IStructE hosts the Young structural engineering international design competition every three years, providing a chance for young structural engineers to be adventurous, and to develop their ingenuity, imagination and inventiveness.
The competition challenged entrants to use their imagination and innovation to produce designs that provide solutions for humanitarian issues caused by climate change. Each team was asked to design a habitat for small community living in a coastal region of a Least Developed Country (LDC) that is at risk of flooding and rising sea levels. The design had to consider that these communities often relied on the coastal area for their way of life and should comprise of housing, work areas and places of assembly, as well as the means to move between these areas.
Entrants were asked to submit a design poster, a 1500 word report and evidence of optioneering, and calculations. Thank you to everyone who entered and we are especially pleased to congratulate the winners:
John Barrett Prize
Gian Cabanas and Suista Gurung – who designed an innovative bamboo structure for Bangladesh, with folding doors, stairs and removable walls
The John Barrett Prize is awarded to the overall competition winner. The prize was established by Mrs Ann Barrett to honour the life and work of her husband John. John was a member of the Institution and was keen to develop design skills in young structural engineers. The winners receive £5,000 in prize money and a certificate.
The Drury Medal
Pranavn Darda – who submitted a modular bamboo design with a hybrid of stilts and floating material
The Drury Medal is awarded to the best entry submitted by an individual or team of individuals who are all under 25 years of age, with the winners receiving £2,000 in prize money and a certificate.
The Undergraduate Prize
Samuel Wright, Tobias Ng and Maria Valderrabano from the University of Bath, who submitted a hexagonal bamboo structure
The Undergraduate Prize is awarded to the best entry submitted by undergraduates studying a civil or structural engineering course, with the winners receiving £1,500 in prize money and a certificate.
The winning papers will be published at a later date.
Read more about the competition