RIBA award for research shortlist announced

The RIBA has announced the shortlist for the annual RIBA President's Awards for Research 2009, which rewards and encourages outstanding research in architecture.

The entries were assessed in terms of how they contribute new knowledge and understanding to architecture, in terms of originality, significance and rigour.

Twelve pieces were selected for the final stage of judging in three areas.

Selected shortlist

PhD thesis (from a RIBA-validated school of architecture)
• ‘Patterning: envisioning strategies for thinking and fabricating architecture through the textile-inspired procedures of repeating, masking and scaling’ by Ana Araujo at The Bartlett School of Architecture
• ‘Between Typology and Typicality: German Swiss Architecture 1980 – 2000’ by Irina Davidovici at the University of Cambridge
• ‘Inhabiting Ethics: Educational Praxis in the Design Studio, the Music Class and the Dojo’ by Leonidas Koutsoumpos at the University of Edinburgh
• ‘Toward a Material Poetics: Sign, Subject, Site’ by Kristen Kreider at The Bartlett School of Architecture

University-located research (for a completed research project based or initiated in a RIBA-validated school of architecture)
• ‘Le Corbusier and the Occult’ by Jan Birksted at The Bartlett School of Architecture
• ‘Design Strategy for low-energy ventilation and cooling of health buildings’ by Alan Short at the University of Cambridge
• ‘Building the New Jerusalem: Architecture, housing and politics 1900-1930’ by Mark Swenarton at Oxford Brookes University
• ‘Architecture Depends’ by Jeremy Till at the University of Westminster

Professional practice-located research (for a completed research project initiated by a RIBA member or RIBA chartered practice)
• ‘LifE (Long-term Initiatives for Flood-risk Environments)’ by Robert Barker from Baca Architects
• ‘Research and Development of a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon, Prefabricated Timber Construction System: j.Pod’ by John Barr from John Barr Architects
• ‘Rubbish in: resources out’ by Biba Dow from Dow Jones Architects
• ‘Development of a whole life carbon assessment technique by Gareth Roberts from Sturgis Associates

The winners will be notified in November, and presented with their certificates at the President’s Medals ceremony at the RIBA on 2 December.