The 2024-25 LDA Design Bursary asked students studying in the UK to come up with a big idea for a more regenerative Britain to create a place that is more resilient and works for all.
The competition received a record number of entries from many disciplines, universities, and colleges, and the judges were impressed with the quality of thinking on show.
The three awardees for this year are Hannah Ismail of the University of Westminster; Harry Raymond of Birmingham City University; and Stepan Adamenko of the University College London, Bartlett School of Planning. Each will be awarded £2,000 and the opportunity of four weeks’ of paid work experience in one of LDA Design’s eight studios.
In G.R.I.T (the Great Glen Resilience and Integration Toolkit), Hannah sought to address the increasing threat from wildfires, with a focus on the northwest of Inverness where rising temperatures, longer, drier summers and prolonged drought are heightening risks.
Hannah Ismail’s proposition was for a fire station which also serves as a civic hub, incorporating community spaces. The building would host courses on wildfire and associated topics such as soil restoration and land management, to reduce the future risk. It would also help to turn around a real-term reduction in funding over the last decade for Scottish Fire and Rescue.
Harry Raymond pointed to the benefit of creating networks of wetlands in urban environments, opening up access as a means of social and economic justice. This network would reduce flood risk, store water, capture carbon, and provide extensive wildlife habitats and new ecological corridors.
Access to quality blue space is lacking in urban areas and in particular for those on low income. Harry focuses on areas with high levels of deprivation, providing doorstep opportunities for play, active travel, and recreation. These new wetlands would also be fully accessible and welcoming to all, including people with physical and visual impairment.
In Rising with the Tide, Stepan Adamenko proposes how working with, not against, nature and water can help to generate good growth. He deep dives into Great Yarmouth, arguing that the new investment going into offshore wind should do more to benefit one of the UK’s most deprived coastal areas. Stepan’s approach is multi-pronged and includes dune habitat restoration and floodable public spaces which offer recreational opportunities. It also includes new climate resilient social housing on stilts inspired by the Rows, Great Yarmouth’s 12th century narrow alleyways, which would bring the sense of community that comes from close living.
LDA Design’s bursary is designed to provide support to students who might have faced challenges pursuing higher education.