THIRD PRIZE WINNER!
Daniel Abraham & Hana Cicevic
Hana Čičević is an architectural designer currently living and working in New York city. She graduated in 2022 with the Master of Architecture degree from the University of Florida where she also did her undergraduate studies. In her final year, Hana focused on topics of post-war reconstruction and how architects can re-shape the ways in which the communities inhabit damaged spaces, about which she wrote a master research project. She is currently working on the projects based in New York City in affordable housing and education and is developing interest in sustainability.
Daniel Abraham Gandica is a project specialist based in the city of Orlando, Florida. Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, he graduated in 2022 with a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Florida, after completing his bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Central Florida. In his last year, Daniel turned an eye back home and focused on vernacular indigenous architecture, the way in which communities can adapt and overcome to the challenges posed by sea level-rise, and the possibilities of a hydro-generated urbanism. He currently works in the sector of data centers’ architecture. Some of his interests include medieval history and architecture, and mapping.
Interview with the Winner
What is your design philosophy?
Hana: Our design philosophy is based on the idea that architecture can become a critical tool to address some of today’s and tomorrow’s issues, especially those regarding human interaction with their built and natural environment. We believe that good design ideas can influence our surroundings and make positive changes in our environment and community.
Can you briefly explain your understanding of the topic and the source of ideas?
Daniel: For as long as we have known each other, the passion for the game of chess has been something that we share and enjoy. The fact that there is a place in the bustling and accelerated city of New York where people take long pauses to ponder strategies and movements resonated a lot with us, which is one of the reasons that we selected Union Square as our site. To increase the scale of the chessboard and place ourselves in it, with both the chess pieces and squares as habitable and interactive entities was a fun exercise for us, since we, as players, usually see it only from a top view perspective.
Hana: The original concept of our project is tied to a novela called “The Chess Story” by Stefan Zweig which talks about the paradox of chess, where you cannot easily play this game against yourself as that would be like trying to jump over your own shadow. Our project is taking this concept of a paradoxical chess game to a tri-dimensional world, where a chess game becomes a spatial experience in which a person interacts with our installation by experiencing its spaces.
When and how you were first introduced to architecture?
Daniel: I was first introduced to architecture at a very young age in the shape of educational magazines and models distributed in his native Venezuela, which quickly captured his interest and imagination. Said interest was nurtured by his parents, who encouraged reading, traveling and pursuing architecture as a major. Said major would be pursued abroad, where he would be introduced to many different approaches and points of view regarding architecture.
Hana: I was first formally introduced to architecture when I enrolled at the University of Florida as a freshman student and started taking architectural design courses. As most other students, in these classes I was able to develop the skills not only in architecture, but also in analytical thinking, theory, model making, conceptual design. The first design classes I took were very abstract, but they have shaped how I think about architecture and spaces to this day as they created a base of my knowledge in architecture.
What does architecture mean to you?
Daniel: For us, Architecture is the pinnacle of human imagination, it is ideas, sometimes very abstract, materializing into livable, usable space. It is a field that allows you to rationalize and develop a physical, sometimes monumental, imprint of your beliefs, philosophies, dreams, fears, and hopes. It is humanity coming together to solve everyday problems, through the product of our hands, minds, and tools. It is an opportunity to tell the world that we were here, and that we dreamt, and lived.
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