CIAT has announced the winners for this year’s AT Awards, which celebrate outstanding achievements in Architectural Technology from students and practitioners.
Presented by CIAT President Eddie Weir and hosted by Matt Allwright at Christ Church Spitalfields, the Awards were attended by trailblazers and go-getters from across the built environment sector.
The ceremony platformed Architectural Technology through the prism of aspiration, our community of students and early career AT professionals, with video clips of its members talking about their goals and hopes for the future peppered across the event.
It was a throughline that resonated throughout, as each award-winning project showcased the versatility and essentiality of AT, both in practise and as an academic discipline.
The 2024 winners are:
The Chartered Architectural Technologist of Year Award
Winner: Claire Raftery MCIAT
Claire is an outstanding Chartered Architectural Technologist. Not only has her creativity, innovative approach and technical prowess, combined with a sound business acumen, shot her into a leading role in her short career, she has also played a pivotal part in placing ECD Architects as industry leaders in the retrofit and fire remediation sector. Well respected by clients, consultants and colleagues, Claire has established a firm foothold within the industry. Claire is a strong believer that, with a foundation of exploring and understanding technical building solutions, Architectural Technologists can help to upskill the building industry to deliver viable Net Zero schemes, and ensure sustainability is kept on the agenda by pushing the performance of their designs to be both cost effective and low energy.
Extract from Claire’s citation – the full citation is available upon request.
The aspiration Award for Emerging Talent in AT 2024
Winner: Luke Siddle MCIAT
Luke’s enthusiasm, commitment and discipline set him apart from the average Architectural Technologist. His faultless professionalism and organisation skills make him a pleasure to work with and means his work is to an exceptional standard and always reliably punctual, despite being handed significant responsibility for someone of his short career experience. Luke is a shining example of a young technologist with the self-motivation, drive, and talent to succeed. He has seized opportunities to support his career through additional learning and the MCIAT accreditation. As he continues to expand and share his knowledge, he has become a respected mentor and ambassador for CIAT and his employer P+HS, inspiring the next generation to follow in his footsteps. He is a young man with an inherent love for the craft of Architectural Technology and a passion for excellence. He is indeed a talent to watch for the future.
Extract from Claire’s citation – the full citation is available upon request.
The Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology | Small to Medium
Winner: Hope Rise by ZED PODS Ltd.
An innovative mixed community build in Bristol provides a much-needed move on accommodation for young adults through detailed design and a fantastic utilisation of Architectural Technology. This net zero-carbon residential development of eleven homes creatively uses the air rights above an operational car park to create new homes without displacing existing infrastructure. They are the first factory-built steel-frame modular homes of their kind to be completed in the UK. Being 90% constructed within the factory, the timescales from concept to completion was less than two years, with an impressive onsite construction of only two days.
Hope Rise also won the coveted Project of the Year 2024 Award, which awards the most deserving winner from our three Award for Excellence categories.
Highly Commended: Bungalow Retrofit by Barry McCarron
This retrofit of a 1970’s bungalow is a fantastic example of how existing homes in the UK and Ireland can become sustainable spaces that preference health and wellbeing.
Commended: Apes Hill Golf Performance Centre
This pavilion-style, sensitively designed, state of the art training facility embeds technology in both its construction and operational features.
The Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology | Medium to Large
Winner: Thornhill Primary School by ECD Architects
This efficient expansion project saw the construction of a new Passivhaus Certified building, together with a refurbishment of the existing host structure, enabling both new and old to be holistically brought together. The resourceful design utilised cross-laminated timber and detailed thermal modelling, the design team also cleverly addressing site challenges to ensure full accessibility for all users. The Judges were impressed with the delivery of the Passivhaus standards through excellent technical detailing, early engagement with the specialist sub-contractors, and high-quality construction.
Highly Commended: Caernarfon Castle by Buttress
Buttress have maintained the charm of this historic castle while adding accessible spaces and non-intrusive interventions.
Commended: Swiss Laundry by PiP Architecture
Swiss Laundry transformed this old building site in Cambridge into a sustainable, commercial Research and Development facility.
The Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology | Large to Mega
Winner: National Satellite Test Facility, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus
Comprising six enormous chambers to replicate the extreme conditions that a satellite encounters, from launch to orbiting deep space, the project was impressively designed and managed. The offsite manufacture and transportation of the building components was the largest single road movement in British history, reducing on-site disruptions that were crucial for the adjacent sensitive particle accelerator. The airtight construction and efficient mechanical ventilation system enhance energy efficiency, and the building’s high environmental control and precise construction tolerances ensure optimal performance for satellite testing. The Judges were impressed by the high standards of technical detailing design and almost incomprehensible construction tolerances of 1.5 nanometres, the amount your fingernail has grown whilst reading out this sentence.
Highly Commended: Verse by Rio Architects
Verse is a robust residential development in a 17-storey building in Cardiff, using sharp techniques to speed up delivery time and adopting a strong, contemporary and community-focussed design.
Commended: Morpeth Sports and Leisure Centre by GT3 Architects
A leisure centre that provides accessible swimming facilities while incorporating innovative energy efficient technical design as well.
Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology | Project
recognising outstanding design achievement in Architectural Technology based upon a University/College assignment
Winner: ‘Cranwood Residence’ by Harriet Paige Key, Anglia Ruskin University
This project exemplifies technical excellence and sustainable innovation in architectural design. Harriet impressed the Judges with her concise yet comprehensive approach, showcasing a great eye for detailing and a rich mix of styles that really set this submission apart. This is a truly robust project, presented with annotation diagrams and 3D visualisations. It stands out for its depth and thoughtful execution, setting the benchmark for this category’s submissions in the future.
Highly Commended: ‘The Octagon’ by Rebecca Wakely, Anglia Ruskin University
This highly interesting and well-balanced project combines green and brownfield sites and creates a sustainable, affordable design for the Octagon Cultural Hub that draws inspiration from the area’s history.
Commended: ‘Whitefriars Rehabilitation Centre’ by Anthony Richardson ACIAT, Coventry University
This impressively technical project included thoroughly thought-through external works, creating an oasis in a busy city centre.
Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Technology | Report
recognising outstanding research achievement in Architectural Technology from a dissertation assignment.
Winner: ‘A Design Decision Support Tool to Visualise Embodied Carbon at Early Design Stage’ by Killian Collins ACIAT, Technological University Dublin
Killian’s report was an engaging read that addressed a subject that is a real issue for all designers, and an important topic for the Architectural Technologist and the broader built environment. With finger-on-the-pulse references, this study addresses early design embodied carbon in a meaningful way, with an impressive clarity, combined with focussed and relevant case studies. This excellently considered and executed piece of work, with its mix of text, diagrams and graphs, is informative and innovative in its approach.
Highly Commended: ‘Investigating Existing Computational Design Methods and Applying Them in an Irish Location's Context’ by Gabor Villanyi, South East Technological University
This is a well-structured and detailed report with fantastic use of technology to address issues faced by the AT.
Commended: ‘Harnessing Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) for Surface Water Management’ by Billy Cripps, Nottingham Trent University
This report is an important social sustainable proposal with a robust methodology and clear rationale.
Gold Awards
The Gold Award recognises and celebrates the dedication and commitment of Chartered Architectural Technologists who have demonstrated a significant contribution or outstanding service to the Institute.
Recipient: Dr Matthew Brooke-Peat FCIAT
Matthew’s dedication, commitment and service to the Institute and its members is immeasurable. He serves to lead by example as an outstanding member of CIAT. Whilst he has served as a highly valued and trusted member of the Yorkshire Regional Committee since 2008, his work for CIAT extends far beyond his Regional roles.
Recipient: Michael O’Keeffe FCIAT
Michael is a super positive and enthusiastic Chartered Architectural Technologist. At a young age, Michael first stepped into the role as Republic of Ireland Centre Education Officer and visited almost every AT degree programme in the Republic of Ireland, promoting membership and encouraging others to apply for Accreditation. This enthusiasm set the stage, and nine years on, Michael continues to coordinate everyone and everything within the Centre in his role as Chair.
Recipient: Professor Norman Wienand MCIAT
Emeritus Professor of Architectural Technology, Norman developed and advanced Architectural Technology education on behalf of the Institute for over twenty years. Norman was committed to helping others improve by challenging the status quo and offering guidance, feedback and suggestions. He is considered a cornerstone for CIAT’s education and membership heritage.
All the Awards, Finalists and winners are featured on our website here,
