Architecture Competition Sansusī Forest Food Court 1st prize winners – Daniil Chechin, Maria Levitskaya, Mariia Samahala and Mykhailo Zhuk

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 1st prize winners of our "Sansusī Forest Food Court" competition – Daniil Chechin, Maria Levitskaya, Mariia Samahala and Mykhailo Zhuk from Austria!

1st prize winners from Austria

We are four close friends, up-and-coming architects, graduates of TU Wien, residing in Vienna, Austria. Mariia Levitskaya, Mariia Samahala and Mykhailo Zhuk are working on competitions in one of the prominent architecture offices in Vienna. Daniil Chechin is developing spatial concepts for an international exhibition design company. Maria Levitskaya and Daniil Chechin have founded Prostor Studio in 2023, working mainly with small-scale projects - from furniture objects to spatial design.

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?

Together we work in a wide spectrum of scales: from residential and educational architecture, spatial design and pavilions to furniture and tableware. We got 3 rd and 2nd  place in the 120 Hours competition 2020 and 2021 respectively.

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

Architecture for us is the physical reflection of social processes. The role of an architect is to solve spatial tasks by providing optimal solutions that consider specific site, social, historical, and economic contexts.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

For us architectural competitions are a way to test and exchange ideas and approaches, grow professionally as well as an opportunity to realise our own projects and get publicity.

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

Solving any kind of spatial tasks develops your skills and expands your knowledge. It is important to enjoy and learn from the process regardless of the results. We think the best way to decide if competitions would benefit you is to try it out and see.