The people who care

In their work some of them are very close to the real estate industry, others have nothing to do with it. Nevertheless, they all are concerned about the changes - negative or positive - in their surroundings and want to send out the message that architecture and real estate are not areas exclusively reserved for those working in these fields. The end-users of the product should also be more interested and involved in the transformation processes that CEE cities are currently going through. Or as one of the bloggers who appears in this article puts it: "When it comes to society, it would be nice to change the popular notion that the public can't influence the alteration of its living environment, that somebody else - government, businessmen, architects and planners - are the ones to decide. There are also other myths, such as 'contemporary architecture can only ruin the natural beauty of the environment or heritage-protected cityscapes' or 'contemporary architecture is expensive, ugly and user-unfriendly'."

The bloggers that feature on the next few pages come from Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia. They are out there criticising, demanding more from investors and architects, but also ready to praise those who manage to fulfil their higher expectations. Finding bloggers who care was a challenging task. In the region real estate and architecture are still perceived as the territory of a chosen few, which lacks transparency and is unwelcome to outsiders. This would explain the small number of dedicated independent blogs and websites devoted to these issues. On the other hand many companies, from international players to small real estate agencies, also have blogs, but some regard them as purely a promotional tool for their activities and selling apartments rather than as a platform for exchanging opinions. Maybe this is why a market source in the Czech Republic, when asked for his favourite local real estate blog, told us: "I do not know of any blog about property which enjoys a wide audience, and this is quite paradoxical because online communication including blogging is developing all the time." We heard from another source, in Russia: "We currently don't have any trustworthy blogs for real estate. All the blogs are either very local, or of a more international nature, but generally speaking not reliable and of quite a low quality." What is it that they want? To change the world? Not really. To raise awareness on important issues, at the very best. They just feel that what they are doing is necessary and important, but the fact that they are also having fun certainly helps.

Who is who in the CEE blogosphere?

WWW.WHATA.ORG
The idea for this Bulgarian blog was dreamt up on a train by Aneta Vasileva, Zhana Stoilova, Nikolay Angelov and Hristo Govedarov, four qualified architects. Since 2007 they have created an alternative to the dull language written about architecture in the Bulgarian trade press. The blog is also written in English.
WWW.ZAWODBIG.COM
It seems that it is particularly important for
Slovenia to promote young architects and
designers from the southeast of Europe. Zavod Big is a publishing and event platform that gives the fullest idea about what is going on in the fields of design and architecture in this region.
WWW.ARCHITEKTUSAJUNGA.LT
The official portal of the association of Lithuanian Architects has long ago stopped being only that. Today the site is the most popular forum about
architecture in Lithuania
WWW.MIESZKANIOWY.BLOX.PL
Marek Wielgo's blog. For many years, he has been a journalist with 'Gazeta Wyborcza'.
The blog is primarily devoted to all questions concerning the real estate market and is one of the most popular real estate blogs in Poland.
WWW.KATKESTUSTE-LINN.BLOGSPOT.COM
One of the few blogs dedicated to the fast
developing world of Estonian architecture. It is well worth keeping up to date on the projects of young architects, whose work is going to be talked about more and more.
WWW.PROVOCAD.COM
This is a platform where five young Bulgarian architects, who are most particularly sensitive to the architectural chaos present in
Bulgarian towns, exchange their opinions and experiences.
They criticise, praise and advise.

WhaTA Association, Bulgaria, whata.org
Why did you start your blog?
We decided to make a blog because the Bulgarian architectural press was at an insultingly low level and full of pathetic clichés. We are of the opinion that the problem with Bulgarian architecture is rooted not in the quality of our architects, but in the lack of a developed popular taste. So we created a blog mainly aimed at non-architects, hoping we can help in developing some kind of popular taste here. Naturally, a blog has much less influence on the masses than introducing cheap and quality mass products to the market such as, let's say, IKEA, but one can always hope and try. And so we did. And still do.

Do you get lots of feedback?
Oh, people say that we are snobbish, or that we are great, or that we just talk bullshit; that they love us, that they will never visit this blog again, ever; they send us spam, sometimes invite us to appear on television (but we always refuse, the shy online persons that we are), reproach us for not writing often - all the usual stuff. But in fact (and seriously) we are most often scolded for not including our portfolio on the blog. We decided that the blog can perfectly show not only the kind of architecture we like, but also the kind of architecture we do or would do. But it turned out that the blog was misleading. We were tempted to talk about public problems, politics, economics, and so eventually people started taking us more as part of the media than as an architectural studio. And we are both.

What would you like to change through your blog?
We want to change the way people think. Because everything depends on people - the quality of cities is no exception. At the moment every Sofia taxi-driver has at least three opinions on serious urban problems, just ask them.

Zmago Novak, Slovenia, zavodbig.com
What actually is Zavod Big? Our activities arose out of an interest in promoting quality wooden house building in Slovenia. That ambition evolved into an awareness of the need for cultivating a culture of living. Today Zavod Big is an organisation promoting architecture, design and the creative industries in Slovenia and South-Eastern Europe. We work in publishing, marketing and event management to bring together regional creative potential, international quality and local identities. We run the 'Creative Industries' blog, which is read by the creative community, design-aware consumers and industry professionals scouting for fresh talent.

