Excellence in Design Awards Gala 2016

The AIA UK Chapter hosted the Excellence in Design Awards Gala 2016 on 18 April 2016 at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London. The impressive elegance of the Nash & Brand Rooms provided a warm and welcoming reception to the guests who arrived from different parts of the world to celebrate creativity, design and architecture.

The AIA UK sets an open awards platform in order to minimise restrictions and provide more opportunities for architects and designers to submit their projects. This year the AIA UK set 3 categories (Student, Young Architect and Professional) to balance the competition so younger architects do not compete with larger, long-established firms.

The jury's review process involved a full day of long, ardent debate over the anonymous submissions, clearly indicating the high quality of the submissions received, and confirming evidence that the UK is a leading centre for innovation and design. As an outcome, the jury decided to award three commendations for the Professional category.

Frederick Grier, President of the AIA UK, paid tribute to the late Dame Zaha Hadid, sharing the highlights of her involvement with the AIA UK chapter from inception both as a juror and as an award winner, in addition to her involvement in other AIA UK events.

The members of the jury included: Armstrong Yakubu, Charlotte Skene Catling, Michel Mossessian, Alex Lifschutz, Amy Frearson, Frederick Grier and Adrian Evans. On the evening, the jury was represented by Amy Frearson who announced the winners by elaborating on the jury comments for each winning project.

The 2016 AIA UK Excellence in Design winners:

Noel Hill Student Travel Award
Tonderai Prince Maboreke - Ravensbourne University
Southbank Pavilion