A brave new world - RIBA President’s Medals 2011

Silver Medal winner Kibwe Tavares stole the show at the presentation of the RIBA Presidents’ Medals last night. His Robots of Brixton Part 2 project has already proved a hit on YouTube and Vimeo for its animation element showing a degraded south London populated by robots in an exploration of immigration, riots and urban form. Tavares, who studied at the Bartlett, admitted that it has opened up discussions on race, politics and architecture – perhaps inevitable in that it not only drew on the 1981 Brixton riots but prefigured this summer’s unrest.

The thirty-seven projects on the strong international shortlist showed a strand of socially and politically engaged projects as demonstrated by the Tavares and other winners. Bronze Medal winner Basmah H Kaki, from the Architectural Association, brought together the poetry of sound and the devastated landscape of an Indian granite quarry to create a centre for the relief and treatment of miners of delicacy and defensive beauty. The Dissertation Medal was won by Hannah Robertson for her study of design methods for a real project for self-built homes for remote aboriginal communities in Australia.  Robertson, who had travelled over from Australia to accept the award, expressed her desire to continue to be involved in social architecture.

David Gloster, RIBA director of education said ‘The breadth of response was remarkable, but the emerging message was also clear: students haven’t given up on architecture as a catalyst for change, and nor should we.’

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From a dystopian vision of Brixton, to a sanctuary for quarry workers in Bangalore, to new homes for a remote Aboriginal community in Australia, this year’s RIBA President’s Medals Student Awards, in association with Atkins, show how today’s architecture students around the world are grappling with pressing social issues and, through architecture, coming up with original solutions.

The winners of the President’s Medals were announced on Wednesday 7 December 2011 at the RIBA in London.

Kibwe Tavares, a student of The Bartlett, University College London, has won the Silver Medal – awarded to a Part 2 project (second degree) – for Robots of Brixton. Taking the existing buildings of Brixton as a starting point, and eerily prescient of this summer’s riots in English cities, this startling short film combines architectural drawings and futuristic animation to comment on the social tensions of inner city life. The judges said: “We were stunned by the research work that went into making this film: not only had an urban environment been designed but the film itself was a complex design project. An amazing piece of work that is truly exciting and inspirational.”

The Bronze Medal – for a Part 1 project (first degree) – has been awarded to Basmah Kaki, a student at the Architectural Association. An acoustic lyrical mechanism is an ingenious design which exploits the natural environment to create a sanctuary for workers, protecting them from damage caused by noise pollution in an Indian granite quarry. The judges said: “This is beautifully presented, but equally impressive is the journey of architectural exploration. Prototypes have been made, and topographical models used to help analyse the impact of wind and the visual and sound environment that the building would create.’

Hannah Robertson, of the University of Melbourne, receives the Dissertation Medal for her work Bush Owner Builder which develops culturally sensitive and appropriate homes for an indigenous community in the far north of Queensland. Designs that emerged from working closely with the Aboriginal community are now being built on ‘homeland’ sites. The judges said: “This dissertation warmed our hearts with its social concern. A sensitive and respectful piece of work, it rethinks the world of the architect and shows people not as clients but as genuine participants in the creative architectural process.”

Congratulating the winners, RIBA President Angela Brady said: “The winners of this year’s RIBA President’s Medals show the outstanding talent of today’s architecture students. With highly creative and inspired thinking they are confronting real social issues – and showing how quality architectural design improves the quality of people’s lives. I am delighted to present these awards.”

Philip Watson, Design Director, Atkins, added: “The industry needs to encourage and celebrate creativity and innovation, which is why Atkins continues to support the RIBA President’s Medals Student Awards. The best entries this year tackled social, economic and environmental issues head-on, showing real awareness and a refreshing sense of optimism.”

The winning projects will be displayed at the RIBA from 7 December 2011 until 28 January 2012. The exhibition will then travel to Newcastle, Liverpool and Dublin, with other venues in the United Kingdom, Australia, Romania and the United Arab Emirates to be confirmed.

This year saw the highest number ever of entries for the President’s Medals: 276 entries from 83 schools of architecture in 27 countries.