Joseph Deane, a student at the Royal College of Art (RCA), has been awarded the third RIBA Stephen Williams Scholarship to complete his MA in Architecture.
The scholarship - named in memory of Stephen James Williams, a past Director of Aedas - was created three years ago to provide a scholarship of £5,000 to support one student enrolled in a Masters degree or the final year of a Part 2 programme in Architecture (for a period of 12 months) in a School of Architecture validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in the UK or abroad. The scholarship also enables each student to benefit from mentoring by a senior practitioner at Aedas, providing a valuable source of professional guidance until they complete their studies.
The jury comprised David Simister from Aedas, Carol Williams and Amy Williams (Stephen Williams' widow and daughter respectively) and Andy Beard and Alex Bancroft from the RIBA Education Trust Funds Committee.
"We warmly congratulate Joseph Deane upon receiving this scholarship. His excellent application clearly demonstrates his talent and creative ability, but like many other students, a serious financial need," said John-Paul Nunes, Head of Education Projects at the RIBA. "We have no doubt that this scholarship will be a great benefit to him in his final year. Given the current financial difficulties facing thousands of architecture students, such vital support from the profession is greatly welcomed. The RIBA would like to thank Aedas for their generosity and strong commitment to architectural education, which has enabled deserving students to complete their studies."
"Aedas is pleased to be a part of the RIBA Stephen Williams Scholarship and we were impressed with the calibre of entries submitted this year," said David Simister, Creative Director at Aedas. "This initiative reinforces the practice's ethos to foster young design talent and we are pleased to present Joseph Deane with the award for his work which uniquely demonstrates an interest in the broad aspects of design and presentation with a fascination for detail and construction."