What's it really like to be a finalist in the Saint-Gobain Architecture Students Contest?

Registration is now open for the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest 2025, and there's no better way to find out what it's really like than hearing from a UK finalist.

The Architecture Students Contest (ASC) allows students from universities across the world to put their knowledge and skills to the test in a real-life architecture scenario. Every year there is a different brief that the students must work to, and two stages to the competition: the national stage-competing against other Universities and students across the UK (or their representative country), and the international stage-where the top projects from the national stage go head-to-head. 

Isabel Macdonald, University of Nottingham, took part in this year's contest, coming 1st place in her heat with her project partner, and going on to represent the UK in the global final, held in Helsinki. She tells us more about their project named "Ela":

"For our project, we were tasked with the design of the Viikki campus at the University of Helsinki. The main areas was a refurbishment of an office block to accomodation, a complete redesign of an existing building for accommodation, and to tie in certain aspects of the site such as a Japanese garden, a brewery, and a disused museum. The focus was net zero carbon, promoting renewable practices, circularity, and reusing existing building materials.

Our project is designed as a tectonic system, in which the form can find itself and change throughout its uses. By using sustainable materials and renewable energy we are working towards this net zero carbon goal, as well as an interactive and adaptable creative learning space. We are environmentally responsive, socially regenerative, and a systemic approach ready to evolve.

The context was extremely beneficial in many ways. It definitely required a lot of 'think outside the box' ideas and pushed us to test boundaries to make both the engineering and architecture work side-by-side. Something I'd stress is how important collaboration and communication is  for success. Working with an architect is an eye-opening experience, and has taught me how to work in a team with a different specialty. It definitely was not smooth sailing the whole way, with many instances where we were back and forth bargaining to get certain aspects of our own ideas in the project, but was entirely rewarding in the end to see our final ideas come together. 
Like any project, a lot of hours were put into multiple revisions each week. As time went on, my time management was definitely tested and improved as it became more important than ever to balance other commitments alongside our project."

Isabel and her project partner had the privilege of heading to Iceland for the global leg of the competition, which is held in a different location each year. 2025's final will be held where Saint-Gobain originated in 1665-France. 

"Visiting Iceland for the final stage was such a surreal experience. Saint-Gobain planned the trip perfectly, with tours, conferences, fabulous dinners, a well-planned exhibition, and a wonderful ending to announce the winners in a grand church with performances, dancing, and drinks! The highlight for me was definitely meeting so many other countries' contestants, with nearly 30 teams in person. I got to meet students from South Africa, Dubai, India, and South Korea just to name a few. Sharing a room with the female Spanish team member created both a stronger connection and a new friendship, sharing experiences and cultures."

When asked if she would recommend the competition to other students and Universities, she described it as 

A truly unforgettable experience I am very glad to have been a part of.

The ASC allows students to gain much more than just enhancing their architectural prowess, especially in the latter stages of the contest. WIth networking events, working to real-life constraints, presenting to experts and much more, there's certainly a lot to be gained from entering, as well as the chance to win some great cash prizes. 

We're looking for Universities and students across the UK who would like to take part in the 2025 edition of the competition, so for more information, visit www.saint-gobain.co.uk/architecture-contest or contact [email protected]