Exhibition Logic of Space. Architect Robert Konieczny
Author exhibition of Robert Konieczny, contemporary Polish architect.
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| Atrium House, 2003–2006 |
Jurečkova 9, 702 00 Ostrava
The opening will take place on Thursday, December 3, 2009, at 5 PM in the House of Art. The exhibition will be opened by Jiří Jůza, director of GVUO, and Robert Konieczny will give the introductory speech.
The exhibition is organized by the Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava and SPOK – Association for Ostrava Culture.
Robert Konieczny was born in 1969 in Katowice. Konieczny is a member of the young generation of Polish architects. His studio has already achieved a number of successes. Notably, he received an honorary mention in the New Bauhaus competition in Weimar, a nomination for the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award for the realization of the family house Broken House, and the House of the Year 2006 award, which is annually awarded by World Architecture News for the realization of Aatrial House, or being listed among the 101 most interesting architects in the world for 2007 and also included on the list of forty European architects in the "Europe 40 Under 40" competition organized by the European Center for Architecture, Design, Art and Urban Planning in collaboration with the Museum of Architecture and Design Chicago Athenaeum.
10 questions for Robert Konieczny
If there was an option, would you choose the same profession in your next life?
I am not completely sure about that. It would also depend on where I was born. Professionally working as an architect in Poland is not easy, especially if we want to realize something interesting. Even an enthusiast as boundless as I consider myself can be discouraged by the eternal battle with officials, clients, and contractors. However, I think that in my next life, somewhere in Switzerland or the Netherlands, it could be quite pleasant.
How do you view your early works with the perspective of today?
The triangular house was the first realization I designed together with a former colleague. It was a good idea back then, and I am convinced that even today we would design it based on the same idea, but differently, because it is formally already outdated. However, its solution is timeless.
How many hours a day do you spend in the studio? Do you work on weekends?
I have been running my studio for almost 10 years. I worked intensively for a long time, even on weekends. It is not easy to evaluate that today, as I lived directly in the studio. Regardless of whether I was sitting at the drawing board or at the computer, I was always working. But today I try to do things differently, even though my friends are convinced that I still overdo it.
What equipment could you not imagine working without?
A sheet of paper, a pen, or a pencil are the most important for me, and of course computers, without which my firm could no longer exist.
Who is your favorite architect?
Dominique Perrault, the SANAA group (Kazuyo Sejima, Ryue Nishizawa), and I definitely cannot overlook Rem Koolhaas.
What building do you admire the most?
I am convinced that such a building does not exist and will never exist. It is also probably a more complex problem than choosing the most beautiful woman in the world.
Do you think your fees reflect the level and scope of your work?
Today, when we have received an award for House of the Year and already have other commendations, it is much better. Previously, it was quite traumatic; there were even times when there were insufficient means for a living. Now our studio has a reputation and a name.
Do you have any unfulfilled dream in terms of wanting to design a specific building or design an interior or some product?
There are many topics missing in my portfolio, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. It is important that my health serves me well, then my portfolio will certainly expand even more.
Is there a significant milestone or person in your career who has influenced you?
Without the support of my parents, I would never have become an architect. The second important person for me is Marlena, a former colleague. There are many people I have met while working, and they have influenced my work to varying degrees. I am convinced that in general, I have a lot of luck. My friend and very good architect Jerzy Duda says that I am someone who knows how to appear at the right time in the right place.
If a goldfish were to grant you three wishes, what would they be?
May my loved ones, including myself, be healthy and live as long as possible. Then everything will be fine and I can work in peace. Furthermore, may I have luck with interesting topics and be able to create interesting architecture. That is largely the meaning of my life. The third wish is that I never win the lottery, because then I would probably lose all motivation for further work. I would not do anything anymore.
The basic philosophy is the strength of the concept
The most significant moment in the design process, according to KWK Promes, is finding a well-defined concept. All spatial solutions, forms, and functions of the proposed object, materials, and also the number of details (reduced to a minimum) stem from a strong basic concept. The entire design process is subordinated to its clear conception.
"The most important thing about how to fulfill the idea of a strong concept is that we subconsciously do not reject the unknown and new ideas that we discover and that may lead to the application of new expressive means in our designs. This way, perhaps even intriguingly, we are able to abandon formal habits, established shapes, and approach something new. The most fascinating aspect of this approach is that at the beginning of the work on a project, we actually do not know what the design will ultimately look like," explains R. Konieczny.
That Konieczny’s words are entirely valid is confirmed by his studio's designs. Sometimes it is a simple cubic shape, typical for the Polish landscape; other times it is an organic form or even literally "amorphous" objects. The result always flows directly from a specific idea. The concept determines the structural principles of the whole and defines the characteristic and specific pattern of the specific task, which, filled with information, provides answers to all questions. Essentially, it can be stated that the correct formulation of the assignment helps to define the overall expression. From the first conceptual sketches to the final detail. Although this is evidently a theoretical ideal, it allows the studio to design architecture that is decidedly not tendentious. "Let’s stop aestheticizing architecture. It will cease to be formal and will simply be logical and understandable," proclaims Robert Konieczny.
