News

Bridging the gap between academia and industry with the University of Westminster

Amedeo Scofone, Senior Sustainability Consultant at Hilson Moran, recently celebrated with the University of Westminster’s Architecture and Environmental Design (AED) students at their end of year MSc. Show, MORE 2020, following his second year as visiting lecturer.

Over the past year, Hilson Moran has been proud to be a part of the University’s Collaborative Thesis Project Programme. Developed to provide a broader and deeper understanding of the principles of environmental design, the programme enables students to develop their dissertation project with the support of industry experts.

As part of a final presentation, all students were tasked with preparing a poster showcasing their dissertation project, summarising their design research over the last term.

The Hilson Moran award, now in its second year, is given to the dissertation that is judged to best consider the topic at hand while demonstrating an innovative, pragmatic approach. The award looks for students to demonstrate an understanding of the environmental design considerations, learned during the course, blended with an application of previously acquired architectural skills.

Judged by an expert panel consisting of; Vince Ugarow, Design Director, Hilson Moran; Ben Abel, Technical Director, Hilson Moran; Marta Galiñanes-García, Design Director, AKTII and Scott Batty, University of Westminster / Scott Batty Architect, this year’s worthy recipient was Alessandro Cirillo.

Alessandro’s work examined the retrofit of ‘70s Office Buildings Curtain Walls, and addresses a real problem facing many existing buildings worldwide. Conducting a thorough, analytical process he successfully considered energy, embodied carbon, productivity and commercial aspects to devise a creditable design solution. His concept could be taken forward to practical application and, potentially, play a role in helping to achieve Net Zero carbon.

On the final presentations, Amedeo commented, “It is amazing to see how students, over one year, learn how to look scientifically at the built environment, and how their new knowledge blends with their own architectural skills.”

We wish all the students best of luck for the future. Find out about MORE 2020, and view additional work by the students, here.

Share this article: