Next week marks the start of the International Congress on Climate Regeneration of Cities in Lodz, and with it - the spring edition of the Festival of Open Architecture Studios. Today we introduce you to the next office we will visit as part of FOPY - ahead: Design Lab Group!
Broadcast of the meeting is available on our channels
After Monday's visit to the REFORM Architekt studio, we will direct our steps (on Thursday, June 9 at 13:00) to the interiors of a historic tenement house on Andrzeja Struga Street, which houses the headquarters of Karolina and Maciek Taczalski's office - Design Lab Group, founded in 2010.
This studio, which is strongly associated with Lodz, specializes in projects with which we associate the city today, taking an active part in the process of revitalization, conservation and restoration of monuments, both post-industrial and metropolitan tenements or villas and palaces of factory owners.
Reconstruction of the Museum of Independence Traditions
© Design Lab Group
The studio today is made up of forty experienced specialists. As early as June 9 we will ask them, among other things, how the office functions and how they select the next members of the team. In the meantime, we invite you to a short conversation with the founders of Design Lab Group about where the name of the studio came from, whether it is really the first house that is designed for the enemy and how they define the role of an architect:
Ola Kloc: Where did the name of the studio come from ?
Karolina and Maciek Taczalski: Initially, when we worked alone, the company was simply called Design Lab - we wanted the name to not just describe us as architects, but to reflect the way we work on projects. Later, as the company grew, we changed the name to Design Lab Group, because the entire team is responsible for the outcome of our work.
Ola: The studio is for us....
Karolina and Maciek: You could perversely say that it's a second home - only without children, because we met while we were still in college and already then we started projects together. Architecture is such a big part of our lives that it's hard to separate this time into the studio and time outside of it.
Certainly the studio as a place itself is important to us - we are located in a historic building, in the very center of the city where we live and work. This daily exposure to the historic fabric makes us realize that everything we design will serve people for many years to come. Additionally, we like this dialogue with history - modern designs are created in century-old interiors.
And most importantly, the studio is first and foremost the people who create it. We pay a lot of attention to the selection of team members, because we believe that if people broadcast on common waves, good projects come out of it, you can discuss, exchange experiences.
expansion of the Museum of Art in Lodz
© Design Lab Group
Ola: What was your first project about?
Karolina and Maciek: There is a saying that "You design the first house for your enemy, the second for a friend, and the third for yourself." We designed the first one for friends - we are still friends, so I guess it didn't turn out so bad.
Ola: The project we dream about is....
Karolina and Maciek: It's any such future project that will be positively verified by the users of the space we designed. It doesn't matter if it will be a single-family house or an art museum. We consider architecture to be applied art, and we see the role of an architect primarily as a reliable craftsman who selects the right blocks and puts them together. The art is to assemble these blocks in such a way that they fit into the place, time and expectations of the viewer.
Ola: Our favorite design tool is....
Karolina and Maciek: We won't be explorers here - a sheet of paper, a pencil and Sketchup. We believe that it is worth taking advantage of the opportunities offered by technology, and the combination of traditional methods with the ability to map the project in 3D allows you to design comprehensively and view the project from multiple perspectives.
Right: Golden Tower; left: Opal Apartments
© Design Lab Group
Ola: Does the team have any regular habits / rituals?
Karolina and Maciek: We put the dishwashers on twice a day because we drink a lot of coffee :). And seriously, we don't have fixed habits - on the contrary. We try not to let routine creep into the life of our studio, which is why almost no one has a fixed workplace, and members of each team rotate among themselves depending on the project. This allows for the exchange of experience, further learning and better integration, because with such a large team, some people meet only in the social room for coffee, or in the worst scenario on joint company outings, which we periodically organize.
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TheOpen Architecture Studio Festival is a side event of the Urban Regeneration Congress.
Partners of the event are:
Patronage:
SARP Krakow Branch
SARP Łódź Branch