What issue would you like to draw greater attention to on your website?
We do see a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the co-operation between the different players in the field, organisations with similar goals, which still work separately. But if we have to point out a major flaw, that would be the fact that the government's awareness of the importance of creativity and design thinking for maintaining a globally competitive economy is still regrettably low.

What are your future plans for the near future?
We are taking more proactive steps when it comes to creating connections between the industries we are interested in. Our 'Design Exchange' project - a platform where active designers and clients with design tasks can find one-another - is one example of that. We are also reaching out to the wider region, seeking out partners in neighbouring countries, while simultaneously connecting to broader networks, such as 'Creative Cities'. Initially we were building strong connections with the private sector in order to promote design awareness. Now we are reaching out further to government agencies and institutions.

Ruta Leitanaite, Lithuania, architektusajunga.lt
What is your website about?
Officially, this is the website of the Architects Association of Lithuania, but it is much more than a mere internet platform for the organisation's representatives. When I started working as an editor four years ago, I saw it as a platform for the showcasing of Lithuanian architecture, exchanges of opinions between architects, society and other participants in the urban and architectural design processes. Today, many of the featured articles exclusively represent the authors' own opinions. Every reader, even if they are not an architect, is welcome to contribute to the website. So, rather than a blog dedicated to one clearly defined line of opinion, the website is a kaleidoscope of voices.

What do the readers tell you?
Most of the feedback we get is in the form of reader's comments, following the articles. Many of these are just raw emotions: consent or disapproval to the writer's opinion or the presented project. Although critique is never pleasant, architects whose works are criticised on the website don't contact me personally to try to change the text. During my work on the website there has been only one case when the owner of a building that was criticised by an international jury insisted on removing the negative comment from an article. He even threatened to take us to court, which caused us some stress, but also a measure of satisfaction, because we suddenly realised how significant architectural media in Lithuania could be.

What is your connection to the topics you cover?
I studied architecture and have been working as an architecture critic for seven years, writing articles for Lithuanian and foreign magazines, contributing to books on contemporary architecture in Lithuania. Currently I work for the Architects Association of Lithuania as a creative director, in charge, among other activities, of organising exhibitions, workshops and conferences.

What would you like to change through your website?
The world, of course! Just kidding. As the most powerful tool on Earth is considered to be the human mind, this is what I aim to change. More specifically, to raise the level of awareness, the understanding and the attitude towards the process of design and implementation of architectural or urban projects. The message that we are trying to send out to everyone, but especially to all decision-makers (hopefully they visit the website occasionally), is that architecture is not only part of the real estate business, but also a powerful tool to improve cities: their environment, image, social patterns and economies as a whole. Also we hope to foster a dialogue between all the parties involved: architects, urban planners, heritage protectors, real estate companies, residents, municipalities, governmental institutions and so on. When it comes to society we would like to change the popular misleading notion that the society can't influence the alteration of its living environment, that somebody else - the government, a businessman, a team of architects or urban planners - is going to decide. There are a few other myths we are trying to dispel, such as "contemporary architecture can only ruin beautiful natural or heritage-protected cityscapes". I believe that the advice that psychologists invariably repeat to couples with problems - "talk to each other" - is applicable in many fields, and architecture is no exception.

Do you think readers from the real estate sector check your website and learn anything from what has been posted there?
We are seeking a certain educational impact. I can only hope that the clients of architects - the director of some real estate company or perhaps a family planning to buy a new flat or commission a project for a house - are visiting the site from time to time. Learning and teaching cannot be done overnight - it has to be done step by step, and not always directly indicating the 'dos and 'don'ts'. And, of course, anyone who wishes to learn has to be ready to listen.

Marek Wielgo, Poland, mieszkaniowy.blox.pl
Why did you start your blog?
Initially it was supposed to help me to defend my good name when a lot of offensive posts directed at me started to appear on the internet. What had I done to deserve the ill favour of internet users? The thing is that I had been writing about the real estate market for nearly 20 years in 'Gazeta Wyborcza', and for many I had become a symbol of 'bad journalism' in the period of crazy property price growth. At the time the media was heavily covering this issue. Unfortunately, frustration started to set in among young people, for whom homes became inaccessible. In the eyes of these people, journalists, led by Marek Wielgo, became touts, who in league with developers and banks had pumped up the price bubble. Nowadays I regret that apart from the usual dispatch texts I didn't write any commentaries in which I could have warned readers about the results of a stampede on the real estate market. I also admit that I did not treat the opinions of the few experts around at the time seriously when they forecast a radical drop in prices on the real estate market as a result of the credit crunch in the United States. When the financial crisis erupted in 2008, I learnt a valuable lesson: I began to accept readers' criticisms humbly. However, accusations of bribery are a completely different matter. I even considered lawsuits against the people who wrote offensive comments directed at me on internet forums. But I thought that establishing a blog would be a more effective method. Looking back, I think this was a very good decision. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even those who dragged me through the mud on forums kept the level of discussion high with their comments on my blog. Besides, emotions subsided as time went by. It seems to me that internet users appreciated the fact that I discussed things with them. Now the blog serves a different purpose. First of all I verify my views on the basis of readers' comments. Discussions with readers enable me to keep in touch with reality.

