5 QUESTIONS ASKED BY ETEM - MIROSLAV NASKOV, MIND DESIGN

Miroslav is an architect, computational designer, visionary, and founder of minD Design.

He pursued his Master of Architecture in Architecture and Urbanism (Design Research Laboratory) at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London. Miroslav has previously worked with Populous and Zaha Hadid Architects as part of their design teams. He has a computational design background and specializes in Parametric Design. He believes that using cutting-edge technology is the right approach to solving problems and finding design opportunities.

Step into the role of a prophet and tell us how do you see the city of the future in 50 years? What will the architecture be then?

I believe that the development of architecture is closely related to the global trend to combat climate change. Buildings and spaces will be increasingly environmentally friendly and compliant with the higher generally accepted standards in terms of sustainability, security, and integration of natural materials.

A major factor in the development of architecture unquestionably is the advancement of technology. Use of robots in the production of details and elements of buildings, 3D printing, computing software for optimization, and cost reduction.

Another aspect is the societal change of needs and the type of buildings that will be needed. The pandemic is forcing this change and a large percentage of people are already working from home. Global trends aim to preserve this to a large extent and make offices a place for socialization and team meetings, which would give a new look to office buildings. On the other hand, residential buildings are already acquiring a new function, which makes them even more complex.

If you can be remembered by only one of your projects – which would be?

I am still at the beginning of my professional and career development and I don't think that the project to be remembered has come yet. With each subsequent project, we strive to build on and use what we have already learned from the previous ones, so I believe that in the future I will be remembered not only with one project but with my philosophy of work and approach to solving problems and ability to create inspiring and functional projects.

What is your favorite book and what are you reading at the moment?

I love to read, there are many books that have made a strong impression on me, I like autobiographies, philosophy, also novels. I am currently reading Deleuze and Guattari - A Thousand Plateus, an extremely interesting book for me, although it is not easy to be understood.

What is your favorite movie?

‘The Imitation Game’ comes to my mind now and it is certainly one of my favorites, in particular Alan Turing, as the movie is based on his biography, is a person worthy of respect in my opinion.

Who is the architect whose projects inspire you the most?

The most significant impact on my development as an architect and designer are the works of Antoni Gaudi, Zaha Hadid and Thomas Heatherwick, of course, Patrik Schumacher, who was my AA teacher and I learned a lot from him. I believe that the aspiration of these individuals to try new ideas and cross the limits beyond the ordinary has contributed on a huge scale to the development of architecture.