The University Design Forum Student Competition and Prizes in 2025 was undertaken in collaboration with the Bartlett UCL MArch programme. 

Our invitation and brief to the students made reference to the UDF Conference theme of ‘Back to the future’ and invited submissions with broad educational content, that may also explore themes of sustainable technology, materials, adaptive re-use and inventive habitation. 

We extend our congratulations to the following students: 

1st Prize + £1,000 was awarded to Sabrina Li for her Conference and Research Centre for Solar Energy and Religious Studies in Marrakesh. We were delighted with this outstanding project. The design is elegant, sophisticated and sensitive. The pedagogic concept of co-hosting conventionally divergent academic disciplines is radical and interesting. The project is both contemporary and contextual. Redolent of the cultural and environmental experience of Marrakesh and deeply informed by analysis of the madrassa. It is highly sustainable and technically impressive in the sensitive crafting of sustainable construction materials and techniques. The excellent quality of spatial and architectural design achieved is manifest in the exquisite CGI illustrations and sophisticated plans. View Presentation 

2nd Prize + £750 was awarded to Dave Wong for his Community Polytechnic nearby Singapore. We found this to be an extremely impressive project encompassing a huge amount of work. Creatively reinterpreting vernacular architectural and cultural influences to propose a contemporary education and community hub. The architecture is sumptuous and intricate, lightweight and adaptive. The project is beautifully modelled and illustrated.

3rd Prize + £500 was awarded to Zekun Tong for her remodelled Educational Hub in Lea Valley, East London. We considered the project to be thoughtful, sustainable and crafted. A well researched, clearly and unpretentiously presented project with excellent intellectual and practical content. The concept of this community education and circular economy project is authentically inspired. 

Honourable mention to Lorenzo Angolini for an elegant viticulture institute in Lanzarote, also to Yuxin Hu for an attractive re-wilding retrofit, creating sustainable co-housing apartments in Beijing.

Report by Andy MacFee, Architect. Architectural design tutor and facilitator of the Student Competition for the University Design Forum.