It was a pleasure to host the finalists for the 17th year of our 3DReid Student Prize. We are delighted to announce Warren D’Souza from the University of Bath as this years winner. Tutors were invited to nominate one Part II student to be in with the chance of winning the £1,000 prize. The prize had over 20 entries from the top UK architecture schools and all schemes were to an exceptional standard.
This year’s shortlisted students stood out for the quality of their presentation, sensitivity and creativity, with a richness to the visuals including impressive film work, drawings and visualisations that gave the judging panel lots to consider.
The anonymous nature of nominations and the shortlisting process resulted in an encouraging majority of entries by female architects, which bodes well for an industry working hard to bring an equality agenda to the fore.
The subject matter of the final presentations was broad, from dealing with real world issues such as dementia care and a refuge for displaced vulnerable women to an incredibly incisive and satirical view of society’s obsession with social media and its metaphor for the façade. These promoted plenty of debate among the judges.
Ultimately the panel agreed that Bath student Warren D’Souza’s cultural project promoting traditional textile craft in the city of Udaipur was the most comprehensive, rational and resolved response with a superb depth of drawings, line work and material consideration that worked hard to ensure locally sourced materials were used throughout. Graham Hickson Smith, Managing Director said: “You can see this getting built and used. Warren’s portfolios supporting his presentation would make any commercial practice proud. A stunning piece of work”. Warren’s presentation can be viewed here.
