AJ Student Prize
News
BSU Student Nominated for Architecture Prize
Friday, 10 October, 2025The Architects Journal Student Prize was back for the eighth consecutive year, with one key difference this time around, Bath Spa University had a nominee for the first time. The award ceremony, which took place last night, celebrated the best of graduate architects and saw over 100 nominees up for the prize.
Since BSU have had their first graduating cohort in Architecture this year, it became eligible for the award, with Sebastian Masters being the inaugural candidate from the University, for his work completed in the final year of his undergraduate degree.
The project, titled ‘The Wilderness That Was’ reimagines a wetland research centre and observatory, integrating the car park of the Ham Wall Nature Reserve in Somerset into part of the reserve, giving the parking site back to nature.
Speaking with Senior Lecturer in Architecture Ian Parkes about Sebastian’s final piece, and being BSU’s first nominee for the AJ Student Prize:
“We are delighted to be entering the AJ Student Prize for the first time, and to have Seb as our first entrant. His final undergraduate project - The Wilderness That Was - elegantly balances competing values across a scheme that is aesthetically, technically, and poetically resolved to the highest level. Seb’s work proposed a forward-looking method of practice which draws on themes of locality and deep time without being slave to either and is both believable and exciting at the same time.”
He continued:
“Our course is a new programme, and seeing such extraordinary work from one of our first graduates is a testament to the immense creativity of our students, a positive and collaborative studio culture, and the inspiring support of our teaching staff.”
On being nominated for the award, Sebastian said:
“Being BSU's first nominee is a great honour particularly due to being part of the first graduating cohort. My project looked at ways at how we can design more sensitively toward for the future of the planet. This is a skill which every architect of the future will require to address climate change. As a result, I feel well prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.”
This will hopefully be the first of many nominations for BSU, as the BA (Hons) Architecture course further develops new graduates in 2026 and beyond. If you want to find out more about the BA (Hons) Architecture course at BSU, then more information can be found on our website.