The International Union of Architects (UIA) Architecture & Children Work Programme Golden Cubes Awards
The top priority for the future is to help our children become aware of the environment, architecture, urbanism and sustainable development. Fostering their knowledge in these fields will help them become responsible citizens, empower them to ensure their voices are heard, and influence the political, economic and social climate that will shape the cities and environment they will live in.
It is when they are young, open-minded, and full of imagination that it becomes essential to give them these tools that will later be used to strike a balance between idealism and realism and to create the best possible living spaces one can offer in the real world.
Organised by the UIA Architecture & Children Work Programme, these awards aim to recognise, encourage, and support both individuals and organisations. This is determined by identifying those who lay the foundation for architectural culture, help children understand true architectural design, and how our environment is shaped by it holistically.
This will help children grow up to become adults who participate effectively in the creative and intelligent use of high-quality architecture that is humane, sustainable, and respectful of its context.
The International Jury selected the following special mentions among all the UK nominations:
Special mentions
Institutions Golden Cubes Award special mention: Entrant N°25 United Kingdom "BUILD” by MATT+FIONA.
Jury’s comment: “A complex design-build project addressing a variety of issues and scales. Children are challenged, they design, take decisions and build to learn, take responsibilities and achieve realistic long-term architecture objectives”
Audio-Visual Media Golden Cubes Award special mention: Entrant N°71 UK “Home-made Architecture (L’architecture faite maison)” by architect Emilie Queney.
Jury’s comment: “Ten short inspiring do-it-yourself movies introducing several aspects of architecture and sustainability in a playful way.”
Jury members
The National Jury consisted of five members, including three architects and two non-architects, with experience in interdisciplinary activities and children’s education:
- Ben Derbyshire, Jury Chair - Chair of HTA Design LLP and RIBA Immediate Past President
- Alfonso Padro - Principal, HKS architects
- Jo Meehan - Consultant Architect, MAS Architect
- Pam Alexander - Chair of Commonplace Digital Ltd., Ambassador on the London Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board and Board Member of the London Legacy Development Corporation and Connected Places Catapult
- Leila Al-Kazwini - Creative services export lead, Department for International Trade
The UK’s nominated entries to the international process
Last year, six high quality entries were received under three award categories: Institution, Written Media and Audio-Visual Media.
Institution Award
Open to museums, galleries, foundations, associations, and other organisations, either singly or in collaboration with others, in any field - schools providing specialist or vocational education in the fields of art, design, architecture or related fields may enter in this category.
Selected project: BUILD - Enabling children to set the brief, design and build real spaces and places.
Name of entrant: MATT+FIONA
Description: Many young people look around them and feel as if they don't have a say in what they see. BUILD enables children to set the brief, design and build real spaces and places.
Through this process, they recognise that their life experience makes them experts in defining what they need from places where they live, work and play.
Projects both inspire and raise aspirations for future careers, while also creating engaged and informed citizens who form positive and inquisitive relationships with their built environment which last a lifetime.
Written Media Award
Open to individuals and organisations working in the field of written media, such as articles, books, magazines and non-audio-visual educational tools.
Selected project: ARCHIchild - architecture for children
Name of entrant: Ana Rute Costa
Description: Primarily a learning resource, ARCHIchild comprises a series of activities that can be delivered by teachers and educators. The toolkit facilitates a project-based learning approach and addresses specific curriculum areas from a range of key stages.
Through awareness and exploration, young people of all ages are encouraged to understand architecture in an integrated way and to identify the advantages of good design. One of the main aims of the toolkit is to raise young people’s awareness of and engagement with the built environment.
Audio-Visual Media Award
Open to individuals and organisations working in the field of audio-visual media, such as documentaries, films, TV programmes and audio-visual educational tools.
Selected project: “Home-made architecture” (”L’Architecture faite maison”)
Name of entrant: Emilie Queney
Description: As an artist and architect, Emilie Queney's work uses play and crafting as an artistic means of interaction between the public and space. In 2014, she founded Archihihi, a platform which encourages everyone to (re)discover and (re)claim architecture. She has lived and worked in London since 2015.
"Home-made architecture" is a series of 10 stop-motion films presenting architecture through the lens of little stories happening in model-scale reconstructions. Those models are made via everyday activities such as origami, baking or growing seeds. Each setting presents the specificities of a building in a creative and poetic way.
