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Notes to editors

1. For further press information contact Mina Vadon in the RIBA Press Office on 020 7307 3761; mina.vadon@inst.riba.org
2. The Royal Institute of British Architects' Research and Development Department launched the RIBA President's Awards for Research in 2005, to reward and encourage outstanding research in architecture carried out by PhD students, academics and practitioners. The awards promote and champion high-quality research and encourage its dissemination and incorporation into the knowledge base of the profession. The awards raise the profile of architects, practitioners and academics engaged in outstanding research, and raise awareness of the need for research across the profession that fosters innovation and strategic thinking.
3. The judges were: Chair - Richard Coyne (University of Edinburgh), Felipe Hernandes (University of Liverpool), Peter Clegg (Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios), Sarah Featherstone (Featherstone Associates), Brian Ford (University of Nottingham), and Sarah Wigglesworth (Sarah Wigglesworth Architects).
4. The other shortlisted entries for the PhD Thesis included: O ral Towns by Gil P Klein, University of Cambridge; The Aesthetics of Emergence by Pia Ednie-Brown, RMIT University and A Whirl of Wonders by Josephine Kane, Bartlett School of Architecture .
5. The other University-located Research shortlisted entries were: Architecture and Music in Renaissance Venice by Deborah Howard, University of Cambridge; Thinkers for Architects by Adam Sharr, Cardiff University and The Blossoming of Perspective by Penelope Haralambidou, Bartlett School of Architecture.
6. Shortlisted entries for the Professional Practice-located Research category included: National College for Schools Leadership Programme Support by DEGW and 160 Tooley Street by AHMM. For further information please see www.architecture.com For further information on the RIBA President's Medals 2008 please see www.presidentsmedals.com
7. The judges' citation for the winner of the Outstanding PhD Thesis follows: How do we inhabit architecture's skin? This interesting and well-argued thesis combines theoretical analysis with a solid body of design work and exploration materialised in the form of installations in galleries, built work and competition entries. Cruz develops a method of analysis that allows him to re-examine the work of a wide range of modernist architects in a new light, with the aim of proposing alternative attitudes towards space, materiality and aesthetics. He advances on a tradition in British architectural design that can be traced back to Brutalism and Archigram, which he successfully relates to themes of disgust and the grotesque. The thesis belongs to a relatively new current in architectural design that explores the potential of computer technology - combined with studies on materiality - to challenge traditional architectural approaches to design. The thesis is vigorous, lively and conveys a sense of adventure and enjoyment in the pursuit of the slightly ugly, abject and persistently imperfect.
8. The judges' citation for the winner of the Outstanding University-located Research follows:
   How has America influenced architecture in the UK? This remarkable book covers, in great detail, the history of twentieth-century architecture in Britain from a new angle. It presents the United States after the Second World War as a source of substantial architectural influence rather than merely the recipient of ideas from Europe. The book draws on and develops postcolonial discourse by focusing on the complex relationship between two dominant nations, neither of which imposes fully on the other, but effects various transformations. In presenting their case, the authors develop and re-locate Edward Said's critique of Orientalism. The book will no doubt trigger research into the complex relationships between the architectures of other nations, and constructions outside the canon of conventional architectural discourse. The book is very well written, lucidly combining history, anecdote, opinion, insight and critical argument. There is no doubt this book will become required reading for anyone studying British architecture and a valuable reference for practicing architects.
9. The judges' citation for the winner of the Outstanding Professional Practice-located Research follows:
   This award acknowledges the considerable contribution of Bill Dunster and the architectural practice ZEDFactory in drawing to the attention of practitioners the challenges of "zero energy" development. Theirs is a serious body of work well researched and documented, with the ideas having been refined constantly over the years. Their approach covers both building component and design output. As a summative product of this research The ZEDbook records about 10 years of development from "Bedzed" onwards looking at the building physics and the component elements of a range of projects. The ZEDbook is clearly written, well illustrated and referenced and allows the reader to dip in to specific subject areas. The book presents a body of work that has served the profession and the cause of sustainability extremely well.