The Moon Catcher is a student project that has received several prestigious architecture awards. This year, it has been displayed at the Venice Biennial Architecture Exhibition - Time Space Existence 2021, which aims to rethink architecture and re-envision new ways of living and promoting innovative approaches. This is the fifth edition of the exhibition presented by the European Cultural Centre, and the project can be seen in Palazzo Mora from May 22, 2021, until November 21, 2021. From mid-July, the exhibition will also be available online at www.timespaceexistence.com as a virtual tour. 

Project Description

Contemporary problems in London have exacerbated social media hate crimes, which are often associated with increased mental health issues that have led to a large percentage of young people suffering from anxiety, depression, and even considering suicide. Approximately 2 million Londoners have experienced detrimental effects to their mental health this year, largely attributable to social media technologies and emerging trends, such as the Posthumanism – we already have sexbots able to actualize our desires – isolating even the most intimate aspects of our lives. The Loneliness Experiment, conducted by Radio 4, indicated that 40% of people aged 16-24 feel lonely and disconnected, despite an abundance of “online” friends on social media platforms such as Facebook. 

Acquiescing Soho’s notorious history of nightlife culture and the sex industry, the Moon Catcher proposes a diurnal space whereby young people are able to connect with nature’s beauty, escape the blue light of their screens, and experience the pleasures offered by Epicureanism, i.e. of body and mind. In daylight, users can broaden their knowledge of cosmology and mental health, and stretch out on the craterous urban beach. At dusk, collective moonbathing becomes the dernier cri, welcoming extraterrestrial pleasures from the moon’s 8-phase cycle, before retiring to a private hotel room at the first light of dawn.

The Moon Catcher was awarded: 

AMP Best of Best Winner 

in the Culture Architecture Category (2020)

The Architecture MasterPrize

AMP Student Winner 

in the Other Interior Design Category (2020)

The Architecture MasterPrize

RIBA Silver Medal Commendation (2019)

The Royal Institute of British Architects

Jury Nomination Award

in the Architecture and Landscape Category (2019)

C-IDEA and Taiwan Creative Star Design Award

Nomination for AJ Students Prize (2019)

The Architects’ Journal

About Piotr Smiechowicz

Piotr Smiechowicz is an architectural designer with a background in art, architecture, and structural engineering. He has lived and studied in Poland, Portugal, and the UK, absorbing different approaches to design and culture. While practicing in Poland, he has gained valuable knowledge in the renovation and reconstruction of existing buildings. Piotr is currently involved in the design and construction of a range of architectural typologies, from public buildings, to commercial and cultural projects in Central London. After a few years, he has decided to open his own architectural practice, while also studying Professional Practice in Architecture Part 3 (ARB/RIBA) at UCL the Bartlett School of Architecture.

Piotr is also a Senior Lecturer at London South Bank University, and a co-leader for design studio 23 within the postgraduate course and technology tutor. Piotr has been working on a few personal research projects on the potential use of new energies, technologies in the context of sustainable development, and the psychology of perception, specifically relating to human behaviours and society. with a primary focus on the impact of architecture and urbanism on loneliness and isolation. Recently, he has prepared a space research project for students, fostering a better understanding of the possibilities of such technology on Earth. His intention is to further this research and to study how the space industry may have positive impacts on our architecture and the way that we envision design.

“Is the sky really the limit?”