Second-year architecture student wins the World Architecture Award

American University of Sharjah (AUS) architecture student Hala Naser has been awarded a World Architecture Award (Student Award) for work she completed in only her second year of studies at the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), competing against graduate students from around the world.

Over 17 years and 44 cycles, the World Architecture Community has organized the prestigious and acclaimed World Architecture Community Awards (WA Awards) to highlight and recognize remarkable projects that have the potential to inspire exciting questions about contemporary architectural discourse. The awards attract participants from around the globe, particularly from regions less covered by general or specialized media, who get a chance to share and promote their projects, which would otherwise go unnoticed.

Naser’s design The Spa, an imagined venue set on the island of Cyprus, was produced in her second architecture studio course at CAAD, working under the supervision of Professor Michael Hughes.

“It’s shocking for a second-year student to achieve an award like this. In my 28 years of teaching, this is the first time I have seen a second-year project compete and win in a competition open to all year levels. It speaks to Hala’s commitment and hard work,” said Hughes.

“Following the foundation year at CAAD, in this studio (ARC 202) our students are focused on the basic principles of architectural design with a particular focus on human experience. Hala took a radical approach, unique for a second-year student, and did a great job transforming her initial idea into a complete project,” said Hughes.

Naser deliberately pushed the boundaries of the assignment, deciding on a structure created entirely out of planes (or flat surfaces)—which created a series of challenges.

“I applied the idea of vertical and horizontal layered planes to form space and worked with a number of variables where the planes can shift. After taking this decision, it became a sort of puzzle and solution for me to solve by creating a set of rules on how to stack these planes to make space and create evocative atmospheres and joyous conditions,” she said.

Naser submitted her work on a whim when she heard about the WA Awards over the summer and was thrilled to receive the news that her work had been selected by jury members as the winning entry. 

“Entering AUS, I didn’t have any expectations other than making it through foundations, knowing how high the expectations are for CAAD students! Now, as an architecture student, new opportunities open up every semester, and I hope I will continue to stay excited about upcoming challenges,” she said.

AUS is number one in the UAE and among the top 200 universities globally for architecture and the built environment by QS World University Subject Rankings (2023). The Bachelor of Architecture program is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) of the United States and is the first program outside of North America to receive this prestigious accreditation. NAAB is the only organization authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture in the United States.

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