STYLE INTERVIEW

STYLE

for the functional aspects, construction

and budgeting. This means that although

we absolutely do approach all opinions

with respect, we have to also do so while

considering the context of the limitations

we had to operate under, many of which

are not immediately obvious. Recently,

I was honored when the eloquent Steven

Holl, who is also the author of the Ostrava

concert hall, published our project in

the May issue of the DOMUS magazine,

Logic of Space exhibition in the Ostrava

Gallery of Fine Art. The exhibition

was created at the initiative of and in

collaboration with the Architecture

Cabinet. Soon, more specifically on

the 14th of August this year, the illustrated

monograph “Robert Konieczny KWK

Promes, Building + Ideas” will be

published globally, and at the last possible

moment we managed to add our recent

Ostrava project into this list of projects

this is necessary and beneficial. I hope

that in conjunction with the local town

hall, investors and conservationists, we

will be able to turn this “forgotten” part

of the city into a lively hub that respects

the human scale as well as the building’s

historical legacy. Our cooperation has

been stellar thus far.

Working in architecture is a tough job,

and so it is important to have a good

outlet. For me, this outlet is skiing in

along with a short interview with me.

I admired Mr. Holl even back when I was

studying to become an architect and so

I was overjoyed at his interest.

featured in the monograph. Furthermore,

we will be presenting this project at the

18th Architectural Biennial in Venice. I

believe that this will be Ostrava’s first

project to be featured at this prestigious

architectural exhibition.

the winter and cycling in the summer.

I have recently also begun cycling to work

instead of taking the car, which has more

directly exposed me to the strengths,

but mainly, the weaknesses of the traffic

solutions in Katowice. This has led me

to incite the wider public to join in on

the discussion of this issue. We seem to

be having an impact, so I believe that this

was a success. In the coming days, I will

even be meeting up with the city’s mayor

to discuss problem areas so that we can

improve them as soon as possible. Your

role is never too small for you not to

play it, which is how an architect can be

involved in changing if not the world, then

the immediate surrounding, for the better.

I am glad that my efforts are well received,

as I believe that ensuring the safety and

comfort of people in public space, cities

or buildings is perhaps the most important

part of our job.

What main values and principles do you

follow in your work? What methods do

you use to bring innovation, sustainability

and beauty into the world of architecture?

From the very beginning, we have always

followed the simple motto of “the logic of

space.” This means that a space needs to

be intelligible not only operationally and

dispositionally, but also in other aspects,

which may include light and acoustic

parameters, material choice, texture,

and other architectural or compositional

concerns. The world around us is

changing very quickly, and so what we

were taught in school is not entirely

applicable anymore, and new challenges

require innovation. There is no other way

nowadays, it is the natural process of

searching for the optimal solution given

the time and finances at hand, as laid out

by the investors. We presented the ways

in which we tackled finding this solution

to the general public back in 2009 at our

“

I was honored when

the eloquent Steven Holl,

who is also the author

of the Ostrava concert hall,

published our project in

the May issue of the DOMUS

magazine, along with a short

interview with me.

”

What are you currently working on, and

which one of these projects has been

taking the most of your time recently?

One project that we are currently

working on is the reconstruction of

the Fluss textile factory in Příbor, turning

it into housing space. Not only do we

enjoy revitalizing old abandoned places,

but also, in the context of current global

circumstances and challenges, doing

Mr. Konieczny, thank you for the interview.

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