"10 Questions to..." is a series of short conversations with architects and female architects, to whom we address the same pool of questions. In today's episode, we asked Marek Łańcucki of the MAARTE studio in Gdańsk for answers.
Marek Łańcucki graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology, and in 1998, as a Fulbright Foundation scholar, he studied the design of high-rise buildings and the principles of urban revaluation in the United States. He held design internships at Murphy+Jahn studio in Chicago, and conducted a research program at DAAP University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati OH, The George Washington University in Washington DC and GSoD Harvard University in Boston, MA. He gained professional experience at Atelier2 Kucza-KuczynskiMiklaszewski, JEMS Architects and RMJM, among other offices. Since 2008, he has been running MAARTE architecture studio.
1 Architecture in three words...?
In three words? It's hard to simplify the complexity of the results of our work that way (laughs). How about...?
a. Man and his needs. Functionality and beauty.
b. Respect for context. Impact on the natural environment.
c. Responsibility.
2. The three most important buildings to you...?
To name a few, it's certainly the Pantheon in Rome, the Gothic cathedral in Reims, Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building or Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York. As for the buildings whose construction I was involved in? Let me try to list them...
a. In the first place the unrealized one, which is still being created in my mind (laughs).
b. The Seaside Manor estate in Gdansk, where I first managed to authoritatively develop the idea of a city-garden. Subsequent ones were Seaside Park and Botanica, also built in Gdansk, and Sowińskiego Park in Poznan.
c. Two incredibly complex high-rise buildings, the design of which I was involved in while working at London's RMJM. I am referring to Moscow's Evolution Tower and Lakhta Tower in St. Petersburg.
3 The most important book on architecture...?
The first that comes to mind is Vitruvius' "On Architecture of Books Ten". A classic in the full sense of the word and still relevant. Then there are the essays "The Fullness of Architecture" by Walter Gropius from when he was already living in the US and "Thinking Architecture" by Peter Zumthor. The two collections are separated by more than 60 years and different visions of shaping space. Finally, the excellent "Le Corbusier. The Tragedy of Modern Architecture" by Charles Jencks from the early 1970s. Fiction is, of course, "The Source" by Ayn Rand, which is a great read in the original.
4. most inspiring city and why...?
European capitals like Amsterdam and London are obvious choices. Intimate Sienna and Bruges. Chicago's inspiring downtown or New York's pulsating Manhattan. There are indeed many such places. The greater the social and cultural melting pot, the more you can draw on the excitement of a place. In Poland, such an unheard of city is certainly Wroclaw.
5. architect with whom you would like to design something and why...?
If I could go back in time to the beginning of the 20th century and if I were accepted to work with him, I would love to work with Frank Lloyd Wright's Chicago practice. I miss his holistic approach to every aspect of a building as a work of man for man. In contemporary terms, I would give myself a nod (laughs) for the opportunity to work with the Dutch UNStudio or the Danish BIG. I respect them for their unconventionality and innovation.
6. hand-drawing or computer drawing?
Drawing is a tool that serves different purposes. Both mentioned have their advantages and disadvantages, but in my case - definitely hand-drawing.
7. mockup or 3D model?
As with drawing, it is important what purposes a mock-up serves, and what purposes a digital model serves. For me, it is important to find the essence of the project, so definitely a mockup.
8 - Modernism or postmodernism?
This is a closed question, although choosing from the two, it is definitely modernism. It still remains fresh and revealing. Other than that, I really like Gothic and early Renaissance.
9. working after hours or sports?
There is no such thing as working after hours, after all, one is an architect all the time (laughs). However, I try to use the time given to me efficiently, so that I can devote it to my children, family and recreation.
10 - Architecture or business?
As a founder and owner of a studio, I would say that it is the business based on the teamwork of architects that matters most. However, in my daily activities and decisions, I am guided first and foremost by the good of architecture. Therefore - architecture.
If you have suggestions for questions you would like us to ask, or people of architects whose answers to these questions you would like to know - let us know in the comments.
