In today's installment of the series of conversations with new presidents and presidents of the Association of Polish Architects about why it is worth becoming a member of SARP, Jakub Krzysztofik, president of the association 's Łódź branch, answers.
SARP Branch Łódź
Jakub Krzysztofik
president of the SARP branch in Lodz
© SARP Branch Łódź
A&B: What program of activities of the SARP branch do you envision for the near future? Are there any changes planned?
Jakub Krzysztofik: My program, which I presented at the election meeting, is called "Continuation and New Opening" and consists of ten points. Among the most important of these is the establishment of a Program Council, which includes both experienced and young, active representatives of our profession. The purpose of the Council is to develop a rapid position on the events happening in the cities of our region. Ultimately, the Council is to prepare a debate on urban issues before final decisions are made by the city authorities. In this way, we want to activate and consolidate our environment and encourage participation in urban affairs by architects, but also by all those interested in architecture. To have an impact on what happens to the space around us. Then it will be easier for us to reach local authorities with our elaborated statutory goals. In addition, we are very keen to attract to the Association young, valuable architects, but also experienced designers, already having professional achievements, who for some reason lost contact with SARP. The essence of the Association is also the integration of dispersed activities in the field of architecture.
A&B: How many members are there in the branch and how much are the dues?
Jakub Krzysztofik: There are 213 members in our branch. During the first weeks of the new term, we welcomed more than a dozen new people. We also hope to activate many of our passive members who are absorbed in their professional work and have lost contact with us. The fee for ordinary members is PLN 20, young members under 30 pay PLN 10. Senior citizens are exempt from the membership fee. As part of the fee, we offer a subscription to our magazine ARCH at an attractive price.
A&B: Why is it important to be a member of SARP?
Jakub Krzysztofik: I am a proponent of continuous professional self-development. In addition to gaining commissions, authorizations and competing in competitions, it is worth looking at our profession from another point of view: scientific, organizational or legislative. When we meet at meetings, conventions, tours and training sessions, we can compare our experiences from twenty-four branches from all over the country. We then see clearly that among us are - in addition to designing architects - lecturers, officials, social activists, but also landscape and interior architects. Such meetings are a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and get to the next level of one's career. You can understand what the preparation of competitions is all about, look at how the regulations governing our professional activities are created. To simply be together. We bring together architects from every generation so it's another opportunity for dialogue.
Being in the Association is a way to become a complete architect, that is, one who designs, has knowledge of architectural theory, but also a wealth of practical experience. Even if you don't have all these competencies at the same time, you can achieve this goal as part of a team, which is much easier to create within SARP. There also comes a moment in our professional life when we lack something, we encounter a barrier that we are unable to overcome on our own, and it stands in the way of our development. This can be at the beginning of a career, but even more often during it. That's when SARP comes to the rescue. One is not alone with problems. Who to turn to if not your fellow professionals? We can certainly help!
Being in the Association is not only a recipe for how to succeed in architecture, it is also a way how to be a better person, more aware and sensitive to the problems of other people. To be an architect and a complete man.
