Architecture BA Honours student Fiona Gyamfi has been announced as the inaugural recipient of Westminster’s new Architecture scholarship in partnership with WilkinsonEyre. Set up in memory of the company’s Founder and Westminster alumnus Chris Wilkinson, the scholarship honours his legacy of innovation and excellence in architecture.
The new WilkinsonEyre Scholarship will make studying Architecture more accessible by providing a bursary of £10,000 to second-year students studying on Westminster’s Architecture BA Honours course over two years.
After graduating with a Diploma in Architecture from Westminster in 1970, Chris went onto set up his own practice called Chris Wilkinson Architects in 1983. Following his partnership with Jim Eyre in 1987, the practice was renamed WilkinsonEyre in 1999. WilkinsonEyre became the first architecture studio to win the RIBA Stirling Prize twice with the Magna Science Centre in Rotherham (2001) and the Gateshead Millenium Bridge (2002). The practice has also designed celebrated buildings across the world including the Guangzhou International Finance Centre in China and Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
About the scholarship, the WilkinsonEyre team said: “WilkinsonEyre is delighted to commemorate one of its founding partners through supporting his alma mater, the University of Westminster, in their mission to foster diverse talent through the new WilkinsonEyre Scholarship. Through this bursary, we hope to remove one of the many barriers to entry and encourage future talent.”
Fiona Gyamfi, inaugural recipient of the WilkinsonEyre Scholarship
On becoming the inaugural WilkinsonEyre scholar, Fiona said: “To be the first Architecture scholar to receive an award as incredible as the WilkinsonEyre Scholarship is surreal. To have all my work, ambitions and efforts both recognised and supported is beyond encouraging to a student who otherwise wouldn’t have access to opportunities like these. The chance for promising students to be acknowledged and supported is so important within this industry, it helps immensely to bridge the obstacles and difficulties that could impact their journey into the profession. To have been acknowledged as a student with potential is inspiring and heartening. I’m deeply grateful for the support, patronage and experience the scholarship will provide through the generosity of WilkinsonEyre.”
Simay Sali Sevik, Development Manager at Westminster, added: “This partnership not only honours Chris Wilkinson’s remarkable legacy but also embodies the power of collaboration in creating meaningful change. By removing financial barriers, this scholarship is opening doors for talented students like Fiona Gyamfi to thrive in architecture—a field that benefits greatly from diverse perspectives and voices.”
The scholarship contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
If you or your organisation would like to help foster the next generation of innovators by supporting scholarships and initiatives like this, please contact the Development team.
Discover more scholarships and bursaries available at the University of Westminster.
Find out more about Westminster’s Architecture, Interiors and Urban Design courses.
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