Architecture Competition Yoga House On A Cliff Honorable mention – MVVSTUDIO

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our “Yoga House On A Cliff” competition – Monika Angelevska, Zoran Petrovski and Kostantin Trpenoski from Macedonia!

MVVSTUDIO from Macedonia

MVV is a collective of creative people who are working on wide range of projects in different scales, from product and stage design to housing and urban planning. The exchange of interdisciplinary knowledge enables us to expand our perception and to generate innovative and simple solutions for complex problems. MVV was founded in Skopje in 2015, and it contains from 5 to 12 creatives, depending on the ongoing projects.

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?

We are simultaneously working on commissions and competitions, constantly searching for a balance between space dramaturgy, aesthetics, atmosphere, and functionality. We have won several international competitions, among which, a 1st Prize for a pedestrian bridge design in Struga, Macedonia and a 1st Prize for the Lokalbahnhof Area Masterplan in Wels, Austria.

Jack, a concept for an autonomous garden robot, was part of the prestigious ViennaDesignWeek, and we received the Best Scenography Prize in 2019 in Macedonia for the theatre play “Macbeth”, directed by Nela Vitosevic. Currently, we are working on several housing projects in Vienna, Austria.

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

We aim to construe architecture as an interdisciplinary problem-solving field, through which our built environment is defined. A challenging and creative process which requires acute technical knowledge, a sharp sense of vision, and a crucial understanding of form, function, aesthetics, culture, and nature. As architects, we tend to perceive our social role as being the ones responsible for the design of our habitat and as such, we should be fully aware of the values of our built and natural heritage, as well as be able to evolve our architectural ideas and capabilities, based on our deepened understanding of human nature.

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

We think of architecture competitions as a genuine way for enhancing creativity and knowledge, a vast field of ideas derived from a thoroughly conducted research and analysis. By building our environment, we are perpetually taking portions of space – lastingly. So, a competition may personify an approach that congregates the utmost of all the ideas and creates a nearly objective vision of what a single given spatial fragment truly and rightfully deserves.

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

Architectural competitions undoubtedly are the ultimate testing ground for our creative competence and problem-solving skills. As vital as they are for the architectural field in general, they represent a form of intellectual playground for developing our innovative thinking. Beyond the individual benefits of personal and professional growth and work fulfilment, architectural competitions facilitate the most democratic system for designing our environment.