The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has revealed the 2021 President’s Medals, recognizing the world’s best architecture student projects and dissertations. The award, now at its 185th edition, represents a record of academic results, providing a comprehensive image of contemporary architectural preoccupations. This year’s edition saw the greatest number of entries in the history of the award, with 338 entries nominated by 102 schools of architecture from 31 countries.
This year’s RIBA Silver Medal, which highlights the best project produced at RIBA Part 2 or equivalent, was awarded to Tiia Partanen from the University of Strathclyde for The Cloud Cooperative project. The Seeding Swanscombe Marshes designed by Ben Foulkes from The Bartlett School of Architecture received the RIBA Bronze Medal, while the Dissertation Model was awarded to A Culture of Craft: West Africa UNObjectified by Richard Adetokunbo Aina from the Architectural Association. The winning projects as well as the commended ones explore a variety of highly relevant topics, from climate emergency to the impact of technology and cultural identity.
In addition to the medals, RIBA revealed the Awards for Sustainable Design, currently at its third edition. This year, the accolade went to Gergana Negovanska (Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture) for The Last Straw: A Case for Reuse, Ratho Community Centre, while at Part 2 it went to Nicholas Honey and Robert Thackeray (Newcastle University) for Reclaiming Playtime. The Serjeant Awards for Excellence in Drawing have been awarded to Desislava Cholakova (London Southbank University) for Cathedral of Trade at Part 1, and to Elliott Afoke (Oxford Brookes University) for The Dalston Hub: A Vertical Market at Part 2.
Read on to discover the list of winners and commendations.
RIBA Silver Medal
The Cloud Cooperative / Tiia Partanen (University of Strathclyde)
The Cloud Cooperative looks at the rise in data collection, internet surveillance and infrastructure, and storage on the cloud, which have caused people to lose control of their data. Envisioned through the actions of future activist movement The Cloud Cooperative, Tiia's project seeks to challenge the current data monopoly and explores the creation of a secure, ethical new internet.
Commendations in the RIBA Silver Medal category:
- Janusz Moore (De Montfort University) for Ruincarnation
- Daniel Pope (The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL) for The Earthen Land Registry
- Finian Reece-Thomas (Kingston University) for An Art School in Enugu
RIBA Bronze Medal
Seeding Swanscombe Marshes / Ben Foulkes (The Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL))
Ben proposes the construction of an ecological courthouse at the site of a planned theme park, acting as a preventative method for its further development. Seeding Swanscombe Marshes also looks at the regeneration of salt marshes in the area and the eventual degradation of the building through its natural materials, which will have ecological benefits to the landscape.
Commendations in the RIBA Bronze Medal category:
- Rachel Caul (University of Cambridge) for Reclaiming the Ruin
- Conor Lawless (London Metropolitan University) for The Workers’ Enclave
- Oliver Skelton (University of Nottingham) for Making Do
RIBA Dissertation Medal
A Culture of Craft: West Africa UNObjectified / Richard Adetokunbo Aina (Architectural Association)
Richard’s dissertation explores how and why West African objects of particular tribes were crafted within their respective contexts and infrastructures, and how these sacred objects have been removed and dissociated. The Lobi peoples were selected by Richard as the thesis case study for their inherent craft and artistry and disenfranchised artefacts.
Commendations in the RIBA Dissertation Medal category:
- Ian Davide Bugarin (London Metropolitan University) for Bodies Split in Two: Contested Monsters and Queer Space in the Philippines
- Manuela Reitsma (Polytechnic University of Turin) for The Secular House: A Manual for Preservation and Seismic Improvement of Vernacular Stone Dwellings in Bhutan
- Ben Sykes-Thompson (Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL)) for ‘Overlooked Sounds’: Reinterpreting Traditional Japanese Architecture as Aural Space (High Commendation)
