Prize winner Charlotte Pollock
Three student architects from the University of Portsmouth have won prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for their vision and ability to deliver projects.
Richard Harrison, Darren Leach and Charlotte Pollock, from the School of Architecture, were awarded their prizes at a RIBA south-south east awards event in London.
Tod Wakefield, Head of the School of Architecture, said: “We are delighted our students’ work and vision have been recognised by RIBA as being of such a high standard.
“Our staff have expertise in a host of architectural areas, from interior design to global eco-projects, and from redesigning zoos and civic buildings to planning entire cities. This breadth of interest and experience has an enormous impact on our students and what they can learn in the seven years they are with us.”
Richard Harrison won the Ronald Barrington-Smith Prize 2011, for the Diploma 1 architecture student most likely to benefit from foreign travel to advance his studies after impressing the judges with his study of Scotland. His work showed how the contexts for architecture vary dramatically between counties and how historic and contemporary architecture can respond to enormously varied contexts.
Prize winner Darren Leach
Darren Leach won the RIBA South Prize 2011, for the highest standard of overall excellence in the final Diploma Year at the School of Architecture at Portsmouth. Darren’s project was a design for an agricultural research centre in a village in the Ourika Valley in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, a site of outstanding natural beauty. Darren designed the centre to support the indigenous Berber community develop a programme of reforestation and agriculture on deforested mountain slopes. He visited the site and completed the design as the culmination of two years’ research.
Charlotte Pollock won the RIBA Hampshire Prize, for the best integration of construction with design by a final year student on the BA course at the School of Architecture at Portsmouth. Charlotte’s project was her design of a sports hall in Bermondsey. Her concept was of two buildings – the sports hall and its changing rooms and café – linked by a bridge, which would open up a view to the nearby park.
They were presented with their prizes by Harry Rich, RIBA Chief Executive at a ceremony held at RIBA headquarters in Portland Place, London.
