University of East London Announces Winners of Prestigious Broadgate Prize
The winners of the University of East London’s Broadgate Prize have been announced. The competition, which is held annually for UEL students studying for a BSc in Architecture, comes with a £5,000 prize and the chance to take on a paid placement at British Land, one of the country’s biggest property development companies.
First Prize went to the team of Edmund Balasca, Vignesh Rajan, Leo Sotiri, Polina Bielova and Arshia Olfat. They were mentored by UEL Senior Lecturer Charlotte Harris. Leo Sotiri spoke of his pride in winning and expressed the hope that it would help his career. He said,
Having the Broadgate Prize under my belt in a portfolio and CV is a great addition, showing I can work well within a group setting and provide professional communication within a live project with a strict deadline. Even being shortlisted is a great achievement and worth showing on your portfolio.
Two other teams were also honoured, with the second prize awarded to Sunamita Russu and Remisha Mehmedali, mentored by UEL Senior Lecturer Alice D’Andrea. Third place went to Alfred Mowse, Ritika Patel, Amaan Naveed and Mohamed Shinan Rahman, mentored by Rob Whitloc, Senior Lecturer at UEL.
This year’s competition saw 45 teams enter, all competing to create designs for Broadgate, British Land’s 32-acre campus in central London. Their work was then presented in a realistic setting to a judging panel including Carl Callaghan and Alex Scott-Whitby, from Scott-Whitby Architects, Mark Leeming from Sri Robert McAlpine, and Charles Horne from British Land.
Carl Callaghan, Head of the Department of Architecture and Visual Arts at UEL, highlighted the importance of the real-world environment for those taking part. He said,
Our students find working with a real client on a real brief both challenging and exciting. The opportunity to present to such a high-level client in such a location at such an early stage in their career is for many a life changing experience. We were all absolutely thrilled by standards achieved and we are very grateful for the support for UEL provided by the British Land and Sir Robert McAlpine team.
Students sitting watching a presentation
Senior Lecturer Dr Deborah Benros was impressed by the student’s hard work. She said, “The prize has shown the University of East London’s commitment to fostering creativity, sustainability and collaboration within its different design programs. The students were able to apply their skills in a real-world context, contributing innovative ideas to the future development of urban spaces and establishing valuable connections with industry partners.”
The winning team will now have the chance to work within the Broadgate Framework Design Team this summer, further enhancing their professional development opportunities.
Edmund Balasca, another student from the winning team, noted that having a team with a variety of skills really helped their entry into the competition. He said, “Having people from different courses in our case made the difference. with myself as an architect student, one product design student, Leo Sotiri, and one interior designer student, Polina Bielova. Our supporting tutor Charlotte is an amazing tutor that I have known since she was tutoring my course in year one. Even though she is very busy being a full-time teacher and a practitioner she found time to assist us and guide us through our design ideas.”
The brief for the competition addressed two distinct design challenges, offering a comprehensive approach to revitalizing this key urban space in Broadgate. The first challenge was the redesign of Finsbury Avenue Square. The second challenge involved the detailed development of furniture or infrastructure within the square.
Polina Bielova, another student from the winning team, said the experience helped her learn new skills. She said
Winning the prize is an honour, but it is not my top priority. What matters more is the journey, the creativity, and the opportunity to work with talented people like my amazing and professional team members.
In line with contemporary architectural practice, environmental sustainability was a key consideration in judging the submissions. Designs were expected to incorporate durable and sustainable elements, utilizing materials and construction methods that minimize environmental impact. With British Land’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon status by 2030, students were encouraged to explore innovative approaches to sustainability, including the reuse of materials, low-carbon construction methods, and integration with urban greening initiatives.