Peja Culture Pavilion competition Honorable mention winners - Florent Bajrami and Chiara Marchi

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Honorable mention winners of our "Peja Culture Pavilion" competition – Florent Bajrami and Chiara Marchi from Italy!

Florent Bajrami and Chiara Marchi 

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We are two young architects currently based in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. After concluding our educational paths with a Master Degree in Architecture and Urban Design at Politecnico di Milano, we started our architecture careers. Chiara completed a post-graduate internship in a Berlin landscape design studio, working mainly in international competitions. At the moment, she is working in Trento in an architecture and landscape office enganging with mostly public projects. Florent, on the other hand, after working in Kosovo with several architecture firms, started collaborating with an Alto Adige/Südtirol office, working principally in hospitality and commercial projects.

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?

In the early stages of her career, Chiara has been specializing in landscape design for public parks, educational open spaces, and residential block courtyards among other typologies. Her focus lies on creating functional, sustainable environments that are deeply context driven. Florent has until now mainly worked in architectural and interior scales, in projects of varying types, such as hospitality, residential, commercial and public projects. He is interested in architecture that shapes local identities while being attentive of the political and environmental factors that shape the projects.

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

As young architects we have a deep passion for producing works that are shaped by a careful consideration of contexts and local identities, through research on materiality, scale, proportions and flexibility as the main conditions for sustainable projects. Our architectural approach focuses on developing well-designed spaces that are inclusive and affordable, catering to all social groups, regardless of budget constraints.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We view architecture competitions as valuable platforms for exploring diverse topics and addressing complex questions. They offer an excellent opportunity to experiment with new ideas and refine our design approach. By participating, we can challenge our creative solutions against those of other participants, gaining new perspectives and insights. This process not only pushes the boundaries of our design thinking but also broadens our vision, ensuring we remain open to innovation and continually evolve in our practice.

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

Architecture competitions provide an opportunity to expand design approaches by tackling diverse briefs, contexts, and scales, while creating more visibility and opening up possibilities of new projects and networks.