The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and A&DS Student Awards

 

The RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal for Best 5th Year Student

Winner: Mohannad Khalaf:  MArch Advanced Architectural Design (with Distinction) 2020

Self and Others: Towards Glasgow as an Inter-subjective Project

Project Description 

Cities are never homogeneous, the differences from one city to the other is what defines it. Yet differences too often are weaponized, used against others by clouded individuals and communities who only see the differences, rather than the similarities we share. Glasgow is no exception, sectarianism, class-ism, religious and other forms of divisions have long been existing within its communities. 

This project therefore attempts at addressing these issues, in addition to the divisions we carry within, such as conflicting identity, fear of change and isolation. In its formation, this project has drawn its guidance by using non-observable tensions whose reality exist within the self and among others. Those emotional tensions are projected into the physical reality and are translated into critical architecture which aims at joining form and culture. An Architecture that stands in resistance to the forces which have long been creating tensions that are shaping our societies. 

Self & Others is a bold, spiritual project exploring a series of spaces and divisions in Glasgow. It has a very brave brief resulting in a powerful contemplative project; where tension turns into architecture. It was refreshing to see a project take something like this on and explore social sustainability in this manner. The scale and ambition of the project is incredibly impressive with its spirit running through every drawing. One can imagine this in situ in Glasgow, reflecting a true sense of place and identity. A very worth winner with exceptional levels of representation  

Judges Comments  

Mohannad's project panels can be see in our Showcase Awards section

Shortlisted projects 2020
Third Year
Shortlisted: Patcharapon Taiyarach: Shape of Scotland
A&DS Urban Design Award
Shortlisted: Daniel Tihanyi: Preservation and Enhancement: Vision for a Yemeni Mountain Settlement
RIAS Any MacMillan Drawing Award
Shortlisted: Irene Palmiotto: Instauratio Urbis III
Mohannad Khalaf: Self and Others: Towards Glasgow as an Inter-subjective Project

Shortlisted projects 2019
Fifth Year
Shortlisted: Douaa Arkoub: No Borders "Presence and Absence"-Glasgow Damascus
Third Year
Shortlisted: Andrew Martin McCluskie: Sauchiehall Poetry Experience/Housing Craft Based Business-Glasgow
A&DS Urban Design Award
Shortlisted: Dilyana Krushkova: Nature on Edge: The Hebridean Resilience Platform-Outer Hebridies, Scotland

2018
Fifth Year
Commended: Karolina Petruskeviciute: Removing Boundaries: Social, architectural and urban strategy for informal settldements, Nuevo Palmar, Santa Cruz
A&DS Urban Design Award
Winner: Marina Eftchia Konstantopoulou and Evangelia Giannoulaki: Synchroni[CITY]: unravelling urban narratives through public consolidation
A&DS Award for Sustainable Design
Commended: Karolina Petruskeviciute: Removing Boundaries: Social, architectural and urban strategy for informal settldements, Nuevo Palmar, Santa Cruz
RIAS Any MacMillan Drawing AwardCommended: Marina Eftchia Konstantopoulou and Evangelia Giannoulaki: Synchroni[CITY]: unravelling urban narratives through public consolidation

2017 Silver Medal

Winning Project: Asylum, Scottish Youth Parliament and Ministry of Education, Glasgow Green and Calton
Paschalis Kyrtsopoulos, University of Strathclyde, won the RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal for best Fifth Year Student with a “bold, vigorous and dynamic proposal” for a Scottish Youth Parliament and Ministry for Education. Judges' Citation: "Paschalis presented a bold, vigorous, dynamic, detuned, energetic proposal, with an ambitious idea about democracy. He shows architectural form without fear, through a very clear journey.

2015 Silver Medal
The Department of Architecture's Neal Whitaker won the RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal 2015 for the Best Scottish Student. Neal's project which won two awards, was a design for a sustainable brickmaking company in a Mumbai slum. Judges noted: "This is a humanitarian thesis, a manifesto for local empowerment. While the developed architectural forms are well beyond mere functional requirements, this is an enlightened and sophisticated expression of a big ambition. The proposition is that social justice be delivered through an accomplished, architectural approach".

 

A&DS (Architecture and Design Scotland) is Scotland's champion for excellence in placemaking, architecture and planning. An Executive NDPB of the Scottish Government, A+DS champions the highest standards in architecture and placemaking across all sectors, advocating a better understanding of the importance of quality design in both the public and private sectors.

RIAS (The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland) is the professional body for all chartered architects in Scotland and is the foremost professional institute in the country dealing with architecture and the built environment.

Strathclyde's past winners are featured in our Awards galleries.