Architecture Competition Tokyo Urban Meditation Cabins Honorable mention winners - Rubric Architecture Inc and Yanja Tumurbaatar

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Tokyo Urban Meditation Cabins" competition – Rubric Architecture Inc and Yanja Tumurbaatar from Canada!

Honorable mention from Canada

Mube's design is a collaboration between Rubric Architecture Inc. and Canadian-Mongolian designer, Yanja Tumurbaatar. Rubric Architecture is a boutique start-up firm based in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded in 2022 by Ryan Turner, who is the sole operator of the company.

Yanja has developed a wide ranging perspective and sensibility that draws upon art, culture, and innovation. She arrived in Canada thirteen years ago to further pursue her education and graduated with degrees in architecture and interior 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?

Our team is preferentially attracted to conceptual design and theoretical architecture. We invite any project that has the potential to challenge the status quo - regardless of the scale or program. We are inspired by architecture that acknowledges, reflects and bridges the connection between people and their environment. Thus, we aspire to design projects that speak to ephemeral qualities, evoke emotions and foster delight in human experience.

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

Architecture is a physical manifestation of the interaction between the environment and human experience. We believe an architect’s role is to design spaces that consider, respect, and creatively respond to human behavior while also celebrating the uniqueness of geography, culture, and social context.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We participate in architecture competitions because they are an exciting opportunity to learn and experiment with novel ideas. We also enjoy how architecture’s creative design process necessitates research in order to familiarize oneself with different environments and cultures. This competition allowed our group to focus creative energy into an appropriate expression that required the exploration of a new space, in an unfamiliar and challenging setting.

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

Our group views architecture competitions as platforms to share ideas with the world. For those considering the benefits of entering a competition, we would encourage participating for the valuable lessons that one may gain from studying other cultures and exchanging ideas. Architecture competitions are both fun and challenging opportunities to exercise design skills while also engaging with exciting prompts from around the world that can resonate with and enrich one’s own values.