Making Space

The winners of the Making Space 2010 award were unable to accept the award in person because they are doing good works in Haiti. Instead, these Norwegian student architects sent us a heartfelt video – including a song from the local kids they’re working with.

If I wasn’t already moved by their winning design for a library and orphanage in Thailand, then their personal message did the trick. They reminded me that architecture and social responsibility are never separate. This may be a problem for procurement – please tick box if your firm is committed to a better world - but I was taught that it is an essential part of good design.

A passion for people seems to me a prerequisite for a passion for architecture. So, my congratulations to the folk from TYIN Tegnestue and their non-profit humanitarian organisation, and my thanks for their antidote to architectural cynicism.