Architecture alumna selected as finalist for Young Talent Architecture Award for final diploma project

The awards recognise excellence in final diploma works by recently graduated architects, aiming to support the future of the architectural and urban planning industry. The finalists are chosen for their design’s innovation, sustainability and excellence. Ruta’s project was selected as a finalist for the Young Talent Open Architecture Awards, which is open to schools from the African continent and European countries outside of Creative Europe. This prestigious architecture prize is organised by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the European Commission Creative Europe.

Ruta’s project, one of five selected for the final round of the prize, centres around the coastal edge of Posillipo, Naples. Paradise on the Edge looks to “encourage a new way of communal living following a clean environment vision whilst protecting the edge between the crumbling Naples land and the constantly moving sea”. Ruta’s proposal is designed to rebuild “the connections between ecology and health, for a more holistic approach to the contemporary crisis of survival”. Ruta’s project is currently on display in the Laboratory of Education, part of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2023.

Speaking about the award, Ruta said: “It is a great honour to be recognised and chosen as one of the finalists. It is an incredible moment in my professional career. Thanks to the EU Mies Van der Rohe Young Talent Open Architecture Award for motivating me to continue having the highest level of dedication in Architecture. And I hope to continue doing my best in the future.”

The winner of the EU Mies Young Talent Open Architecture Award will be announced on 29 June at the Palazzo Michiel in Venice, judged by an international jury of industry experts.

Find out more about Architecture courses at the University of Westminster.