The Architecture Thesis of the Year | ATY 2020 an international architecture thesis competition organized by the Charette, unveiled the winners of this year’s edition. Aiming to “extend appreciation to the tireless effort and exceptional creativity of student thesis in the fields of Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape and Restoration”, the contest gathered over 1000 entries from all over the world.
Seeking to encourage young talent by highlighting their ideas and bringing them to the forefront, the competition received over 1000 entries from 104 nations across the world. This year’s jury included Marcio Kogan (Studio MK27, Brazil), Bruno Rollet (Bruno Rollet Architecte, Paris), Daniela Deutsch (Associate Prof., NewSchool of Architecture & Design, California), Dr. Caroline Hachem-Vermette (Assistant Prof, University of Calgary, Canada) and Stefan Kristofferson (Stratic, Germany, Sweden & India). The contest is an annual competition and will be released again in the summer of 2021.
Read on to discover the results of the 2020 edition of the competition and the top three winners.
1st Prize Winner
ISTHME // L e CHAOS SENSIBLE
Dafni Filippa and Meriam Sehimi from Germany
The students from the Technical University of Munich designed a scheme that the jury described as “poetic, based on real-life observations, lightweight and extraordinarily beautiful.” Jurors loved the simplicity and fluidity of the masterplan and how another culture is interpreted. They felt that drawings are adequate, sensitive, and stunning.
2nd Prize Winner
AMAZONIA TRANS _ TRI _ FRONTERIZA
Fabiola del Carmen Cruz Ballardo from Peru
Three countries: Peru, Brazil, Bolivia; and two communities: Mancheron, Yamaha. All separated by artificial borders. Nevertheless, they share a common Amazonian culture. There is a will to unite people in this project, to respect different traditions, to propose different places, uniting past present, and future with traditional languages, medical plants, and culture. A « bridge » is created to consolidate this place and to respect it through the world: it can be seen as an SOS. Because this project is also implicitly about the amazon forest: calling to save its richness, be it natural or cultural.
3rd Prize Winner
Philip Springall from the United Kingdom
His project is a multidisciplinary exploration of Alzheimer’s disease, architecture, and neuroscience. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that slowly strips away the notions of place, memory, identity, and the self. The project investigates the role that architecture and the built environment can play in improving the lives of those with Alzheimer’s disease. The jury felt that the project “…contemplates a powerful concept which might have great applications in the real world.”