17/12/2024
From now on every week we’ll post an interview of one of our pluggers. This week: .arch!
WHO
I am Piotr, Piotr Szczesniak or you can call me an architect of the architect :) Just an architect is also fine. Together with Tim, my husband, we are founders of Bygg Architecture (later become Bygg Architecture & Design).
WHAT
I’ve been part of Plug-in-City from the very beginning. It all started after Dutch Design Week 2013, when I was helping to dismantle the E-scape Pavilion, which became the foundation bricks for the very first Plug-in-City. It was such an exciting moment—the start of Strijp-S and the surge of creative energy that came with it.
Together with a group of neighbors, we decided to build the Glass Pavilion on an empty spot between Anton and Area51. We had no budget, just a pile of old window frames, a few shipping containers, boxes of screws, and an amazing group of enthusiastic, open-minded people! Then came the big move in 2018… and now here we are, nearly 2025. Who could have imagined how far we’d come?
Since 2018, I’ve been a board member of the Plug-in-City Foundation and a proud “Plugger,” working out of three containers on the Leidingstraat side. There are so many fantastic stories about buildings and events to share, but for me, the most special memory has to be my wedding—which took place on the roof of Plug-in-City!
WORK
As an architect, I’m lucky to be working on some truly exciting projects right now! They’re incredibly diverse—ranging from biobased residential towers to complex public spaces. A few highlights? The Salix Tower, built with straw, concrete, and wood; the Stadhuisplein in Eindhoven; and a linear park in Amsterdam. What ties them all together is a shared philosophy: sustainability, community, and affordability—lessons I’ve carried with me since my time with Plug-in-City.
Pic 2: Salix Toren, biobased (straw, wood, and concrete) tower in a park in Meerhoven
Pic 3: Stadhuisplein Eindhoven