The winner is a hybrid drawing entitled ‘Fitzroy Food Institute’ by Samuel Wen and Michael Ren, combining different rendering techniques.

The winners describe their joint entry as a project about a dumpling institute that deviates from a traditional orientalist attitude towards Chinese culture, while also examining ideas of globalisation and automation.

Samuel Wen, a Bachelor of Design and Master of Architecture graduate from the University of Melbourne as well as a student architect at Cox Architecture says:

“We feel honoured and beyond grateful that our work has received such recognition. Being able to convey such ideas and a captivating narrative through drawing had been the aim from the beginning. This project meant a lot to us because the broader intention of the drawing was to use architecture to challenge traditional oriental stereotypes about our Chinese heritage.”

On their collaborative approach, Michael Ren, a designer/educator and currently a Master of Architecture student at UC Berkeley CED adds:

“Collaboration under a remote academic setting proved to be a challenge. However, we were able to work through this project by identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. For example, Samuel has always been passionate about hand-drawn illustrations whereas I have an aptitude for digital renderings. Incorporating both methods of representation acknowledge a post-digital era in architectural visualisation.”

The Architecture Drawing Prize is an annual event receiving entries in three categories: hand-drawn, hybrid and digital. Each year there are three category winners from which the judges select the overall winner. “Fitzroy Food Institute” was selected as the Hybrid Category winner as an example of a highly skilled, rich composite drawing using different media and consisting of a plan, two sections, two elevations, four views, six diagrams, one detail and two call-outs. These are imaginatively arranged in a top-down view of a typically Chinese roundtable dining experience.

Ken Shuttleworth, founder of Make Architects and Prize judge, commented on the jury’s decision to choose Samuel Wen’s and Michael Ren’s entry as the overall winner of The Architecture Drawing Prize:

“Fitzroy Food Institute stands out for its well-considered and subtle use of colour. It’s a very accessible drawing looking over a shared meal at a table; yet it is full of architectural interest featuring not only a plan, but sections and elevations as well as detail. A conceptually original and genuinely delightful entry.”

The Architecture Drawing Prize Exhibition at Sir John Soane’s Museum is open to the public from 8 February–7 May 2023. The exhibition features the winning and commended drawings from the 2022 entries.

The 2022 Prize was judged by:

•           Nikki Bell and Ben Langlands, Artists
•           Bruce Boucher, Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum
•           Pablo Bronstein, Artist
•           Paul Finch, Director of World Architecture Festival (Chair of Jury)
•           Lily Jencks, Co-founder of Lily Jencks Studio, Jencks Squared
•           Federica Minozzi, CEO Iris Ceramica Group
•           Narinder Sagoo, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners
•           Ken Shuttleworth, Founder of Make Architects

To see a related article detailing all of the 2022 category winners click here.

Visit this page for more info on The Architecture Drawing Prize.

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