Upon visiting the Oriente district of Lisbon in 2017, where the World Expo ‘98 Exhibition took place, I immediately felt overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the buildings and squares that were clearly not adapted to the human factor. This sensation amplified in the atmosphere of anxiety when I walked into the National Pavilion designed by Alvaro Siza. The heaviness of the cumbersome huge block of the concrete roof, suspended on steel beams, provoked in me an immediate desire to run away. In the evening, in my hotel room, reflecting upon these experiences, I couldn’t stop wondering about a better way of creating humane spaces. This encounter started my exploration of how objects and architecture that surround us and that affect our well-being, can and should be designed.
Eager to embark on an architectural journey, I commenced my artistic search in high school, by attending additional painting and drawing classes that developed my ability to sketch, and which showed me the key role of light in perceiving objects and spaces. Initially, I believed that the right path to my dream career would lead through the highly competitive Interior Design BA program at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Indeed, the year I spent there taught me how to express myself and accompanying emotions. Soon, however, I started feeling the absence of technical training necessary to navigate the world of creating space. Consequently, I decided to sit the entry exams once again, this time to enroll in the four-year Architecture degree at the Gdańsk University of Technology.
During my degree, I chose Adaptation of Space as an elective, as I found the lectures on the History of Architecture the most interesting for me, where, among other things, I was learning about Romanesque and Gothic churches. I was interested in the issue of the impact of the structure and form of buildings on the surroundings in the context of the revitalization of abandoned historical buildings. One of the problems I became interested in was the challenge of redeveloping and finding new articulation, for an abandoned square with a historic 12th-century church. It was essential to me to transform a historical building while keeping its form intact into an object with a space teeming with life and encouraging me to rediscover history. That project was crucial in my studies which allowed me to develop my senses while thinking about the technical aspects of the building. I gained knowledge about materials’ structures with contemporary technologies, I needed to act on my own and to design things compatible with their use, for which I am very grateful.
Since May 2021, I have worked as an interior designer, which has taught me to pay attention to the materials that I choose, as well as textures and appropriate lighting that influence our perception of space. The important thing that the practice has given me is the awareness that you cannot remain indifferent to human needs, and that a well-designed interior can positively affect your well-being. In the last year of my studies, I also started architectural practice, which allowed me to use the acquired skills in using programs such as Sketchup, AutoCAD, or Rhinoceros to share my point of view and ideas for adapting the space appropriate for the human scale.