RCA student wins RIBA scholarship

A student at London’s Royal College of Art has been awarded the RIBA Stephen Williams Scholarship to complete his masters degree in architecture.

The scholarship - named in memory of Stephen James Williams, a past director of Aedas - was created three years ago to provide £5,000 to support one student enrolled in a masters degree or the final year of a Part 2 programme in Architecture in a school validated by the RIBA.

The scholarship also enables students to benefit from mentoring by a senior practitioner at Aedas.

The jury comprised David Simister from Aedas, Williams’ widow and daughter Carol and Amy Williams, and Andy Beard and Alex Bancroft from the RIBA Education Trust Funds committee.

John-Paul Nunes, head of Education Projects at the RIBA, said: “His excellent application clearly demonstrates his talent and creative ability, but like many other students, a serious financial need.

“We have no doubt that this scholarship will be a great benefit to him in his final year. Given the current financial difficulties facing thousands of architecture students, such vital support from the profession is greatly welcomed.”

Simister added: “This initiative reinforces the practice’s ethos to foster young design talent and we are pleased to present Joseph Deane with the award for his work which uniquely demonstrates an interest in the broad aspects of design and presentation with a fascination for detail and construction.”