Architecture graduates gain recognition at national student designer awards

Two postgraduate Architecture graduates have received prizes at the Association of Project Safety (APS) Student Designer Awards 2025.

Ethan Wishart was awarded second place and Abbie Green placed third in the awards which challenge students on built environment design courses in the UK to showcase their design projects.

Judged by a panel of industry experts, the awards focus not only on design excellence but also the way that students’ projects address safety during the construction, use and maintenance of the proposed building.

Ethan’s project proposal ‘Marsa Living Labs’ is an imaginative new take on a laboratory and research centre set within a former industrial harbour district in Malta. His design combined awareness of sustainability, innovation and technical planning, from his choice of prefabricated materials and modular design to use of barge for delivering materials to the hypothetical construction site.

He was awarded £1,000 for second place and was commended by the judges for demonstrating a commitment to reducing on-site risk and environmental impact.

The judges said: “With strong visuals, clear sequencing, and a focus on sustainability, Ethan delivered a design that was both creative and technically informed.”

It is an honour to have my master’s thesis project recognised by APS and it was a pleasure to be involved in the student designer awards this year.

Ethan Wishart

Abbie’s project proposal ‘Our Neighbourhood? Hill Yeah’, located along Malta’s Grand Harbour, is a design for a new development that reinterprets the hill by stacking functions within a grid structure allowing housing, commercial, community, and open spaces to coexist seamlessly.

She also opted for a modular construction, alongside marine delivery methods, and was accredited with third place and a prize of £500 thanks to her comprehensive risk management, creative approach, commitment to accessibility standards, and strong awareness of safety throughout the project.

The judges said: “Abbie’s design demonstrated a well-rounded and integrated approach to buildability, maintainability, and usability…we also noted her clear presentation, thoughtful diagrams, and well-structured explanations, which brought her ambitious vision to life.”

Being recognised with the APS award for my master’s thesis is an incredible honour and shows how important it is to think about safety within design from the earliest stages. Thank you to the tutors at LJMU for encouraging me to submit my work and always pushing us to consider all aspects of design in our projects.

Abbie Green

Abbie and Ethan graduated from the MArch in Architecture programme in 2025 and now work in architectural practices in Liverpool.

Dominic Wilkinson, Programme Leader for MArch in Architecture, said: “The award-winning projects by Abbie and Ethan demonstrate how safety can be used not as a reason to avoid doing something but as an integral part of the design process. Their proposals are imaginative responses to environmental, climatic and social challenges in a changing world.”