How do you assess the impact of the blog?
I have reason to believe that the blog is read by both people from the industry and those who are simply interested in the topic. I think that they appreciate the fact that the discussions are substantive, which cannot be said about many discussions on internet forums. At first I mainly clashed with the readers or just explained my point of view to them. I also made several interventions in order to defend the clients of development companies. Holding the evidence in my hands (documents, photos) I act like a tabloid. In this way I managed to speed up reaching a compromise over several controversial issues. Companies have realised that at a time of free internet access the impact of such information could be very damaging.

Do PR agencies, working for real estate developers, try to influence you or contact you when they are not happy with your comments?
I've never had such experience so far. Unfortunately I do receive phone calls from agencies asking if I am going to use the press materials they have sent me. Honestly, that could be annoying and I wrote about this, generating a heated discussion.

What would like to pay more attention to in your blog?
In the last few months I've been involved in defending development companies' clients. It gets on my nerves that for nearly ten years successive governments have not been able to propose a bill that would regulate this issue. As a result we are one of the few EU countries where we still have the law of the jungle - the strongest governs the residential market. However, there is a chance that such an act will finally be created. MPs have taken the matter in hand and so a political will to fix it clearly exists.

Jarmo Kauge, Estonia, katkestuste-linn.blogspot.com
Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog because I wasn't happy with how - if at all - architecture was covered
in the popular media. Also, because I'm of a generation that's used to finding all sorts of (at least basic) information on the web. And since almost nothing was to be found on Estonian architecture, whether new or old, I decided to fill this gap and start a blog, the main idea of which was to promote Estonian architecture. It's like how many things have started - someone notices something wrong and then tries to do something about it. This is how I started the blog in 2008.

Do you get feedback?
I have received quite a lot of feedback, mostly from architectural students and architects. They've said that it's something that needed to be done and they're - or at least they seem - happy that there's at least one enthusiast who is doing something like this. I haven't heard of anyone criticising my blog - I'm sure many are critical about it, but I'm OK with it since I think I know exactly what the weak spots of my blog are. No-one has ever forced me to change my opinions, but there have been two interesting cases. First, when I wrote about a luxury hotel in Turkey, I claimed that an Estonian firm had designed the whole thing. My post was based on at least two local newspaper articles, including an interview with the architect. Ironically, when I criticised the project I received an e-mail from the architect. He rather politely pointed out some errors in my post. We eventually met and it turned out that his studio was only responsible for some of the interiors. This case illustrates one of the reasons I started my blog - the traditional press can sometimes just get things completely wrong. Secondly, I covered an incredible case of plagiarism. It had appeared that some local 'businessman' had stolen or re-used a project for a rather well-known building and erected an almost identical twin somewhere in Spain, claiming it was his own design and selling the project everywhere on the web. I published a short interview with the original project's architect, comparing photos of the two buildings. The businessman in question only asked me to remove his photos from my post and nothing more, even though I had called him an idiot. The photos are still there - though, I admit, illegally - I didn't remove anything, I only asked if he'd reconsider, because then it's easier to compare the two buildings. I also asked if I could interview him. He never replied. This whole story turned into a big thing and it was also covered in a very popular TV show. By the way, the original building's architects recently sued the 'businessman'.

What is the connection between the topics you cover?
I've never studied architecture, but I have worked at the Museum of Estonian Architecture since 2007. I consider myself as a fan of architecture, nothing more.

What would you like to change through your blog?
No, I don't think my blog will change anything on a large scale. Tallinn is, of course, an idiotic city with so much to show and perhaps even more to hide. I'm only sometimes trying to show different aspects of the city and to bring them under the spotlight. It's not that I don't have any hopes, but basically I love Tallinn because of its idiocy, and its potential.

Martin Angelov, Bulgaria, part of the team of provocad.com
Why did you start your blog?
It all began as a student experiment. It started off as a mere website for our portfolio, then we added the blog and just few months ago we took off the projects and let the site live as an open place for discussions on public areas. Its aim remains the same - to provoke and enable different views on the public environment. I would also be happy to see the blog as an educational tool, especially for people who don't exactly have a solid design and architectural background. With the blog we want to make the readers somehow more proactive, as a lot of passiveness has set in lately.

Have you been contacted by investors seeking your advice as a blogger? Not yet. Bulgaria is still in the post-construction craze stage. The investors are mainly looking for a fast return. Usually they don't really pay attention to quality, both in terms of construction and taking care of the surrounding areas. But we know that every bad thing can be a blessing in disguise.

What would you like to change on your blog?
Actually it is not architecture-related. The driving culture in Bulgaria is insane. We still believe that as long as we are in a car we can run over every-one and this is our right as drivers. In Bulgaria instead of pavements we have car parks. I think to a large extent this is a matter of politics and creating a new model for a way of life. We need an alternative pattern otherwise we will be permanently stuck between the office and the mall.