Turning Stinging Nettles into Fabric wins the Prize.
A factory to turn stinging nettles into fabric – Congratulations to Jack Parker who has been awarded a prize for excellence from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Jack was the winner of the Degree Prize which celebrates the talent of architecture students at the University. The prize is awarded by the RIBA South East Branch, representing nearly 800 architects across East and West Sussex. Jack received his Prize from Paul Zara, Chair of RIBA Sussex Branch at the School of Architecture’s End of Year Show, of students’ work.
The judges were impressed with Jack’s project, the visualisation of a factory to make fabrics from nettles on the Ravensbourne river in Catford, south London. Jack explains: “Pollution of water and waste pollution has led the river to become overgrown and untended, with a lack of biological diversity. My project looked at one of the plants that survive – the stinging nettle. Manufactured into clothes, food and other products the nettle, which is native to riverbanks of the UK, provides an opportunity to revitalise the river and for it to become useful to the Catford community once again.”
Judge Paul Zara commented: ‘In a very strong show, Jack’s work stood out for its exceptionally high quality of presentation and thought behind the projects he presented. They had a strong political element, to do with how we have polluted our world in many different ways, combined with positive solutions that looked and mending the damage and helping the community. His work is full of the issues that architects of the future will have to manage’.
Well Done Jack.