September 2017

10 BUILD / September 2017 , Musical Academy. This current project is a good example of how important it is to find reliable collaborators that you can count on from the word go which share the same business values. From local partners to international acoustic engineers, working globally requires solid business relationships.” Thomas then underlines what the future has in store for the wider industry and of course, the firm itself. “Architectural practices are moving traditional boundaries. We are not only discovering the future, but at the same time creating it. Faster and more efficient solutions are unfolding and allowing us to grow in traditional, yet undiscovered markets. By crossing borders into new arenas, capital and economic traction are increasing, through identifying zones of services that were previously unheard of. Today, architects occupy a position in the marketplace that is more than just designing a building or creating a space. The influence is expanding toward improving whole communities, creating new cities and improving the lives of others. “Looking to the future, we want to set ourselves apart from traditional architectural practices and become independent from competition procedures. For this reason, we founded the Urban Future Holding, which allows us to develop projects from the beginning and to bring design, sustainability and leasing all under one roof. It reduces the many challenges that most architects have when working for a client. In this way, we become our own client and get to charter our own course.” In closing, Thomas is keen to reveal his thoughts in the firm being a part of the Architectural Innovation Awards and how innovative solutions help maintain success. “Every award is an honour and an affirmation that we are on the right track. Having a vision is one thing, but trying to create it another. Being selected for the Build Innovation Awards gives us a sense of pride and achievement and inspires us to continue with our vision in creating a more sustainable future. “We maintain the firm’s success by thinking out of the box, examining the past and learning from it, by trying to figure out where the future is going and accept that it is our duty as architects to design for it. We also maintain our success by implementing strict quality control in every stage of a project, by surprising the world and ourselves and not losing the spirit and joy in what we do.”