Lars Schmidt

Name: Lars Schmidt
From: Berlin, Germany
Age: 23 years old
Program: Architecture Bachelor degree, third year

How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
Self-reflecting, Rigorous, Caring, Entertaining, Cinephile.

Tell us something about your country:
I come from Czechia’s neighbouring country Germany, from the capital Berlin. As my knowledge of the rest of Germany only consists of tourist’s visits, I will tell you something connected to my home town; four magical places in Berlin. My first place is the restaurant Café am Neuen See because of the central location in the biggest park of the town and the activities connected to it. The second place is a bar called Clash. A punk bar that attracts students and locals in the surrounding. The third place is a street called Oranienburger Straße. Touristy, but a great place for a Friday night out. The last place would be the Tempelhofer Feld, an old airport field that offers free space for weekend activities.

Who is your favorite architect and why?
I do not have a favourite architect, I rather get inspired by a lot of them during my readings. However one that stood out to me due to his philosophy was Peter Zumthor. In his book “Architectural Thinking” he describes how poetry can affect architecture, but that one is not allowed to forget about the fundamentals of living when doing so.

Why did you decided to come to Prague?
I came to Prague for several reasons, but mainly for the institutes offering of an English Bachelor in Architecture. In addition the institute reminded me of my high school that I attended in Berlin.

Favorite place in Prague:
I have two favourite places; Letna beer garden, because of its magnificent view and the Hanavský Pavilion for the view as well.

What is your ideal approach as a future architect?

As for architecture, I hope that my generation and following ones find a style that is suitable and adjustable for the 21st century. The freedom that architects have now results in a lot of projects that have no relevance to the historical, environmental and economic surrounding.

Besides school, do you have another passion?
I love cooking and baking. My previous family generations owned a bakery which reflected on my passion. I also love everything that is connected to football and love talking about it. Something that developed recently was my passion towards politics and the connected to politics to my work as an architect.