First of all, we would like to give a huge congratulations to everyone for their participation and for the incredible calibre of work shown. We were astounded by the diversity of the responses to the brief, and novel, joyful solutions proposed.
This year’s competition was assessed by a jury consisting of Brigitte Clements, Director at Loki Architecture; Nick Newman, Director at Studio Bark and U-Build; Aude Azzi, Architect at Stiff+Trevillion and Co-founder of Athar Collective; Jonathan Irawan, Computational Design Lead at Hassell Studio and Design Council Expert; Kelly Harrison, Director at Whitby Wood; and Anzir Boodoo, City Plan Lead at Climate Action Leeds. The final judging session was chaired by Joe Bass, ACAN’s Student Ambassador.
The judges were delighted to see a strong focus on materiality, mobility, legacy and spatial configurations for climate action across competition entries, with each one shaped by diverse design sensibilities and influenced by the educational and cultural contexts from which the students were working. From the judging panel, Brigitte Clements said this:
“Judging the inaugural StuCAN competition has been nothing short of electrifying. With interest from 137 students across 11 countries, the sheer reach and calibre of work submitted left me both humbled and energised. The entries were bold, thoughtful, and wildly diverse – each one a reflection of design not just as a skill, but as a language of intent.”
“What’s most striking is the clarity of purpose these emerging designers bring. They’re not waiting for permission to solve problems—they’re already doing it, with vision, flair, and urgency. This generation isn’t just rising to the challenge; they’re redefining it. And in doing so, they’ve restored my belief that a better built environment – and a better world – is not only possible, but already underway.”
The Winners…
We are delighted to reveal that the Winners of this year’s Student Competition to Design a Mobile Climate Action Headquarters are…
Luc Harris and Tom Williams from the University of Wales Trinity St David, for their project ‘Tangled Roots’!
The prize was highly contested, but the judges thought that ‘Tangled Roots’ was a “beautifully considered response that embodies the very spirit of what this competition set out to inspire. With elegant restraint, the project embraces material honesty, adaptability, and clarity of purpose. It creates not just a structure, but a platform—for connection, dialogue, activism, and community.”
The designers demonstrated a thoughtful approach to every detail: from material selection and reusability to transportability and ease of assembly. “It’s a project that speaks softly but carries lasting impact—flexible, intentional, and deeply aligned with the values of this initiative.”
Runner Up
Lok Yiu Chow (Charlotte) from the University of Nottingham was awarded Runner Up, for her project ‘Material Ex:change’. The proposal offered a set of modular parts which could be set up in multiple configurations depending on need and situation. “We liked the possibility for a collaborative making process with easily available tools and materials, as well as the consideration for accommodating a wide range of activities.” The judges were also impressed with the consideration on the end of life of the project, as well as “the intricate exploration of material connections through timber joinery, and the project’s strong presentation skills.”
Commended
The judges also unanimously agreed to award commendations to three entries, amazed by their varied approaches to addressing the brief.
Vyshnavi from Birmingham City University was commended for their project “Eco Portal”.
Eco Portal charmed the judges with its “activist architect language and intent, allowing the structure to be appropriated for protests, workshops and gatherings whilst being lightweight to transport and quickly assembled by participants with mixed abilities.” The judges also appreciated “the rigour to which carbon calculations, costing and material life cycles were researched, explored and presented, creating a comprehensive and thoughtful response to the brief.”
Marco Antonio Paz-Garcia from Robert Gordon University was commended for their project ‘Ephemeral Bio-Hub’.
“The Ephemeral Bio-Hub considered the needs of a Climate Action Headquarters to have work space and protection from the elements, and offered creative alternative uses for the modular building. We liked the use of the wall panels as material showcases and the transition between internal and external spaces.” The judges particularly enjoyed the concept of longer term inhabitation and adaptation of the headquarters by volunteers, as well as the “joyful use of model making, material experimentation and fire safety testing in the proposal.”
Finally, Venisse Low Wen Juin, Kennedy Chee Xiao Yang & Evelyn Chui Lok Ching from the University of Bath were commended for their project ‘Heterogeneous Homogeneity’.
Heterogeneous Homogeneity impressed the judges with its approach on varying modes of existence – from a platform of protest, to forum and workshop. “There was an elegant simplicity in how a “furniture” scale model can simply be aggregated and assembled to create a greater purpose that evolves over time as it moves location. The judges commended the thought process behind the life cycle comparison of the proposed materials, especially when considering the use of found objects from different universities and re-use of “waste”. ”
Overall, the judges were incredibly impressed by the depth and creativity of all the entries. Judge and Studio Bark Director Nick Newman stated: “It was a huge pleasure to be a part of the judging process, and heartwarming to see the high level of interest and impressive submissions for the competition. These students are at an early stage of their career yet have already grappled with important concepts such as materiality, embodied carbon and the need to take positive action within the profession.”
“ACAN have had a history of wonderfully creative and positively disruptive interventions in the built environment, from paper planes to confession booths. The mobile climate headquarters provides a fitting continuity to this tradition and I am very excited to see it traveling to universities across the country.”
Anzir Boodoo echoed Nick’s sentiment, saying that “As part of a team running a Climate Action Headquarters, it has been inspirational to see the entrants taking on the challenge of designing a headquarters that is mobile and helps advance and communicate the issues we need to address in the Built Environment. The entries showed the concept interpreted in diverse ways, and how the form and materiality of a Climate Action Hub can tell stories about environmental impact, waste and circularity.”
“Despite having only a week to respond to the brief, the entries gave careful consideration to material choice, assembly and disassembly; and we particularly appreciated the passion for addressing the Climate Emergency through interventions in the Built Environment, and how many of submissions could flexibly reshape in response to indoor and outdoor settings.”
Celebrating Your Work
We will be celebrating all of the entries with our wider ACAN network with a StuCAN takeover of the ACAN newsletter, announcements on our main social channels and a feature on our website. In the meantime, you are welcome to share the announcement and your entry on social media. Please tag us @architectscan_student and @architectscan if you do so!
Final Thoughts
As chair of the judging session and Student Ambassador, it has been a truly joyous experience to see such creative responses to the brief. From requisitioned shopping trolleys to modular plybamboo pavilions and interlocking umbrellas, the responses were sensitive to local contexts whilst being playful and enhancing climate action.
For the first time, our competition has included students from outside the UK, and we were greatly inspired by the rigour and consideration applied to local bioregions and available materials. As StuCAN expands, we would love to collaborate with all the entrants to increase collective climate action between universities around the world, and we hope that this competition facilitates future partnerships and student mobilisation!
As the future generation of built environment professionals, you are acutely placed to enact real change within the profession and our shared planet. The entries shown here evoke a keen understanding and determination towards tackling the climate and ecological crises, as well as embracing the power of collective student action to shape the future. Above all, all of the projects present a hopeful vision for what StuCAN and our education can become.
On behalf of myself and the judges, a huge congratulations again to all participants for your achievements!
All the best,
Joe Bass
StuCAN Ambassador
Architects Climate Action Network Limited
