Architecture students at the University of Westminster have been awarded more than £15,000 in prizes in prizes as part of OPEN 2022 in the Student Architecture Awards ceremony which celebrates the work they created throughout their courses.
The Student Architecture Awards were hosted in-person in tandem with the first physical OPEN degree show in four years covering the School of Architecture + Cities. OPEN 2022 launched in June and presented the creative work of 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 array 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.
JCDecaux, who are the biggest outdoor advertising corporation in the world, have supported five awards as part of the Student Architecture Awards. Nicola Perry and Marcelo Murillo Smith were both awarded the First Year Prize for Best Studio Work; Kourosh Shabani Shahir won the Second Year Prize for Best Improvement – Studio Work; Mugel Khalafalla won the Third Year Prize for Best Studio Work; and Marie Kaune won the Third Year Prize for Best Research Report.
VOLA UK, the University’s partner for ten years, sponsored nine prizes. At Level 6, Amber Harvey won for Design Portfolio; Trevena Read won for Design Report and Zhengyao (Ian) Xu and Hannah Smith won for Innovation. At Level 5, the Best Design Idea award was presented to Eliana Mankel, the Best Material Investigation award was given to Nafeesa Banara whilst Best Portfolio was awarded to Julie Beech. At Level 4, Best Portfolio was presented to Manal Ali; Best Model was awarded to Sara Vannella and the Commitment and Contribution to the Year award was handed to Alexandra Hutanu.
Recipients of The Shoaib Rawat Memorial Prize, which was set up in memory of Shoaib with generous support from the Rawat family were Moin Mahomad Rafik who received first prize, Rebecca Kelly who received second prize and Zadee Garrigue who received third prize.
Foster + Partners, a British architecture firm which works internationally, sponsored two prizes for Technical Innovation in Design. Hugo Reis Santos was the winner of the undergraduate prize, while Rukhsar Zahid secured the MArch prize.
Aaron Holden, Partner at Foster + Partners, said: “Congratulations to all the students for putting on such an impressive end of year show. Foster + Partners are proud to sponsor the prizes for Technical Innovation in Design - values central to our own work. With special praise reserved for the inspiring work of Rukhsar Zahid, MArch award winner and Hugo Santos, Undergraduate award winner.”
Daniella Rodriguez, Development Officer at the University of Westminster, added: “We are incredibly grateful for the continued support and kindness from all our award sponsors. Receiving an award from an industry leader serves as a powerful confidence boost for our students. Thank you for celebrating and recognising their talent, dedication and passion.”
To find out more about University Corporate Partnerships or setting up a prize fund of your own, email [email protected].