The basic approach of the studio seems simple – almost like a color print. The most important moment in creation is the search for and finding of a concept, a way to grasp the architectural task. However, not everyone can grasp architecture in such an original and multilayered way as Robert Konieczny does. The concept is inseparable from the resulting architecture; it is its organic part.
A little something to conclude
The opening of the exhibition, which will take place on the eve of Konieczny's birthday, is both an honor and a birthday gift to the significant contemporary architect, who will celebrate his beautiful round fortieth birthday on December 4, 2009.
10 questions for Robert Konieczny
 |
| OUTrium House, 2005–2007 |
I am not completely sure about that. It would also depend on where I was born. Professionally working as an architect in Poland is not easy, especially if we want to realize something interesting. Even an enthusiast as boundless as I consider myself can be discouraged by the eternal battle with officials, clients, and contractors. However, I think that in my next life, somewhere in Switzerland or the Netherlands, it could be quite pleasant.
How do you view your early works with the perspective of today?
The triangular house was the first realization I designed together with a former colleague. It was a good idea back then, and I am convinced that even today we would design it based on the same idea, but differently, because it is formally already outdated. However, its solution is timeless.
How many hours a day do you spend in the studio? Do you work on weekends?
I have been running my studio for almost 10 years. I worked intensively for a long time, even on weekends. It is not easy to evaluate that today, as I lived directly in the studio. Regardless of whether I was sitting at the drawing board or at the computer, I was always working. But today I try to do things differently, even though my friends are convinced that I still overdo it.
What equipment could you not imagine working without?
A sheet of paper, a pen, or a pencil are the most important for me, and of course computers, without which my firm could no longer exist.
Who is your favorite architect?
Dominique Perrault, the SANAA group (Kazuyo Sejima, Ryue Nishizawa), and I definitely cannot overlook Rem Koolhaas.
What building do you admire the most?
I am convinced that such a building does not exist and will never exist. It is also probably a more complex problem than choosing the most beautiful woman in the world.
Do you think your fees reflect the level and scope of your work?
Today, when we have received an award for House of the Year and already have other commendations, it is much better. Previously, it was quite traumatic; there were even times when there were insufficient means for a living. Now our studio has a reputation and a name.
Do you have any unfulfilled dream in terms of wanting to design a specific building or design an interior or some product?
There are many topics missing in my portfolio, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. It is important that my health serves me well, then my portfolio will certainly expand even more.
Is there a significant milestone or person in your career who has influenced you?
Without the support of my parents, I would never have become an architect. The second important person for me is Marlena, a former colleague. There are many people I have met while working, and they have influenced my work to varying degrees. I am convinced that in general, I have a lot of luck. My friend and very good architect Jerzy Duda says that I am someone who knows how to appear at the right time in the right place.
If a goldfish were to grant you three wishes, what would they be?
May my loved ones, including myself, be healthy and live as long as possible. Then everything will be fine and I can work in peace. Furthermore, may I have luck with interesting topics and be able to create interesting architecture. That is largely the meaning of my life. The third wish is that I never win the lottery, because then I would probably lose all motivation for further work. I would not do anything anymore.
(translation from Polish by Tadeáš Goryczka)
The basic philosophy is the strength of the concept
 |
| House with a Cabin, 2001–2005 |
That Konieczny’s words are entirely valid is confirmed by his studio's designs. Sometimes it is a simple cubic shape, typical for the Polish landscape; other times it is an organic form or even literally "amorphous" objects. The result always flows directly from a specific idea. The concept determines the structural principles of the whole and defines the characteristic and specific pattern of the specific task, which, filled with information, provides answers to all questions. Essentially, it can be stated that the correct formulation of the assignment helps to define the overall expression. From the first conceptual sketches to the final detail. Although this is evidently a theoretical ideal, it allows the studio to design architecture that is decidedly not tendentious. "Let’s stop aestheticizing architecture. It will cease to be formal and will simply be logical and understandable," proclaims Robert Konieczny.
The basic approach of the studio seems simple – almost like a color print. The most important moment in creation is the search for and finding of a concept, a way to grasp the architectural task. However, not everyone can grasp architecture in such an original and multilayered way as Robert Konieczny does. The concept is inseparable from the resulting architecture; it is its organic part.
Tadeáš Goryczka
A little something to conclude
The opening of the exhibition, which will take place on the eve of Konieczny's birthday, is both an honor and a birthday gift to the significant contemporary architect, who will celebrate his beautiful round fortieth birthday on December 4, 2009.
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
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