Architecture students at the University of Westminster have been awarded more than £15,000 in prizes as part of OPEN 2021 in the virtual Student Architecture Awards ceremony which celebrates the work they created throughout their courses.
The Student Architecture Awards were hosted virtually for the first time and run in tandem with the online iteration of the OPEN 2021 degree show covering the School of Architecture + Cities. OPEN 2021 launched virtually in June and presented the creative work of more than 750 students across the School. It reflected varied design approaches, celebrating the University’s diverse students and their place at the heart of London.
The Awards cover the full gamut of courses offered by the School, and were presented by a range of external sponsors and academics responsible for nominations. The corporate donors, including prestigious organisations such as Foster + Partners, VOLA and JCDecaux, sponsored different prizes for the Architecture students.
Foster + Partners, a British architecture firm which works internationally, sponsored two prizes for Technical Innovation in Design. Momchil ‘Momo’ Petrinski was the winner of the undergraduate prize, while James Mason secured the MArch prize.
Talking about the projects, Antoinette Nassopoulos, Senior Partner and Design Team Leader at Foster + Partners, said: “For Foster + Partners, technology is at the forefront of our approach to design and delivery of our projects. We are delighted to sponsor the prizes for Technological Innovation in Design. This past year, all students have truly tested the myriad of possibilities of technology to the max and therefore they all deserve plaudits. In particular, we congratulate Momchil Petrinski and James Mason for the winning of the Undergraduate Award and the Master of Architecture award respectively.”
JCDecaux, who are the biggest outdoor advertising corporation in the world, have supported five awards as part of the Student Architecture Awards for the Designing Cities: Planning and Architecture Course. JCDecaux awarded Nicole Pietrucha the First Year Studio prize, Mugel Khalafalla won the Second Year Studio prize for Best Improvement, and Daniel Sefton was awarded the Third Year student prize. Ciara Clapp and Alicia Privett were also awarded the shared prize for Best Dissertation.
Martin Stephens, Director of Planning at JCDecaux, said: “JCDecaux is a proud sponsor of this award and is committed to promoting innovation and creativity and the ambition of making our cities inspiring places to visit, live and work. This award encourages the Planners and Designers of the future to realise the public realm of tomorrow.”
Recipients of The Shoaib Rawat Memorial Prize, which was set up in memory of Shoaib with generous support from the Rawat family were Rebecca Gardner who received first prize, Alexandros Tzortzis de Paz who received second prize and Helen Windsor who received third prize.
VOLA UK, the University’s partner for ten years, sponsor nine prizes for Interior Architecture students. The Best Portfolio award was awarded to first year student Julie Beech, second year student Tatiana Akhmetova and third year student Karan Vadgama. Second year student Nada Attar received the award for Best Video, while Valentina Cazacu was awarded the prize for Commitment and Contribution to the Year. Second year student Julia Knapek also won the prize for Best Material Investigation, while the Best Design Report award was given to third year student Victoria Berry and the VOLA Prize for Innovation was given to third year student Vernel Verzo.
Amaya Eastman, Manager at VOLA, said: “The Interior Architecture Course was relatively new when VOLA started its collaboration, it has been a privilege for VOLA to see the talent and ingenuity that has emerged over the years. This year especially with all its uncertainty and challenges, I congratulate you all for getting through it.”
The final award, the Technical Studies prize supported by Bibliotheque McLean, were Raoul Tomaselli, Brandon Clark, Mario Priore, Lilla Porkolab and April Glasby.
Talking about the awards, Professor Harry Charrington, Head of the School of Architecture + Cities, said: “The School was delighted to be able to host the award ceremony again, and to be able to do it from our Marylebone home with guests and students joining us virtually. In this year, more than ever, we are immensely grateful for the generosity of our sponsors which enable us to recognise the outstanding achievements of our students under remarkably difficult circumstances. They also reinforce the close connections between our courses and practice, and the value that employers place on our students’ work.”
Simay Sali Sevik, Development Manager at the University of Westminster, added: “Awards funded by corporates and families are great ways to recognise students’ academic excellence and talent. We are proud to be the University Partner of these companies who are leaders in their sectors and grateful for their generous support.”
To find out more about University Corporate Partnerships or setting up a prize fund of your own, email [email protected].
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