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Bartlett Graduates Recognised at the 2020 RIBA President’s Medals
2 December 2020
Congratulations to three Bartlett graduates who have been celebrated by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Bronze Medal awarded to Tengku Sharil Bin Tengku Abdul Kadir (lead image)
The RIBA Bronze Medal, awarded for the best design project produced at RIBA Part 1 or equivalent, goes to Tengku Sharil Bin Tengku Abdul Kadir, Architecture BSc, for his project ‘One Tree Manual.’
In Sharil's project, a timber institute is situated as an extension of a forested area in suburban Stockholm. Its architecture critically revisits timber construction through the lens of a single tree to counteract inefficiencies of logging. By deriving specific parameters from a local pine tree’s properties, the processes of harnessing it as an architectural element are tactically rechoreographed. The project seeks a paradigm shift in attitudes and methodology towards the employment of timber and trees in architecture.
“It’s an incredible honour to receive the bronze medal, especially after the unprecedented circumstances of the past months. I am incredibly grateful for the continued dedication of my tutors across time zones and the immense support of my peers and family. I share the joy of this recognition with everyone involved who made this achievement possible.
- Tengku Sharil Bin Tengku Abdul Kadir
Sharil was in Design Unit UG5, led by tutors Julia Backhaus and Ben Hayes. He previously won an AJ Sustainability Award for the same project.
Bronze Medal Commendation for Heba Mohsen
Heba Mohsen, Architecture BSc, was awarded a Commendation in Bronze Medal Category for her project ‘Florida Peak’.
Florida Peak interrogates the emergence of an architecture through the principles of chaos theory, exploring the relationship between space and time through the construction of a hotel. The scheme is situated upon the highest point in Florida, a 114m tall stack of radioactive mining waste, from which the architecture is exclusively constructed. Radioactivity is inherently time sensitive and this allows the building to proclaim a temporal state, rather than a purely physical one. The spaces within this project have durational and temporal qualities, not just literal geographic ones.
“ My project was unconventional, and perhaps unexpected. To have the confidence to pursue a project like this is testament to the support of both tutors and students at The Bartlett.
- Heba Mohsen
Heba was in Design Unit UG7, led by tutors Pascal Bronner and Thomas Hillier.
Silver Medal Commendation for Yip Wing Siu
Yip Wing Siu, Architecture MArch, was awarded a Commendation in the Silver Medal Category, which recognises the best design project produced at RIBA Part 2 or equivalent. Yip was awarded for his project ‘Designing With Bata: New Doggerlands, A Dynamic Masterplan for Enabling the East Tilbury Commons.’
Instead of working against the forces of nature, the ’commonity’ of East Tilbury has long sought to return to a nomadic way of life, forgoing the rampant pressures and excess of the neoliberal city for something more attuned; living with (and not against) the land. Returning to principles of the historic commons, their settlement has been designed with the foresight of adapting to change in both land and waterscapes, where the dynamic (master) plan is built across time, seasons and tides to speculate with new forms of living.
“It has been extremely exciting and rewarding to receive a commendation for the RIBA Silver Medal this year. In particular, this announcement reaffirms the importance of collaborative design, and as we move through the current crisis, to be mindful of how the status-quo of architecture should be challenged to become more attuned to the delicate ecosystem(s) we cohabit. I would like to thank my amazing tutors, friends and family for their support and to hopefully take this research as a stepping stone to solving (some) of our ‘wicked’ problems.
- Yip Wing Siu
Yip was in Design Unit PG13, led by tutors Sabine Storp and Patrick Weber.
“Congratulations to Sharil, Heba and Yip on a fantastic achievement. They join a long list of Bartlett students who have been recognised by the RIBA President’s Medals over the years. This is testament to the outstanding quality of our teaching and the talent of the students we attract.
- Professor Bob Sheil, Director, The Bartlett School of Architecture
More information
The RIBA President’s Medals were established in 1836 and are the RIBA’s oldest awards. In 2020, the RIBA President’s Medals had the highest ever number of entries in their 184-year-old history: 336 entries nominated by 118 schools of architecture located in 32 countries.
Architecture at The Bartlett
- Learn more about Architecture BSc at The Bartlett
- Learn more about Architecture MArch at The Bartlett