Karla Roman Travel Bursary 2019, LOM architecture and design News

Karla Roman Travel Bursary

Architectural Funding – 2019 Call for Entries

27 Sep 2019

Karla Roman Travel Bursary: LOM architecture and design

Applications open for second year of student bursary dedicated to the late Karla Roman

Applications have opened for the annual travel bursary named in memory of Karla Roman – a talented architect who was tragically killed while cycling to work in London in February 2017.

This is the second year that LOM architecture and design has awarded the bursary, which is aimed at architecture students looking to broaden their experiences through travel.

For its inaugural year, the bursary has financially supported two architecture students to pursue travel opportunities in connection with their studies. The bursary enabled 2019 recipient and Bath University student Eleanor Hyde, 20, to travel solo to Japan – an opportunity that would not otherwise have been an option for her.

Karla Roman:

photo courtesy of LOM architecture and design, architects

Eleanor says: “I have always had a strong interest in Japanese architecture and design, however the time and financial constraints of being a student meant that there simply weren’t any opportunities for me to travel to somewhere as far as Japan. By enabling me to go to Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto and Osaka, the bursary allowed me to become completely immersed in Japanese culture, looking beyond architecture to cuisine, religion, and sustainability. My ten-day visit has already had a profound effect on my design thinking, recently completing the design for a micro-home which drew on my first-hand study of Japanese modular dwellings.”

Eleanor, who is interested in working in humanitarian architecture in the future, emphasises the importance of the scheme to prospective applicants: “The opportunity to travel to a country with a very different culture from the UK has proved to be an invaluable experience to my thinking as an architect, informing my design approach, broadening my knowledge and helping to shape my way of thinking in the future”.

Farid Abdulla, 40, who is studying for his Part II at the Manchester School of Architecture, spent a semester at Italy’s largest technical university, Politecnico di Milano and in his spare time explored the city as well as Lake Como.

Farid says: “Living in Milan and experiencing a change of environment facilitated a cognitive shift and a clarity of thought, particularly regarding my career as a designer and urbanist. I discovered layers of imagination that I will continue to nurture, as well as an appreciation for where best to place myself when I finish my studies. The bursary allowed me to have a beautiful experience that has forever changed me.”

Any UK-based architecture student is eligible to apply for the bursary. £2,000 will be awarded to the applicant who can demonstrate the greatest need for financial assistance with their travel requirements. Applicants should provide a description of their circumstances and how they would benefit from the bursary.

The successful applicant will be invited to give Karla’s colleagues at LOM a short presentation outlining how their studies and associated travel have benefited from the bursary. LOM would like to hear from applicants for the 2020 bursary by Monday 9th December 2019. Further details about how to apply are available on the LOM website via this link.

Karla Roman

Karla joined London-based architectural practice LOM architecture and design at the beginning of 2015. During her two years at LOM, she qualified as an architect and worked on more than a dozen projects including a music academy in Hackney, a private house in Hampstead, a new-build care and rehabilitation centre in Surrey and a community school in Ghana.

As well as the UK, Karla worked in Italy and in her native Brazil.

Richard Hutchinson, director of LOM and Karla’s colleague said: “Karla joined LOM in March 2015 and worked creatively and diligently until her tragic accident. She was a real asset to the studio, bringing a wide range of skills, positivity, warmth and creativity to everything she did. Although her life was sadly cut short, Karla’s light shone brightly as she travelled the world and achieved so much in everything she did. She studied for – and completed – her professional exams in Italy and was in the process of gaining her UK accreditation. It is a testament to her ability that she managed to do this whilst still being totally committed to projects in the studio.”

Karla Roman Travel Bursary: LOM architecture and design image / information received 27099

Location: UK