RIBA President's Awards for Research 2013

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the President’s Awards for Research 2013. The awards recognise high-quality research and encourage its distribution and incorporation into the wider profession to foster innovation and strategic thinking.

The RIBA President's Award for Outstanding Master's Degree Thesis Winner is Fay Al Khalifa of Sheffield University for “An urban healing agenda for reform in Bahrain” where

Al Khalifa successfully tackled the implications of rapid change in Bahrain in a post-oil world in this well executed study. The author consulted key players including the Bahrain Ministry of Culture and the University of Bahrain, that contributed to this sophisticated MA, full of astute observations and recommendations; a relevant and important topic tackled well.

RIBA President's Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis Winner is Ricardo Agarez of the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, for “Regionalism, Modernism and Vernacular Tradition in the Architecture of the Algarve, Portugal, 1925 – 1965”. The judges were impressed by the level of rigour in this thesis, recording the development of the author’s ideas and maturation as a researcher, making it an engaging read.

The judges have given a Commendation to Yara Sharif of the University of Westminster for PhD by design: “Searching for spaces of possibilities and spaces of imagination within the Palestinian/Israeli conflict”, a personal and emotional PhD topic to the author, so engaged with the resolution of the issues.

The RIBA President's Awards for Outstanding University-located Research Winner is Adrian Forty of The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL for his book “Concrete and Culture, a Material History”, proposing a new approach to concrete, a material often despised but with incredible potential, from an aesthetic and social stance rather than a technical one. 

The judges have given a Commendation to Wayne Forster of Cardiff University for “Affordable housing system from locally grown softwoods: Ty Unnos”, a research commended by the judges for being ahead of its time and with significant levels of rigour, integrity and value. 

The RIBA President's Awards for Outstanding Practice-located Research Winner was Bill Dunster of the ZED Factory for ZEDlife, praised for its scope, scale and ambition.  The emergent critical process was excellently communicated via the journey through the various pioneering projects around the world.