Architects of their own fortune

They say they do everything together. They answered our questions together too. Jakub Majewski and Łukasz Pastuszka – who are they? Well, they are the bright young Polish architectural double-act out to conquer the world. This year they are the only architects from this part of Europe to be listed in ‘Wallpaper’ magazine’s prestigious Architects Directory, profiling the 30 most promising architectural talents in the world

What do you like most and least about doing business in Poland?

We are trying to explain to people that expressions like: “It can’t be done” don’t exist in Polish, and the best thing is when people actually start to believe that this is true.

Who do you most admire in the design business?

Chris Bangle was way ahead of the market with his cars. At first he was criticized and even loathed by car fans, but he subsequently made his mark on the market car by car. His stubbornness in creating a new brand image led to an increase in sales. Now many top car producers see him as the main designer in his field.

How did your studio first get started?

We took a risk during our studies and took a chance. We combined our studies unofficially with our own architectonical business. So moomoo architects has officially existed since 2007.

What do you regard as your greatest professional success so far?

moomoo architects being listed in ‘Wallpaper’ magazine’s directory for 2009 as one of the best 30 architecture studios.

What is your biggest failure?

We were due to meet a very important investor in a small village on the coast. We went to sleep early the night before in order to be at our best the next day. Unfortunately we set our GPS navigation with the name of a similarly-sounding village. It was the first time that we had to call off a meeting.

What contribution do you think you have made to Polish society through your activities?

We don’t know.

Which major projects are you planning in the near future?

The renovation of an old town district in a city in the north of Poland.

Which is your favourite building and why?

The Mies Van Der Rohe pavilion built for a 1929 exhibition in Barcelona. Beautiful proportions, pure form, and just a certain “something”.

Which living person do you most admire and why?

We admire the creators of Google. We also think that the place where you work has a huge impact on the creativity of your work. Larry Page and Sergey Brin have created leisure centres out of their research and development centres, and it has turned out that workers are better at dealing with complicated tasks while playing. Today they are changing the world.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

Coffee in Venice, visiting a construction area in Dubai, an afternoon meeting finalizing a project in London, supper with friends in Poland... how many hours are there in a day? 

Which is your favourite restaurant and why?

A restaurant is not only about the meal. We feel great in places where we can observe the whole art of degustation. How the table is prepared, the way the meal is served, the aroma. In restaurants we like sitting next to the window to watch people passing by on the other side of the glass.

Who is your closest friend and why?

In each of our lives there are one or two people that we can always rely on... but the closest friendships are in our families. It’s good to have unlimited trust in someone.

Which characteristic do you hate most in others?

People have so many wonderful characteristics that it is a waste of time to think about those we don’t like.

How would you like to be remembered?

Good words from partners who we have worked on projects with would give us the greatest satisfaction after we have gone.

Jakub Majewski was born in 1983. He is currently working on his diploma at the Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Technical University of Łódź. Since 2003 he has cooperated with famous architects, drawing up designs for individual and commercial clients, including the Archidea architectural studio from 2006 to 2007 and the Smoktunowicz studio from 2006 to 2007.

Łukasz Pastuszka was born in 1982. He is a graduate of the Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Technical University of Łódź. He has had scholarships and internships at architectural studios in Lausanne, Switzerland (Atelier Vert Pomme architectural studio) and Copenhagen, Denmark (Velux). Since 2002, he has worked on designs for individual and commercial clients, including as a project manager for NAIMA from 2006 to 2008. Together with Jakub Majewski, he is the co-founder and a head designer of the Łódź-based moomoo architects studio.