Kazi Císařová: an architect in London

Personal Journey

Can you tell me a little about your journey to London? What brought you here?
I didn’t want to spend my year of practical training at university (TUL) in an office, and ideally not in the Czech Republic. I found a volunteer program (EVS) through the EU and went for 9 months to Italy, where I worked with children with mental disabilities. During that stay, I came to London to help a friend with a project submission. At her school, I was completely blown away by the energy and creativity of the people there. That’s when I learned about the opportunity to study at a university “for free” for new EU members (it was 2005, the year the Czech Republic joined the EU), and I think on the very same day I filled out an application for an architecture course. A few months later, I moved from Italy to London. I had originally planned to stay no more than 6 months, so that I could then return to finish school in Liberec with my classmates.

What were your first impressions of London compared to life in the Czech Republic?
London felt like the most fun and colorful city in the world. At that time, Liberec, where I studied, seemed boring to me, and Prague felt small.

Did your career ambitions play any role in going abroad, or did you start to develop them only after you arrived?
It wasn’t so much about career ambitions as it was about the desire to travel and meet people from all over the world. My parents were incredibly supportive, because they themselves didn’t have those kinds of opportunities when they were young.

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Architecture and Professional Life

How does working as an architect in London differ from how you know it, or imagine it, in the Czech Republic?
I never actually worked in the field in the Czech Republic, but many of my friends there are architects. In London, I am used to a certain style of communication and professional approach, which I don’t yet find so common in the Czech Republic. Most architects I know in the Czech Republic work on a self-employed basis, and often for offices that officially employ only a few people (to avoid paying employee-related costs – the so-called švarc system). But in principle, our work is not all that different. In the Czech Republic, however, it is notoriously difficult to obtain zoning decisions.

Do you feel that your Czech background influences your approach to design in any way?
Honestly, I don’t think so.

What challenges have you faced as a Czech architect in London?
The start of my career was made much easier by studying in London and by the contacts I made at university. I never felt my background was limiting – most of the offices I worked for had more foreigners than native Brits. Today, the bigger challenge feels more personal: I decided to start a family before building my career, and since then my ambitions have changed quite a lot. Language-wise, I still sometimes struggle with technical terms, but I would probably have the same problem with professional Czech.