The ‘humble hero’ architects who built better education into a school design
- Boarding school accommodation for poor children in rural Brazil won a top architecture award
- Royal Institute of British Architects prize also celebrated designs from Sri Lanka to Japan to China that address global challenges
Architects will go to extreme lengths to design a building that can truly be called iconic and to cement their name in the architectural hall of fame.
Yet the building that was recently awarded one of the profession’s most coveted trophies, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Prize, is no twisted tower or glitzy skyscraper. It is a boarding school accommodation for financially disadvantaged rural children in Brazil.
Brazilian architects Gustavo Utrabo and Pedro Duschenes scooped up the 2018 top prize for their meaningful “Children Village”. The RIBA International Prize, awarded every two years, identifies buildings that exemplify design excellence and architectural ambition.
Among others recognised were projects that while diverse in nature and location, address global challenges, including a sustainable home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a tiny tower in Tokyo, and a “green” university in Shenzhen, China .
The Children Village in Formoso do Araguaia, Brazil, is designed by Utrabo and Duschenes’ studio, Aleph Zero, in collaboration with the designer Marcelo Rosenbaum. The 30-something co-founders started their own firm just out of college because they couldn’t find a company that felt connected with their ideas.
“Children Village provides an exceptional environment designed to improve the lives and well-being of the school’s children, and illustrates the immeasurable value of good educational design,” says Ben Derbyshire, RIBA’s president.