Architecture Competition Painters' Lake House 1st prize winners – Shilan Yu, Moye Guo and Guisong Zhang

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 1st prize winner of our "Painters' Lake House" competition – Shilan Yu, Moye Guo and Guisong Zhang from Germany!

1st prize winners from Germany

The three of us are currently working in Germany. Shilan graduated from the Technical University of Munich, Moye from the Technical University of Darmstadt and Guisong from the TU Braunschweig. We are working for the same company. Shilan and Moye also have a small studio and usually participate in some young architects competitions in our free 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?

In our work, we are involved in a wide range of projects, such as large commercial office buildings, cultural buildings and large public buildings. In addition to our work, we also focus on small-scale architecture to better study the relationship between architecture and the city, the relationship between architecture and nature.

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

Architecture is a complex synthesis of many disciplines, and a container for most art forms and human activities. Although architecture needs to be designed to match different functions and environmental conditions as well as local cultural traditions, it is not as free as pure art due to the constraints of these external conditions or needs, but for architects, besides designing a beautiful building, it is also an art form to make the building to best match its functional needs, to better fit the site and to better integrate local cultural traditions into the building itself. It is also a form of art to better integrate the local culture and traditions into the building itself.

We also believe that architectural design is not a showpiece, nor should it be a "sculpture" made on the whim of an architect. Architects should also be responsible for the work they design, taking into account as much as possible the users of the building, so that the building can be more effectively connected to society.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

After years of architectural study and subsequent work, the understanding and views of architectural design have gradually accumulated or changed. As a profession between rationality and art, there are many aspects in the design process that can restrict architects from expressing their ideas and showing their unique style. Through architectural competitions, we can better, and to some extent more freely, show our creativity. Even many buildings that are difficult to realize in real life can be boldly attempted in architectural competitions, which also promotes the development of the architectural industry to a certain extent and provides more possibilities for architectural design.

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

We strongly recommend college students or other young architects to participate more in architectural competitions. Architectural competitions provide a great opportunity for young architects to show their understanding and ideas about architecture. At the same time, architectural design requires more interaction with other people and learning how to work with them. By participating in architectural competitions, you can better open your eyes and gain a lot in the process.