Pandemic Architecture Competition attempts to open up a dialogue and create a think tank, looking for ideas from the architectural and design community about the future of the living, the workspace, the public space and the tourism industry.
Why do you support this competition?
Architecture competition briefs normally assume scenarios whereby there is a certain amount of time between the idea, its maturation and its potential realisation.
The pandemic crisis scenario we are currently in, drastically shrinks the timeframe architects and designers normally operate in and presents the challenge of re-thinking one’s contribution to protect the public health and support our communities.
Why do you believe this is the correct timing for a such competition to take place?What are you experiencing in your country due to covid-19?
Cedric Price’s quote that ‘architecture is too slow in its realisation to be a problem solver’ in the context of a pandemic crisis scenario we are currently in, calls for thinking that goes above and beyond boundaries between creative and scientific disciplines and the way we work together towards battling the crisis and alleviating those who suffer.
In the UK and in particular in London where I live and work, people are adapting to the new reality of the lockdown, which relies so far more on the individual responsibility and less on its enforcement by the authorities.
Having to close ourselves in our houses normally sounds like a passive way to react to a crisis especially when thinking as designers, but this time staying home can have such a great impact on the public health and the vital functions of our communities.
What are you expecting from the participants?
Participants are encouraged to form interdisciplinary teams and re-think the way they socialize, work together and support each other in these extraordinary circumstances as part of living and as part of the public amenities, the function of which is being adapted to protect the public health.
Participants are also encouraged to present their ideas using any method they think conveys their message the best, from videos to hand drawn storyboards, and from collages and renderings to physical model photography. It is about being clear and impactful.
What is your opinion regarding the pandemic reality we are experiencing?
Having to close ourselves in our houses normally sounds like a passive way to react to a crisis especially when thinking as designers, but this time staying home can have such a great impact on the public health and the vital functions of our communities.
Is there anything you would like to point out regarding the criteria of the competition?
Participants are strongly encouraged to put emphasis on originality and clarity of the proposed ideas.
About Kyriakos Chatziparaskevas
Kyriakos Chatziparaskevas works at Heatherwick Studio since 2014. His current work at the studio involves carrying through the construction of Google’s innovative new HQ in California.
Kyriakos’ work has earned him international experience from concept to completion in a wide variety of prestigious projects that include objects, art installations, buildings, public spaces and urban infrastructure. He has worked with corporate clients, as well as with various cities and institutions. His keen interest in polymathy, encompassing design at the intersection of art, architecture, engineering and science, contributes to his experience in practising across different disciplines and implementing it on a variety of Research and Development projects.Alongside practicing architecture, Kyriakos has lectured and presented his work at various universities, institutions and events.
Kyriakos holds a Diploma in Architecture and Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and a MA in Advanced Architectural Design from the Staedelschule in Frankfurt, Germany.
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Pandemic Architecture is an International Ideas Competition curated by the Design Ambassador for ARCHISEARCH.gr
Extraordinary times” require extraordinary design.
What Can Architecture Do for our Health?
As the world faces new globalized health threats, there is a need to design the home/ the city of tomorrow, living in times whereas pandemics and viruses will be part of our everyday life.
By designing for the needs of a pandemic reality, architects act as guarantors and guardians of the Public Health of a community.
Virus outbreaks have their impact on urban space as well as on the living of millions of people.
When millions of people are isolated and working from home, what features should a home have?
When people can’t travel, what is the role of the hotels?
When crowds are not allowed at public spaces, how cities and public spaces change?
In terms of health centres and interior design, what are the hygienic architectural details of the pandemic reality?
Find more here!
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