The Architect’s Chair / Edition #4 competition Honorable mention winners - Olivia G Smith and Nia D Douglas Kirksey

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce the Honorable Mention winners of The Architect’s Chair / Edition #4 competition – Olivia G Smith and Nia D Douglas Kirksey from United States!

Olivia G Smith and Nia D Douglas Kirksey

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 both students at the Georgia Institute of Technology. We both hold pre-professional degrees in architectural studies. Olivia Smith received her degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and Nia Douglas-Kirksey received her degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. We both had a love for woodworking and worked on small woodworking projects during this time. Our paths converged about a year and a half ago when we both decided to pursue a professional degree in architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With our different backgrounds but our shared love of woodworking, we decided to join this competition and create Dueña, our transformable chair.

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?

During our undergraduate architectural studies, Olivia worked on larger woodworking projects such as wooden pavilions, while Nia worked on smaller-scale projects such as stools and birdhouses. With our architectural backgrounds, both of us have also worked on small wooden architectural models.

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

Architecture is a field devoted to earnest problem-solving for the greater good of society. To us, an architect is a "jack of all trades," carefully balancing the knowledge of many fields and curating it into a comprehensive and cohesive narrative that addresses societal and contextual needs. We sought to embody this spirit in our chair design: a multifunctional piece that serves as a chair, a table, and a shelf—a true "jack of all trades."

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

This is our first time participating in an architectural competition. We wanted to further hone our design skills by learning something different outside of the classroom. We specifically chose to participate in this competition because we wanted to challenge ourselves to think and design at the intimate scale of a chair. We believe that architects who design most sensitively for the human scale are often those who, at some point in their careers, have also designed chairs.

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

Go for it! Architecture competitions are a great way to gain confidence in your design skills and delve into something you are passionate about. It’s a great chance to exercise creative freedom.