Jakub Majewski (1983) and Łukasz Pastuszka (1982) met in college. Together they took part in a competition for the interior design of the Vobis Mobile chain stores - and won, starting off a series of successes. For a year they jointly undertook various initiatives, while each of them worked for a different company, until finally they decided to start their own firm. The designs of Moomoo Architects are distinctive for the way they look to other fields of art for inspiration. In an interview with culture.pl, Łukasz Pastuszka shared,
Seeking inspiration in architecture ends up sooner or later as copying somebody else's ideas. We are interested for instance in textiles, fashion, and in the finishing of materials. We observe the ways in which fabrics fold. When it comes to architecture we admit that we like the way the Japanese respect space, their designs are very precise and functional.
These inspirations are clearly visible in the work of Moomoo Architects. The bureau's designs have been recognised in both Poland and abroad (in 2010 the foundation YOUNG CREATIVE POLAND listed the duo in its selection of the best Polish designers). The S House designed by Majewski and Pastuszka was featured on the cover of the Japanese edition of the interior design magazine Surface. The building is located near Warsaw and its front façade, which overlooks a riverbank, replicates a huge curtain fluttering in the wind. The design was praised for the way it demonstrated how architecture and fashion could be integrated.
They continued their adoption of textile motifs for a special commission for the Wallpaper monthly. The Polish duo was to design a "house of the future" that could be built in natural conditions. The architects from Moomoo proposed a glass building in which everything could be 360 degree radius regardless of where one stands within the building, resembling a glass aquarium with a canopy in the middle. The baldachin concealed a second condignation and offered the option of being torn open in places neighbouring doors and windows. "The view from the prospective house was to be the same as the view from the empty parcel, we didn't want to obscure the panorama with walls or doors", said Jakub Majewski in an interview for the Polish edition of Newsweek. This design was the reason for which the British monthly mentioned the Polish bureau (which was still a beginning firm at the time) in its Architects Directory selection, where Moomoo Architects figured on a list of 30 emerging stars of world architecture.
Moomoo have made simpler designs as well. In 2009 they created the Bubblemaker – a street lamp with a crank that produces bubbles after being wound up by a passersby. The design came in second at an architectural competition for an Urban Toy, and produced as part of the prize. The Bubblemaker stood for one day in Zbawiciela Square in Warsaw.
Construction on their Yacht House is set to launch in the spring of 2013, designed on commission for a client that wanted his house to reflect his passion for sailing. At first the building was intended as a weekend house with a pier at the riverbank, but the project evolved. Finally, a decision was made that the motor boat will have its mooring near the living room, with the house's structure and details referencing the shape of a yacht. The rest area was lowered by 75 cm compared to the remaining parts of the floor in order to provoke associations with relaxation spaces located in sterns. The barriers on the terraces were inspired by railings. The simple interior was decorated with wood of a warm colour.
Moomoo Architect's designs highlight the role of sunlight in human life. The windows in their houses are large, they often extend from floor to ceiling and provide as much daylight as possible, also using skylights and atria. The Square House they designed received the House of the Year award from the Dom & Wnętrze (Home and Interiors) magazine, while their S House also received a nomination that year for House of the Year from www.worldarchitecturenews.com.
Asked about the secret of their successful collaboration the duo replied that listening to one another is most important. Łukasz Pastuszka explains,
We simply talk a lot. We discuss our project for hours but we never argue. Sometimes I joke that the job of an architect involves mainly talking. I talk with Jakub, I talk with students at the college where I teach, and later I talk with my team at the bureau. That's how I spend my time.
Author: Katarzyna Zacharska, April 2013
Selected awards and distinctions:
- 2010 - Zbawiciela Square – Bubblemaker; 2009 2nd place; realized in 2010; Organized by: Form & Shape Foundation
- 2009 - One of the 30 most promising architectural bureaus in the world; Organized by: Wallpaper Magazine
- 2008 - House of the Year competition – main award; 1st place; Organized by: "Dom&Wnętrze"
- 2007 - Change of Front for ING Silesian Bank; main award of the 2nd degree; Organized by: ING Silesian Bank; Competition for the interior design of the Vobis Mobile chain stores, 1st place, Organized by: Vobis S.A.
- 2006 - Spatial development project for the Cathedral Square in Łódź; award of the 1st degree; 2nd place; Organized by: The City of Łódź ; House of Light, 2nd award, distinction of the 1st degree; Organized by: Velux
- 2005 - Architectstudent.net- international competition for a new logo design, 1st award; Organized by: Velux
- 2004 - Competition for the adaptation of SARP's attic; 2nd award; Organized by: Velux/SARP