Kingston University graduate wins prestigious RIBA Silver Medal for Visionary HS2 Forest City Concept

A Kingston School of Art graduate has scooped the prestigious RIBA Silver Medal for architecture with a project that reimagined the aborted HS2 site between Birmingham and Manchester as a forested new town.

MArch Architecture graduate Joe Franklin, who completed his studies in Summer 2024, was presented the award at a glittering ceremony which celebrated talent and excellence in architectural education. Given by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for 188 years, the President's Medals recognise the world's best work by architecture students, Joe's success is the first time the award has been conferred on a Kingston University graduate.

The RIBA Silver Medal is an annual award that celebrates exceptional architectural achievement among emerging talents, recognising the best design project produced at RIBA Part 2 or equivalent, selected by an international jury of architects, designers and artists. This year saw a record number of entries from schools of architecture worldwide.

Joe's project, Ultra Town, draws on his experience living in temporary, transient communities, utilising the history of woodland as a space for protest and counterculture to propose an ultra-urban condition that responds to the housing and ecological crises. It re-imagines the aborted phase 02 site between Birmingham and Manchester as an inhabited forest – a 120km piece of social and ecological infrastructure home to 250,000 people.

The project details a method of responsible development embedded with cycles of support, maintenance and care. "Ultra Town proposes an ultra-urban condition – one that brings together ultra nature and ultra architecture, examining the distinctions between humans and nature," Joe explained. "The town is drawn over a period of 50 years, encapsulating a number of phases, from enabling services to developing forms of industry, pieces of social infrastructure and housing."

"It's a real joy to receive this award, especially for such a quiet and, at times, deeply personal project. I would like to thank RIBA and the judges of the Silver Medal – it means a lot to have the work recognised in this way. I only hope that the award can go beyond its limitations as a personal achievement, to celebrate the endless support and encouragement from my tutors and friends at the Kingston School of Art."

Established in 1834, RIBA has been instrumental in advancing architectural practice, education, and professional standards. Typically presented to outstanding graduates from schools of architecture across the UK and internationally, the Silver Medal recognises remarkable design work that demonstrates creativity, technical skill, and potential for future architectural leadership. Winners are recognised as rising stars in the architectural world, with the medal serving as a significant milestone in their professional development and a hallmark of promising architectural talent.

Joe's project was supported by the teaching and learning ethos within the Department of Architecture and Landscape at Kingston School of Art which recognises architecture is going through a profound renewal as it addresses the climate crises and the reinvigorated critical terrain afforded by decolonisation. A high proportion of the staff are leading practitioners, including Joe's tutors Astrid Smitham and Nicholas Lobo Brennan of Apparata Studio, who equip the students with the ability to propose beautiful readings of place, and to offer generosity, care and dignity in the making of a room or a landscape.

Head of Department of Architecture and Landscape Professor Heba Elsharkawy said the RIBA President's Silver Medal was a significant stepping stone in Joe's career as an architect. "Within the Department of Architecture and Landscape, at Kingston School of Art, we foster a collaborative environment where practitioners, academics, and students engage in shared exploration," she said. "One of the unique aspects of studying architecture at KSA is that the diverse cohort, studio environment, and shared practices and experiences of all involved are integral to developing graduates' positive, inclusive and collaborative practice in the workplace."

MArch Architecture course leader Aoife Donnelly said Joe had produced a beautifully articulated, personal and gently political project. "Joe's success will encourage others to follow in his footsteps and foster a sensitive and quietly radical, but tangible and haptic approach in their work," she said. "Architecture at KSA centres an engagement with the live questions of the moment, a meaningful connection with people and place, an emphasis on the built artefact and a material sensibility, Joe's project epitomises this approach. These concerns mirror those of practice now and as such make for highly employable graduates who are adaptable and multi-skilled."

RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said he was delighted to see the highest ever number of entries for the President's Medals, which were of such quality and diversity that the judges awarded additional commendations in each category. "What unites the winning projects is a true marriage of creativity and community spirit, explored with great sensitivity and personal insight," he said, "These projects show a real awareness of the importance of reuse, elevating people and places that have been overlooked, and the social responsibility of the architect. While these are weighty themes, the winners give me confidence in the next generation of architects and designers."

• Find out more about the Department of Architecture and Landscape at Kingston School of Art.