In an interview with Buildner, LVA Architects pledged their commitment to enhancing the living conditions of the local community.
What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?
For us, architecture is not only about designing a space, but also about addressing social issues. Architecture needs to be driven by social causes and create designs that not only shape spaces, but also transform the lives of people. Therefore, architects have an important role and social responsibility to make a positive impact on people’s wellbeing, the wider society, and the environment.
Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?
We are interested in creating designs that are driven by social causes, context-related, environmentally sustainable and have positive influences on people’s lives.
The Sydney Affordable Housing Design Competition appealed to us since Sydney’s on-going housing crisis and mortgage stress have been the city’s most pressing issues and pushed house affordability out of the reach of young people and low-income family. Solving housing affordability requires the collaborative effort of many stakeholders from policy makers, developers, architects and consultants. However, from an architect’s perspective, we believe housing affordability can be achieved with good planning, “smart” architecture that saves energy and water, innovative construction method that can lower cost, and urban farming for food production. The design entry aims to contribute ideas that could bring desirable living within reach of the majority of the population and lift the burden of housing affordability for young people and low-income families.
What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture vision competitions?
If you are an architect longing to make positive changes to our built environment, participating in design competitions is one way to make your voice heard. Competitions give you freedom to push the boundaries of design without too many constraints. Competitions also give you exposure to professional networks and potential collaborations.
Full interview https://architecturecompetitions.com/sahc-g-win-interview/
