Marcelina Janas
(she/her)
My practice is rooted in a research-driven, layered process that seeks to challenge conventional spatial perception through the psychological and sensory dimensions of architecture. I am dedicated to creating spaces that demand pause and reflection, utilizing the modulation of light, rhythm, and pace to evoke deep emotional resonance. My approach advocates for a holistic, phenomenological engagement with the built environment, bridging meticulous historical research with high-precision technical delivery.
The Civic Praxis
Positioned on the artificial island of Dokoen, The Civic Praxis is a major architectural intervention that challenges the fetishization of Danish Design. While Copenhagen is globally celebrated for design, it is largely disconnected from the labor and material origins of its making. This creates an ethical void where the values of labor, repair, and skilled craft are separated from the civic experience. My thesis argues that architecture must confront this void by restoring the dignity of making to the urban forefront.
The building functions as a “temporal prototype,” essentially being a structure designed and engineered for perpetual adaptation. Utilizing a circular, modular timber frame and interchangeable building components, the project operates as a “material bank”.The proposal seeks to dissolve the barrier between the public, the maker, and the process. Through a translucent polycarbonate and glass facade, the building turns the art of making into an act of civic performance. The program integrates a communal cafe, a library, research labs, open-access workshops, and a retail space selling only objects manufactured on-site. This proximity forces a confrontation: the observer witnesses the true time and material cost of an object, turning an act of purchase into a moment of social accountability.
By providing the specialized infrastructure required to enable craft in the 21st century, the project democratized the act of making for the community. It transforms the harbor from a site of passive consumption into a vibrant space of communal craft and production.
