We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winners of one of our Honorable mentions for the “Urban Zoo Coworking Design Challenge” competition - Olga Kreft and Joanna Lenart from Poland!

Architecture competition Urban Zoo Coworking Design Challenge Honorable mention - Olga Kreft and Joanna Lenart

Olga Kreft and Joanna Lenart from Poland

We both recently graduated from Gdansk Academy of Fine Arts where we met during out Master’s in Interior Design. During our studies we were mostly focused on interiors and furniture design. However, we have different backgrounds: Joanna is an artist and designer from Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, where she did her Bachelor’s, while Olga did her first Master’s in Architecture in Gdansk University of Technology. We believe that our diverse backgrounds result in better results because we have a different perspective on our projects.

After university we both moved to different cities. Joanna just started her own business in Poland, while Olga travelled throughout Europe working for different companies and currently resides in the USA. One of the challenges of this competition was working remotely together from different time zones!

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 company/ individuals have been involved?

We enjoy changing the scale we work on from time to time. This way, we stay open minded and learn to approach design challenges in new ways. Nevertheless, whatever scale we work in we always pay attention to detail. When we work on a large scale, we always think about the human perspective of it and how the architecture affect interior design and every day users of our spaces. When we work on interiors, we tend to design our own furniture and light solutions. When we work on furniture, we pay attention to invisible parts and finishing effects that affect the weight, maintenance, durability and feel of the final product. Last but not least, we enjoy simple and smart solutions.

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

We believe that architecture affects people much more than they are aware of . It can make everyday life better or worse in significant ways and therefore architects and designers - whether they like it or not - are responsible for the product of their work and how it affects people. Architects working with clients should share their knowledge and make them understand design decisions in order to achieve the best possible solutions.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

There are many reasons. We both like to challenge ourselves and this time we could rethink space without the limitations that everyday work has. It is easier in some ways and harder in others. We could be creative without the limitations of a budget or very specific demands from clients and we could set a timeframe of work ourselves. We just did what we believed was right and proposed solutions we believed in.

Competitions are a useful vehicle to take our designs to new audiences and learn more from the feedback we get. Moreover, they are a great motivator. We do them for ourselves and this is an opportunity to test new ideas and learn new tools!

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

Just do it and see for yourself what you can get from it! Do what you believe is right, learn as much as you can and have fun in the process! 

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Enter Architecture Competitions

Curious about the value of architecture competitions? Discover the transformative power they can have on your career - from igniting creativity and turning designs into reality, to gaining international recognition.

Learn more