Chybik + Kristof Architects Reveal Debut Monograph ‘Crafting Character’

Designs Redefining Architecture Through Contemporary Solutions.

For over a decade, CHK has been shaping the future horizons of built environments possessing a social and cultural significance, with a distinctive layer of character transcending the mere physical value. Narrating a new architectural chronic, the inaugural volume explores the studio’s fresh take on architecture and design, advocating for the power of architecture in creating a progressive future.

CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS (CHK) announce the launch of their first monograph ‘Crafting Character’ presenting over a decade of the architects' work, with a debut in the fall of 2023. This comprehensive collection of their most notable projects shares their solutions to our currently most pressing issues as well as their design philosophy and innovative approach to architecture, focus on social impact and environmental responsibility, as crucial elements of impactful social change.

Published by FRAME Publishers with a foreword by architecture critic Aaron Betsky, the monograph highlights fourteen projects crafted around eight themes ranging from adaptive reuse, public actors, prefabricated modularity, affordability, integration, materiality, self-initiated transformation and importance of the context.

The title ‘Crafting Character’ encapsulates the studio's design approach, characterized by the thoughtful process of crafting buildings that transpire a sense of belonging, ultimately reinvigorating spaces with distinctive personality. The monograph expresses CHK’s methodology to merge groundbreaking design solutions with contextual sensitivity, resulting in spaces that harmoniously interact with their surroundings, convey a true sense of purpose and leave a lasting impression on those who experience them.

‘Crafting Character’ portrays architecture as a spatial dialogue, a dynamic interplay between character and audience, book and reader, building and city. Within this narrative, fourteen cinematic vignettes spotlight projects personified as unique characters, each possessing its own rich history and stories to share. Each vignette emphasizes the connection between relational culture and CHK’s practice highlighting the common bonds within a space rather than any individual arguments and divisions within it – reflecting their human-centered approach to contemporary architecture.

Framed by insightful commentary throughout by writer Adrian Madlener guiding through the world of CHK unfolding within the pages, following the expert edit by François-Luc Giraldeau, ‘Crafting Character’ infuses their distinctive voices within the monograph’s narrative, establishing them as the influences of this generation.

This monograph is a testament to our studio's dedication of infusing cultural meaning and social relevance into all built environments, ensuring that these structures become more than just spaces but rather expressions of a collective identity and repositories of history, making them indispensable assets that communities are determined to preserve for generations to come.’ explain Ondřej Chybík and Michal Kristof, the founders of CHYBIK + KRISTOF. ‘We are excited to share the stories behind our projects and inspire fellow architects, designers, and architecture enthusiasts.’

The monograph is as a tribute to the studio's commitment to pushing boundaries, shaping experiences, and crafting architecture with a character that inspires and engages on multiple levels.

‘Crafting Character’ will be released in September in Europe and in November in North America, and will be available on FRAME Publisher’s website, ACC Art Books and Thames&Hudson website, and selected design and book stores.