<p>Run by a committee of architects, engineers, surveyors and contractors, the Forum helps break down boundaries by providing opportunities to socialise with fellow professionals with proceeds from events donated to worthwhile local causes.</p> <p>The final concept, a combined effort from the students involved, was to create a small microcosmic environment representing architecture and architectural iconography. Elements that represent different types of buildings identified mostly by the shape of their roof were combined into a block.</p> <p>Represented in the design of the award were buildings of fortification, religion, industry and residency, spanning through different ages of architecture.</p>

<p>Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader Kevin Jenkins took the concepts and developed them into computer-aided designs, ready to present to the Building Forum for approval.</p> <p>The model was made by hand and by woodturning using American black walnut wood. The award was then assembled and the logo of the Building Forum added using state of the art laser cutting facilities at the college.</p> <p>Because the students worked together on the design project, they decided to put their prize money for creating the awards towards a group <a href="https://cms.plymouthart.ac.uk/courses/ba-hons-illustration/">BA (Hons) Product Design &amp; Innovation</a> budget, which contributes towards group events, field trips and supplies for students.</p> <p>Subject leader Kevin Jenkins said: “This kind of collaborative live brief is always welcomed at Plymouth College of Art. The students were able to imagine a host of ideas, agreeing on a concept that incorporated various aspects of historical construction and was perfectly suited to what the Building Forum is all about. The design is quite toy-like, it’s a bit of a game of architectural history. It’s the kind of concept that could be designed into a chess set, for example.”</p>

<p>Student Jack Rogers, whose concept formed the basis for the design, attended the black-tie awards ceremony where the Building Forum announced their Building of the Year.</p> <p>Student Jack said: “Many of the previous awards for the Building Forum had been quite traditional in style, so myself and the team knew we wanted to create something more modern; a prestigious looking award you’d want to display.</p> <p>“As the award represented excellence in architecture, we wanted to incorporate those architectural elements, which was how the shapes evolved. We discussed different materials and since we knew we wanted to use the facilities in the college, decided on wood and utilized the woodworking workshop.</p> <p>“It was great to see the finished product, and I really enjoyed the project. It was a professional experience and gave me insight as to how live briefs work within the industry.”</p>