Students win joint top prize at the prestigious CIAT Architectural Technology Awards

The AT Awards are recognised as the premier accolades, nationally and internationally, that demonstrate outstanding achievement in architectural technology.

Alongside Craig and Luke in The Student Award for Excellence (Project) category, graduates Gareth Thomas (Report category) and Eleanor Boardman (Report and Project categories) were also nominated.

Entries for the Student Award were judged and peer-assessed by the Judging Panel for excellence in Architectural Technology. The panel judged the projects on a range of criteria focused on the technology of architecture, and the optimisation of the building’s performance and production.

Eco-Quarter: Sustainability Hub by Craig Gregory

Craig’s proposal – the Eco-Quarter: Sustainability Hub – is a scheme designed to ‘create, develop and establish the East Midlands’ very first Vertical Farming Facility’, alongside an ongoing sustainable residential development of Nottingham City's Waterside Scheme of the Trent Basin area.

Judges commended Craig’s understanding of sustainable and green building design, commending his ‘excellently considered, highly technical, ecological, inclusive and practical design’.

Craig said: “The Sustainability Hub was a potential solution to the ever-increasing problem in carbon reduction, reconnecting our own involvement in the food process chain and 're-greening' our inner-city areas with a greater bio-diversity to a brownfield site.”

“I’ve always appreciated community involvement and amenities for my local area – especially within Nottingham City – and seeing how a new development was being built within Nottingham city itself I wanted to create a 'hub' that could be constructed alongside this new riverside residential scheme, forming the corner-block and a flag-ship initiative for potential new schemes in the UK.”

Judges praised the exceptional presentation of Luke Williams' Strawberry Hill Healthcare Village

Luke’s Strawberry Hill Healthcare Village proposed the development of a new first-class healthcare village in conjunction with Nottinghamshire County Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Sherwood Forest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The project’s aims were to create an architectural focal point with a focus on both sustainable and ecological development and set an architectural precedent for the area.

“Over the past few years, I've spent a great deal of time jumping between hospitals, care homes, and day centres. During this time, two things that I learned were how incredible the NHS nursing and care staff are and how overworked and overlooked they are. This, in tandem with ageing facilities and a lack of bed space was the first inspiration for this project.”

“The ideology of a structure in biophilic harmony with its surroundings provides the entire basis of the design methodology. The primary design was targeted to create a roof structure that rises from the ground, carried by monolithic pillars into the sky, with the symbolic nature of the land rising from the ground on wooden pillars, only to then fall over, returning earth to earth.”

Well deserved success

On being awarded the joint top prize, Luke commented: “Initially, I was shocked, it took a while to sink in. It was quite an overwhelming experience to be completely honest, I was more excited for the AT team than for myself; it's a real testament to their hard work."

“Not only this but being a joint winner with one of my closest friends, Craig is the icing on the cake to four incredible years at Nottingham Trent University."

“I can't overstate how outstanding the Architectural Technology team at NTU have been, and this is an absolute credit to every faculty member. Without their incredible help and support, we wouldn't be where we are now.”

BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology Course Leader Bhavna Crossley, commented:

“What a fantastic result for Luke and Craig, we are so proud of them, they absolutely deserve this accolade. We are proud of all our students who were shortlisted for the awards.”

“The Architectural Technology course here at NTU is one of the best in the country and this is down to the dedication and hard work of the teaching team and the passion and commitment the students demonstrate.”

Craig and Luke graduated with the BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology Class of 2021 and are both currently studying MSc Digital Architecture and Construction.

NTU's BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology course was also recognised at the ceremony for the course's recent successful CIAT reaccreditation.