August 20, 2014, by Katherine Lakeland

High rise success for Nottingham architects in global competition

Two University Of Nottingham students have won a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Shanghai to present their projects to the world’s key tall building architects and engineers.

Alex Balchin and Matthew Humphreys, both students on the Diploma in Architecture Tall Building Design Studio, impressed experts from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s international annual student competition with their designs and were two of five finalists from a field of 288 entries to win the prize.

Alex’s Clean Air Tower and Matthew’s  Vertical Aquaponic Farm wowed the judges, with two other Nottingham student projects coming in the top 10.

Dr Philip Oldfield, Course Co-Director, MArch Sustainable Tall Buildings, said: “Alex and Matthew’s projects demonstrate how the tall building typology is evolving from the air-conditioned glass to challenging new ideas for innovative forms and functions, such as vertical farming, or even taking advantage of the stack effect to clean polluted air.

“Their designs show imagination, flair, but also a pragmatic understanding of how high-rise work in terms of structure and engineering.”

This is the latest accolade for talented students Alex and Matthew, who both scooped awards at the Tata Steel / BCSA / SCI Structural Steel Awards in London last month.

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