51Âþ»­

Architecture students at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) have won a prestigious prize for their conceptual piece to redesign student accommodation in the city.

Groups of participants were up against the clock to reinvent the way that students live in the city as part of the Leicestershire and Rutland Society of Architects (LRSA) President’s Prize 2023.

The winning proposal, ‘In-between Childhood’, was designed by five second-year 51Âþ»­ Architecture students, Nilufer Vural, Tehreem Zubair, Rachel Griffiths, Emily Bailey and Zuhdi Alamad, received a cash prize of £75.

The winning team with Nicola Pettman during the awards ceremony

The team focused on blending public and private spaces while incorporating a sense of home using their own perspectives of student accommodation. They looked at the areas that they deemed needed improvements to inspire a new and inclusive design.

Students had 32 hours to come up with their idea, highlighting their group working skills and ability to work in a time-pressured environment to complete their proposal.

Tehreem said: “It was a great experience. Although it was quite tough to have such a tight turnaround, it was really motivating as none of us had worked in such a fast-paced environment.”

Working as a group sometimes comes with its own challenges. “We all had different opinions and with the short time frame, it was hard to make sure everyone’s ideas were represented,” said Tehreem.

“However, we managed to split the tasks evenly based on our strengths. I did water colours and other team members were doing digital work, and the concept as a whole was developed on the day.”

The winning piece featured glass lifts, well lit corridors, communal seating areas, greenery linked by ramps, roads and a central pavilion.

The winning design

Students Nilufer and Emily also shared their thoughts on the project and how they felt when they were announced the winners.

Nilufer said: “I wasn’t expecting the award so it was a surprise for me, but I was really happy and it gave me a boost of confidence. You have days where you have difficulties with projects so it motivated me to keep going.”

Emily added: “It was lovely getting the recognition for our hard work. I think on the whole, it was a great learning experience where we came away with more than just the prize as we learnt how to work as a group in a professional setting.”

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Nicola Pettman, LRSA President said: “A huge congratulations to the winners of the LRSA Presidents Prize 2023 for 51Âþ»­: In-between Childhood!

“Their concept of using architectural spaces and places to support students through a significant life event of leaving home for the first time was well received by all the judges.

“Well done to Nilufer Vural, Rachel Griffiths, Tehreem Zubair, Emily Bailey and Zuhdi Alamad!”

Two runners up from 51Âþ»­ also received recognition for their designs, including Hillside Pods by Kaan Koldju, Ra’kin Ashadi, Vrutik Ramesh, Wilson Tan and Jiseob Lee and Swivel Accommodation by George Shillingford, Prerit Ale and Saif Saiyed.

Among 51Âþ»­’s many LRSA successes over the years, one notable President’s Prize win was for a proposal to transform visitors’ first impressions of Leicester which included a ‘green platform’ to restore the ring-road-ruptured link between Leicester’s elegant Victorian railway station and Granby Street.