"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 installment, Piotr Zybura of the Wroclaw-based studio arch_it answers our questions.
Piotr Zybura is an architect (by profession) and graphic designer (by avocation). He studied at the Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław University of Technology. From 1997 to 2012 he worked at the Maćków Pracownia Projektowa office in Wroclaw, and since 2013 he has been running his own business - arch_it. Author and co-author of many awarded competition projects and realizations (including a nomination for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award).
1. architecture in three words...?
a. Function.
b. Form.
c. Fantasy ;)
2. the three most important buildings for you...?
a. Barcelona Pavilion, proj.: Mies van der Rohe.
b. Habitat 67, proj.: Moshe Safdie.
c. Svalbard Global Seed Vault, proj.: Peter W. Søderman.
3. most important book on architecture...?
A difficult choice. After much internal deliberation: "Thinking with architecture" by Peter Zumthor.
4. Most inspiring city and why...?
Copenhagen. Originally a 10th century Viking fishing village, it has become a socially progressive, culturally rich city and - relatively recently - a field of bold architectural experiments. With its open waterfront harbor center and modern neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city, extensive bicycle transportation, the human scale of its architecture and urban planning, and, finally, the idyllic legend of Christiania, Copenhagen combines tradition and experimentation, seeming at once tranquil and somewhat boring, but full of opportunities for adventure at the same time. It is at the forefront of design, with dozens of high-profile projects and modest realizations, as well as designers and activists who are exploring new avenues of development with, it seems, integrity, simplicity and honesty about craftsmanship.
5. architect you would like to design something with and why...?
Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron or Peter Zumthor.
6. hand drawing or computer drawing?
At the ideation stage, where it is a matter of quickly communicating an idea, a piece of paper and a marker, pen or pencil is indispensable. Hand-drawing is more intuitive and allows more creative freedom, while computer drawing is essential for detailing solutions.
7. mockup or 3D model?
Preferably both.
8. modernism or postmodernism?
The restraint of modernism.
9. After-hours work or sports?
Ha, ha, ha!
10. architecture or business?
Creativity.
If you have suggestions for questions you'd like us to ask, or people of architects whose answers to these questions you'd like to know - let us know in the comments.
