Q+A: Hello Wood on Nontraditional Models of Architectural Education

With 90+ categories and 300+ jurors, the Architizer A+Awards is the world’s definitive architectural awards program. In anticipation of the Awards Gala and Phaidon book launch on May 14, we are pleased to share the stories behind the winners of the 2015 Awards program — see all of them here.

Hello Wood won the 2015 A+Awards, Jury Choice, for the Architecture + Learning Category with Hello Wood International Architecture Camp. This art camp focuses on learning based on making, where students in architecture and design are teamed up to make wooden installations for the Sziget Festival in Budapest. The 2015 Project Village kicks off this weekend.

Your name: Péter Pozsár, András Huszár, and Dávid Ráday
Firm name: Hello Wood Ltd.
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Education: Architect/media designer

When did you decide that you wanted to be an architect?

Out of our three designers, Peter was the most determined — at the age of six, he says.

First architecture/design job:

For our company, the first job was the first Hello Wood Architectural Artcamp six years ago. The first real job was a dance music stage — the colosseum made of wooden pallets — at Sziget Festival.

Design hero and/or favorite building (and why):

Tadashi Kawamata, Alejandro Aravena, Shigeru Ban, Rural Studio, etc., all who are sensitive for social problems …

Tell us something that people might not know about your A+Award submission:

We recently announced Project Village as the theme of the 2015 Hello Wood workshop, in the beginning of this multi-year project, we ask professionals and students from around the world to bring their experience, their pre-conceived and revolutionary ideas of each part of the village and to negotiate these against time and material constraints and — most importantly — the common purpose.

Among your fellow A+Award winners, what is/are your favorite(s)?

The Courtyard House Plugin by People’s Architecture Office, Sifang Art Museum by Steven Holl Architects, Hy-Fi by the Living.

Who would be your dream client, and why?

We would like to be invited to MoMA PS1.

What do you find exciting about architecture and design right now?

How are alternative, “off” initiatives becoming stronger besides traditional models of architectural education.

See all of the 2015 A+Award Winners here and all of the Winner Q+A’s here — and order the book from Phaidon here.