. It is highly positive that architectural competitions are gaining prominence these days and encompass a wide range of interesting briefs at different scales.

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

Do not be afraid! It is always worth investing time, energy and bringing new thoughts and ideas. Being part of such a competition brings valuable experiences that push us further.