Manuela Powidayko

I knew I was going to be an architect since the moment I first saw my house being built. I was 7 , my mom took me to the field, pointed to an empty land and said: Our house started to get build. I got very confused with that statement since there was nothing there yet and I said: But where is the roof? Don't you start building a house from there? She laughed and said: No, a house starts to get build from below the ground, with a very strong structure that will hold everything that it is on top. And like that I grew up, going every week to see the next step of our house and celebrating every single new wall with a barbecue. A house is where people share their most intimate moments with their families, with themselves. I aim to work hard to build places, not spaces. Not only as an architect, but as an urban designer, I hope that I can build strong structures that will hold social infrastructure, which is the base for a true neighborhood where people have the ability to build their own roofs, and celebrate their homes.