Jake Cripwell, alumnus of the Master of Architecture (MArch) (RIBA pt II) course and part of Design Studio 22, has won a Highly Commended Award in the Environmental category at the Drawing of the Year competition for his drawing titled ‘The Creeping Seaweed Gardens, Fish's-Eye View’.
The Drawing of the Year is an annual international competition by Archisource, and 2021 saw thousands of entries from over 80 countries. The competition celebrates the very best, outstanding drawings created by students and professionals around the world each year, and it is becoming a widely recognised and aspirational series of awards in the architecture and design community. Past winners have gone on to be widely published and some have kickstarted their own studios.
Jake’s drawing, titled ‘The Creeping Seaweed Gardens, Fish Eye’s View’, was part of a year-long project based in Berlin, in which he explored the potential of using the River Spree as a tool for the re-introduction of Berlin’s gardening culture, whilst also allowing the city to become more resilient to uncertain future climatic extremes. The river was a central part of the project, and this was reflected in the drawing style which celebrates the water and offers new perspectives of Berlin.
Speaking about his award, Jake said: “I was very proud of my project and this drawing in particular, but I was really surprised when I heard that it had been highly commended. A huge shock, but a very welcome one. I’m really that glad that I applied! Thank you very much to Archisource for the recognition, and of course my tutors Nasser and Yara, without whom this project would not have come to life in the way that it did.”
Talking about Jake’s drawing, the judges at the competition said: “Cripwell’s imagery is uniquely immersive and beautifully drawn. It is always fantastic to see original perspectives that are so clearly driven by the project whilst being an important tool for their communication. A view that would not be necessary or possible for other projects, it immerses the viewer in both the project and the environmental problem being addressed. The environmentally driven project explores a future that celebrates the inevitable flooding, choosing to celebrate and embrace the change of environment rather than fight it.”
Find out more about the Drawing of the Year 2021 on the Archisource website.
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