The Royal Institute of British Architects is calling for entries for this year's RIBA President's Awards for Research. The deadline for submissions is 7 May 2010.
This is the fifth year of the awards, which are presented annually to reward and encourage outstanding research in architecture.
Entries are invited in the following three categories:
- PhD Thesis: for the best PhD Thesis by an RIBA Chartered member or from any school of architecture in which the department has a course validated by the RIBA
- University-located Research: for the best completed research project carried out in any school of architecture in which the department has a course validated by the RIBA
- Professional Practice-located Research: for the best completed research project initiated by an RIBA Chartered member or RIBA Chartered Practice
Entries will be judged on their contribution to architecture, which is assessed using the criteria of originality, significance, rigour and communication and the winning entries must be regarded as making an exceptional contribution to architectural knowledge. The judges may also award commendations to one or more other shortlisted submissions in each category. The judging panel, composed of practitioners and academics, is appointed by the RIBA Research and Development Committee and approved by the President of the RIBA.
"The President's Awards for Research are an established fixture in the RIBA's annual awards schedule, recognising both excellence in research and practice," said Ruth Reed, RIBA President. "The diverse nature of the projects rewarded over the past four years are testament to the dynamic nature of architecture, and its ability to unite both study and practice. I look forward to this year's entries with great interest."
This year's awards follow the success of the RIBA President's Awards for Research 2009. The winners for the Outstanding PhD Thesis were Irina Davidovici of the University of Cambridge, awarded for her thesis Between Typology and Typicality: German Swiss Architecture 1980-2000, and Leonidas Koutsoumpos of the University of Edinburgh, who was awarded for his thesis Inhabiting Ethics: Educational Praxis in the Design Studio, the Music Class and the Dojo. Jeremy Till of the University of Westminster was given the Outstanding University-located Research award for his piece Architecture Depends. The Outstanding Professional Practice-located Research award was given to Baca Architects for their project LifE (Long-term Initiatives for Flood-risk Environments).