An international exhibition of entries to the world’s most prestigious architectural education prize—the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President’s Medals— opened at the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) on November 11.

The RIBA President’s Medals are awarded annually as a way to celebrate and promote excellence in the study of architecture, reward talent and encourage architectural debate worldwide.

Each year, an exhibition of student work is displayed at RIBA in London and then toured to venues throughout the UK and the world. In the past, the RIBA President’s Medals exhibition has toured to countries such as Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, France, Romania, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and more.

Dr. Varkki Pallathucheril, Dean of CAAD, confirmed this is the second time AUS has hosted the prestigious exhibition.

“To be partnering with such a prominent institute as RIBA in this exhibition once more affirms the important role CAAD is playing in providing world-class professional architectural education in the Gulf,” he said.

“The caliber of partnerships we continue to foster within the international architecture and design community means that our students receive exposure to the industry’s leading thinkers and professionals from around the world, and our graduates pay testament to this through their ongoing success as professionals in architecture and design,” he said.

Set up by Assistant Professor of Architecture at CAAD, Juan Roldán, the exhibition features selected works in the form of large, individual two-dimensional panels specially designed for the display, slideshows and films of entries, as well as a number of three-dimensional models produced by students from around the world.

The 2017 RIBA President’s Medals exhibition opened at CAAD at 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 11 and will continue to be open to the public until November 25.

For more information about the College of Architecture, Art and Design, visit www.aus.edu/caad.