Architecture Competition SKYHIVE 2020 Skyscraper Challenge 3rd prize winner - Guerriero Carlo Alberto

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 3rd prize winner of our “SKYHIVE 2020 Skyscraper Challenge” competition - Guerriero Carlo Alberto from Italy!

Guerriero Carlo Alberto from Italy

I graduated in Architecture (Architectural and Urban design) from the University of Rome "La Sapienza".

After graduation, for personal reasons, I embarked on a work path that moved me away from architecture, and I never had the opportunity to have concrete experiences in architecture studies. Despite this, I continued to study and keep myself up-to-date, and a couple of years ago I began to participate in architectural vision competitions with increasing interest and enthusiasm, taking advantage of my free time. So, my works are all theoretical.

Brief information on the projects you / your company have been involved with. For example on which scale did you focus / preferred, any significant project in which company / Were people involved?

The tendency to use architecture to create advantageous conditions for both society and nature pushes me to participate in competitions involving large buildings, precisely skyscrapers, or small portions of a city. In these areas, in fact, it is possible to use significant works to resolve important issues where attention to the environment is indispensable for a project that favours the entire community.

I got an honourable mention in the Non Architecture Competition's "DYING" contest, and I was an Editor's Choice in the eVolo 2019 Skyscraper Competition.

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

Architecture, for me, is one of the most important tools with which a person can contribute to the improvement of a society.

Since the dawn of civilization, architecture has represented the will of human beings to find their own space on this planet, and is an unequivocal sign of how a society fits into the environment in which it lives and how it shapes it based to needs.

The architect, on the other hand, is the one who can reverse the trend where "society shapes the city", creating the conditions for an improved society through its architecture. The architect has the ability to solve problems of more or less large areas of a city and to give positive inputs to the users of its buildings.

For these reasons, an architect has a duty to always be projected to the future, he must be able to read in advance the changes of the society in which he lives and know every aspect of it.

Architecture is therefore a concrete opportunity to show society new ways of thinking and living, new ways of approaching the environment, nature, other people, technology etc.

Guerriero Carlo Alberto from Italy

Why do you participate in architectural vision competitions?

The reasons are many, some more intimate and personal, others more rational and reasoned. More intimately, I participate in architectural vision competitions to give free rein to my creative trend and my ideas.

Another reason is that my ideas almost always derive from the strong desire to improve, modify or totally cancel architectural and urban situations that I consider obsolete, useless or harmful. I therefore feel the need to address some topics, even if only theoretically.

The architectural vision competitions not only allow you to expose your ideas to a qualified jury, but offer an important opportunity for architectural research, comparison and exchange of ideas. In these contexts, one can therefore (even if only virtually) shape an idea, observe it carefully, criticize it and compare it with other ideas and solutions by looking for points in common or disagreement with other competitors.

In the end, this is, for me, one of the most effective ways of evolving my architectural skills, and becoming increasingly competitive in future ideas competitions.

What advice would you give to people struggling to decide whether it would be useful for them to participate in architectural vision competitions?

Participating in architectural vision competitions, as well as pushing competitors to overcome their limits, help to understand, based on your placement, if you are following the right track.

The architectural vision competitions do not end with the delivery of their work, but continue with the careful observation of the projects of the other participants.

There is always something to improve in your projects and in their representation. But for a truly productive confrontation and to be fully aware of your abilities, you need to expose yourself without fear.