Five Part 2 students have each won £5,000 towards their final year of study as well as mentoring
Five Part 2 students have been announced as the recipients of the 2014 RIBA Wren Insurance Association Scholarships. Each wins £5,000 towards their final year of study as well as the opportunity to be mentored by one of the 56 architectural practices that are members of Wren.
The winners are: Keith Diplock (University of Kent); Thomas Glover (Royal College of Art); Lucy Moroney; (Architectural Association); Rebecca Muirhead (University College London); and Victoria Slater (University of Liverpool).
The five were chosen from 50 entries by a judging panel that included Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects and Jonathan Hall of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. Judges were looking for students who had the potential to make a significant contribution to the field of architecture.
‘The standard of work submitted this year was incredibly high, and it was with great difficulty that the judging panel made their decision,’ says RIBA President Stephen Hodder. ‘The funds and unique mentoring experience now available to Keith, Thomas, Lucy, Rebecca and Victoria will undoubtedly help them as they advance in their promising architecture careers.’
Lucy Moroney’s portfolio includes an intriguing transportable component house for a horse, which gives visual access to the animal’s adjacent human companion.
Even more valuable than the cash portion of the prize is the opportunity to be mentored for the goals I have set for myself this year.
‘This generous award is affording me the opportunity to give greater focus and concentration to my studies in the final year, by liberating my time,’ she says. ‘I think even more valuable than the cash portion of the prize is the opportunity to be mentored for the goals I have set for myself this year.’
Moroney plans to explore how the mind’s perceptions can be chemically manipulated, and also ‘new behaviours and moments in reading space’.
Thomas Glover’s work features a 3D printing community building, designed for a future world where everything will be 3D printed. He plans to use the scholarship to fund his research into digital manufacturing technologies in architecture, with a particular focus on flood-responsive design.
Keith Diplock’s portfolio includes an advanced automated construction project as well as a museum extension project in a Malta. Rebecca Muirhead‘s work includes a co-operative salt mine with buildings arranged in radial form. Victoria Slater plans to tackle the gentrification of post-war social housing in her dissertation.