What is the biggest challenge architects are facing right now?

Nadine Gutenstein. – “Many challenges have emerged over the past couple of years, so choosing just one is nearly impossible. When the pandemic broke out, the biggest challenge was to counter the instability of the market, to see how projects could keep going and how to make sure our personnel could be rationally occupied. We needed to keep our team and clients motivated, so we could continue despite the negativity and totally unpredictable future. Later, the challenge shifted due to a change of perspective on the ways buildings were designed, but also how we live and work. This led to reflecting on different design forms, on the types of materials used and especially their provenance, as the construction branch has been extremely affected by material shortage, accentuated by the present unstable global politics. Human-resources-wise, the change of spirit and values led to more flexible work-life, and ‘office life’ models.

“Circular economy, Sustainability and Reinvention.” Which of these has the biggest impact on the way you currently work?

“For the last years, even before the pandemic, we have been developing more and more sustainable buildings, as we see that the classical building pattern is vowed to disappear – for many reasons. Our mission is to inform and convince our clients to dare to use sustainable, local materials and choose building solutions like hybrid or wooden constructions. We also want to reflect on how to plan spaces differently, focusing on multi-use or modularity – with the intention of countering the rising building costs. We are happy to see that our clients support these ideas, that they are enthusiastic and proud to have the opportunity to acquire these new types of buildings.

Luxembourg continues to be transformed. How can we innovate sustainably without losing our soul?

“I think this is exactly the role of an architect: to adapt to the changes undergone by our country, the environment, the population and the building techniques. I think it is a fascinating challenge to design and innovate sustainably. It may even be easier to work that way, because it enables planning with much more focus, and we can explore new building techniques, materials and combinations. This even helps with not getting ‘lost’ in the abundance of materials that are not sustainable any more, which results in clearer designs and in making a project more holistic.”