RIBA excellence prize for Seaford design

James Thompson, an architecture student at the University of Brighton has received a prize for excellence from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

James, 21, was the winner of the degree prize which he received from Tony Foulger, Chair of RIBA Sussex Branch at the university’s July graduation ceremony. The prize, which celebrates the talent of architecture students at the university, is awarded by the branch that represents nearly 800 architects across East and West Sussex. James received a certificate and a cheque for £200.

The judges were impressed with James’ ideas for a series of archival and gallery spaces for Seaford Photographic Society. His design was for an addition to a derelict pub in Pelham Yard, Seaford. James said: "The project developed into an architecture based on the elements and behaviour of a film camera. I developed the ideas of apertures, depth of field and perception of space to inform the design."

RIBA said that the judges were extremely impressed with the high quality of James’s presentation, commenting that it: "demonstrated thorough research and a clear journey to a well-considered, mature scheme."

James is from Eastbourne, and attended St Richard’s Catholic College in Bexhill and Sussex Downs College, Eastbourne. He has just completed his three-year Part 1 course towards qualifying as an architect, which in the United Kingdom takes at least seven years.