{"id":61544,"date":"2020-06-08T08:45:02","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T12:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?p=61544"},"modified":"2020-07-02T11:32:56","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T15:32:56","slug":"one-photo-winner-bruce-engel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/competitions\/one-photo-winner-bruce-engel\/","title":{"rendered":"One Photo Reveals How Architecture Can Foster Intimate, Empowering Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2020 One Photo Challenge brought together an incredible assemblage of intriguing photographs that told beautiful stories about architecture. The top winner in the Non-Student Category was <\/span>\u201cWomen Gather\u201d<\/b> by Bruce Engel of BE_Design. <\/span>This submission was awarded a grand prize of $2,500, along with professional photography gear from the likes of Peak Design, Formatt Hitech and Lenovo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWomen Gather\u201d captures a moment within a space designed by Sharon Davis Design<\/a>. Called the Women\u2019s Opportunity Center<\/a>, it is located in Kayonza, Rwanda and was built for the NGO Women for Women International. The project seeks to empower the local community, create economic opportunity and rebuild social infrastructure. It was especially built to serve the women of the community by providing training in women\u2019s rights, literacy, health and valuable vocational skills. The architecture responds to this aim through its human-scaled, intimate spaces. With “Women Gather”, Bruce Engel masterfully captured exactly what Women\u2019s Opportunity Center set to achieve, a \u201c…feminine space where women can gather.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We caught up with Bruce to learn more about his inspiration, process and feelings behind this One Photo Challenge-winning photograph.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Women<\/p>\n

Nathaniel Bahadursingh: Congratulations on winning the inaugural One Photo Challenge! What sparked your interest in entering the competition and what does winning mean to you?<\/b><\/p>\n

Bruce Engel: Thank you Architzer for putting on this competition filled with so many great entries!\u00a0 And thank you for this award. I\u2019m an architect by trade and photography has always been a passion. As an architect, the photograph is most often used as a tool for documentation, and often the only means by which most people will experience a building, so for me architecture and photography always went hand in hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was really drawn to the premise of this competition: the challenge of One Photo. How architecture is intertwined with humanity and its magical, intimate, and everyday moments. I think this came through so clearly in each and every one of the 100 final photos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What drew you to your subject matter that ultimately culminated in the winning photo?<\/b><\/p>\n

Knowing I always wanted to be an architect, my grandmother gave me an Alvar Aalto quote. It reads: \u201cIt is the task of the architect to give life a gentler structure.\u201d\u00a0 I try to live and practice these words as best I can. Architecture shapes our world and has the power to help people and empower communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the opportunity was given to me to work with Sharon Davis Design on a \u201cWomen\u2019s Opportunity Center\u201d for the NGO Women for Women International, that supports women survivors of war and genocide, I was drawn in and dedicated myself to the project, the cause, and Rwanda, that I called home for 6 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was wonderful to visit the #worldarchitecturefestival winning #architizerawards #architizer awarded #womensopportunitycenter It was the pleasure and honor of a lifetime to work with @sharondavisdesign @womenforwomencardiff on this project. From developing the design and drawings with a talented and good hearted team, to training the women that made the 1\/2 million bricks, to the experience of living on site and watching just about every one of those bricks get laid, to now see how well the buildings are doing and how the campus is flourishing. I hope that this place continues to provide a safe, healthy, prosperous, and inspiring space for the women and community of #kayonza #rwanda # rwandaarchitecture #sharondavisdesign #brickarchitecture #be_design #bruceengeldesign #afritecture #africaarchitectureawards #africaarchitecture<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Bruce Engel<\/a> (@be_design.space) on