Slovakian architect Roman Trizuliak ended up working in Ireland purely by chance. On a visit to Prague he was flicking through a newspaper and saw a job advert.
He applied to Irish firm Project Architects which interviewed him in Prague and offered him a job. "Within a week I was packing my bags and leaving," says Roman who had set up in practice, in Slovakia, with two friends after leaving architectural college. The trio won a competition to design a pedestrian zone in a small Slovakian town, which was considered for the Mies van der Rohe award.
Roman worked for both Project Architects and Derek Tynan before coming to Murray O'Laoire over four years ago. "I'd heard nothing about architecture in Ireland before I came to this country," says Roman whose initial hurdle was his lack of English. "The first two months were crucial in just learning everyday communication with people."
He's been impressed by the level of professionalism in Ireland and thinks the RIAI plays a valuable role in setting standards: in the development of education and experience. "It gives architects here a common ground which I don't really see in Slovakia. There isn't the same level of guidance coming from the institute although that is changing now."
Slovakia has a strong Modernist tradition, with particular influences from Adolf Loos, Mies van der Rohe and Peter Behrens (Bratislava is just up the road from Vienna, a Modernist hub).
"There are some lovely modern buildings in Slovakia," says Roman but, as in Ireland, people do have trouble trying to step into the shoes of Modernist architects, he says, because of the compromises that have to be made, usually with clients.
In praise of architects who seek their own path, he cites his former employer. "Derek Tynan says that he makes spaces, not architecture."
Seeking planning permission is more complex in his home country, he says, where you need to get agreements from utility companies before sending in the planning drawings.
These drawings are more detailed than they are here and usually include structural, services and electrical engineers' drawings too. Saving money on architects' fees, the tender drawings then tend to be skipped, with the project going straight to working drawings.
The differences in climate also affects detailing of buildings in the two countries, says Roman.
"In Slovakia there are huge temperature changes between summer and winter, from -20 degrees and to 30 degrees, so you need to be really careful about the insulation of buildings, and ventilation. "In Ireland, on the other hand, you have to detail everything to prevent moisture damage from the humidity."
There is also the issue of detailing for the skills at hand. "On smaller domestic jobs, in Slovakia, you have to detail with the knowledge that the house will probably be built by the owners. If you want to protect your design, you need to be on site nearly every day showing the family how to build each part of the structure."
