The Student Challenge

This Student Challenge celebrates students' work during their degree, supporting their development and shaping their thinking.

The Student Challenge invites entrants to use their university group project to explore, identify, and maximise opportunities for positive impacts on people and the planet.

Entrants must submit a description of the positive impacts they have explored within their project, using the project brief and their university work as context.

Each submission must address the question:
How does your project contribute to the long-term well-being of people and the planet?

To aid in the development of their response to the overall Student Challenge question, four quadrants of thinking are presented below. These cover local and global aspects of environmental and human impacts. Within each quadrant are a selection of questions that the submissions are encouraged to explore.

The purpose of the Student Challenge is to celebrate the diveristy and depth of holistic design. Entries will be judged on how well they respond to the challenge question, specifically through the lens of the four defined quadrants.

Excellent entries will demonstrate consideration of all four quadrants, with a more developed and project-specific focus on at least two. Judges will be looking for responses that showcase holistic thinking, innovation, and creativity within the context of the project.

How does your project impact local ecology?

How has your project strengthened the interconnection of local people with nature?

What measures have you taken to strengthen local wildlife habitats and native plant species during and after construction?

What long-term impacts will your project have on the local biodiversity? Consider changes the project could trigger and their influence on the local natural ecosystems.

How does your project impact the health of the whole planet?

How have you minimised planet-harming impacts such as pollution and carbon emissions?

In your work how have you considered impacts at the second site, those places where your materials come from, where they are processed and where waste goes to?

Have the materials that your project uses be sourced as part of natural cycles which support biodiversity and reduce harms?

Has your work supported the establishment of circular material systems?

How does your project help local people thrive?

How does your project respond to the needs of the place where your project is based?

What benefits has the creation of your project generated for local people?

How have your developed through cocreation with and strengthened the community where your project is based?

How have you developed the use of locally abundant material resources?

How does your project help the well-being of all people?

How does your work contribute to positive change in the development of the future built environment?

How does your material use now provide a valuable resource for future generations?

How does your design ensure that future generations are not burdened with potential dangers due to careless creation of materials and projects?