Daniil Solomou
Architecture carries a profound ethical responsibility, given its role in shaping how people live, interact, and experience the world. I believe it should be approached with honesty, both tectonically and in its response to the needs of communities. The expression of structure, volume, and space should be meaningful, with what inhabits those spaces contributing to a wider cultural offering.
Architecture is not simply the production of objects, but a careful orchestration of materials, people, places, histories, and circumstances. Collectively these elements influence how spaces are experienced in any given moment, and must be considered with care and intention.
I believe buildings should be designed to adapt and evolve over time, allowing them to remain relevant as social, environmental, and functional needs change. Such a long term thinking can ensure architecture does not become obsolete but can continue to serve its users.
It is also crucial to engage with both past and future contexts when designing. By understanding historical narratives alongside future demands, architecture can create a more holistic response that fosters a sense of belonging and continuity.
In my practice, I aim to create architecture that is honest, adaptable, and culturally grounded, contributing positively to both present and future communities. Thinking of every detail that goes into a building, from the expression of the structure, finishes, and door handles, to curate the correct experience and assist the users.
KUNSTHÅNDVÆRK
Kunsthåndværk : art hand worker
Synonims : Craftworker, Artisan, Maker, Designer, Handcraft Artist, Fabricator, Porduct designer, Industrial designer, Tradespeople
Synopsis
The thesis explores the idea of how a space with a series of workshops inspires and improves the products of the daily objects we use in life. It delves into product design and craft, as the world is in a vast consumerist environment where objects are just regarded as visual objects, rather than objects with a thought, a craft and a purpose behind them,
‘ Product design has come to resemble a form of plastic surgery, something like a Botox injection to the forehead, suppressing frown lines to create a brief illusion of beauty’
Deyan Sudjic, The Language of Things.
As craft is a vast spectrum with various disciplines within it, there is a lack of spaces (outside education institutions) where different disciplined practitioners can create, collaborate and innovate. Such spaces that can individually inspire each discipline and create a collective atmosphere, also bring craft to the 21st century, with the assistance of technology.
To achieve such a space, there must be a level of flexibility,
– as to allow for future technologies and machinery to be accommodated
– allow practitioners to work from the smallest-scale objects to huge
The thesis explores the manmade island of Dokøen, previously a part of a naval base complex in the heart of Copenhagen, overlooking the Historic city and the Design Museum across the water, and the Design Academy right at its footsteps.
The site was not chosen due to its historical past, but due to its new function of hosting creatives, creating a new creative district in Copenhagen. This dynamic and tension across the water, of Denmark’s history of design (Design Museum) and the future of Danish design (Design Academy), fosters the right environment to look at the past of design, but without getting caught up in the melancholy of it, whilst the future of it is projected.
Objects
Object Manifesto: The Digital-Physical Synthesis
The objects presented here exist in a parallel dialogue with the architecture; they are the workshop’s metabolism rendered at the human scale. While the building provides the chassis, these artefacts represent the tangible output of the “Living Archive.”
This collection explores the intersection of heritage restoration and 21st-century fabrication. By utilising technology, we can do more than merely replicate the past; we can push the meaning of an object beyond its original intent.
Fabricating:
– SP 1: Shelf Prototype 1, attributes: Customizable modular spacing, deconstructable aluminium A6 display shelf
– SP 2: Shelf Prototype 2, attributes: Customizable modular spacing, deconstructable double-tier aluminium table bookshelf
– PP 1: Pedant Prototype 1, attributes: Universal ceiling light fitting, deconstructable aluminium/metal and frosted acrylic parts
– ST 1: Side Table 1, attributes: Deconstructable aluminium and plywood elements, aluminium top and side surfaces
Restoring:
– WEP 1: West End Park 1 (Chair), attributes: restored and oiled frame, vinyl seat
– WEP 2: West End Park 2 (Chair), attributes: restored and re-stabilised frame, no finish
