London: On December 3, 2014, the SOM Foundation awarded its annual UK Award to students Kent Gin and Mike Lim. Gin, who is enrolled at the University of East London, won for his submission titled Cultural Perforation of Madrid, Disruption of the Defined. Lim, a student at the Royal College of Art, won for his entry, Untitled, 2014. Mixed Media. The awards were announced at a ceremony hosted at the London headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects. SOM collaborates with RIBA in selecting the recipients. Students who compete for RIBA’s President’s Medal are eligible for the SOM Foundation’s UK Award, and both Gin and Lim were shortlisted for this year’s medals. One of the most prestigious accolades in architectural education, the RIBA President’s Medal recognizes outstanding work by architectural students enrolled at UK-accredited schools and encourages architectural debate worldwide. The first medal was awarded in 1836. Recipients of the SOM Foundation Award receive £1,250 in the form of a travel fellowship. One award is given to a student who has completed Part 1 of their UK architectural education, and the other to a student who has completed Part 2. The SOM jury comprises the Design Director of the SOM London office, Kent Jackson, and several professionals from the UK architectural community. The Head of Education Projects for RIBA is present during the jury proceedings.
About the SOM Foundation
The SOM Foundation grants a variety of awards to students of architecture, design, urban design, and structural engineering. First awarded in 1981, the SOM Foundation fellowships are now an important measure of achievement among architecture and engineering students and their colleges and universities. The Foundation’s goal is to instill in its fellows a heightened sense of responsibility as future design leaders by offering them an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the complexities of the built environment. The awards given are: the SOM Prize for Architecture, Design and Urban Design; the SOM Travel Fellowship for Architecture, Design and Urban Design; the Structural Engineering Travel Fellowship; the UK Award; and the China Prize. To learn more, visit the SOM Foundation’s website.