An interview with HUA HUA Architects, Czech Republic

What makes your winning project one of a kind?
Well, that is more question for judges to say. We try to take each project a step further than the last one. Here I believe we achieved interior for patients both welcoming and calming. This is critical for med-staff to be able to perform operations.

What did you learn from this project?
AJNA Dental Clinic was one big lesson. There were many high-tech machines and devices installed in a relatively small space. There were also many details and relations that needs to function properly. It is always a key to understand your client and his needs, ambitions as well as limits. Only by understanding him and connecting with his goals are we able to do the best architecture for him. The visual aspect then serves as a nice last touch that brings emotion and experience. Although I must admit, I love those cherries on top. In cooperation with our clients, we try to create ideal living space for them.

What are you working on at the moment?
Now we are working on another modern hi-tech hospital facility. It is different from AJNA in many ways, the main being a field. AJNA is a dental clinic, our new med-project is an eye clinic in Prague. This place will shine with all colors of the spectrum and will provide care for large number of patients from regular checkups to specialized surgeries. I believe we will be able to create another quality and interesting space here.
Beside interior/exterior projects (family houses, apartments, urban projects, playground, engineering constructions…) we are now focusing our energy on the environmental concepts. I hope we´ll soon be able to spread those further behind HUA HUA universe. One interesting “blue-green” project are VEGA gardens, a way of vertical farming that increases value of city apartments. It also increases usage of reusable energy sources in cities.

What is your driving force?
My children, people around me and time. I believe that energy is everywhere around us, somewhere it boils with energy and somewhere there are places with calm and peaceful flow. You need balance. And the more you give the more you get.

Any ideas you think should be front and centre in the minds of architects?
Architects create a form of physical world surrounding us. The world we have created until today is amazing, modern, and filled with high technology. But it is also over filled by us trying to steal every bit of a free land for our needs. I hadn´t thought about it until few years ago. Our products (urbanism, interiors, buildings) take space, we keep building and sometimes we do that without a second thought. I think we architects need more self-reflection, critical thinking. We need to take in consideration not only physical but also moral life o building and try to take less new spaces with every product of ours. I believe the way to do this is in looking at cities and rethinking functions of buildings and intensity of urban space. Don´t get stuck in comfortable, step out and try to find new ways to build.