Liverpool teenage architect wins trip to Shanghai in national competition
AN ASPIRING architect who was rejected by universities has won an all expenses paid trip to Shanghai with one of his designs.
Syed Karim, of Wavertree, was turned away from all the degree courses he applied for last year after completing his A-levels at Calderstones college in Allerton.
But after starting an art foundation course at Liverpool Community College, the 19-year-old entered and won the Architecture For Everyone competition.
His prize is to be flown out to China for a fortnight’s work experience at two top studios. On the back of Syed’s success, he has also been offered a place at the University of Liverpool in September, and even won a £1,000 prize for his portfolio entry.
A year on from initial university rejection life couldn’t be better, according to the talented teenager.
He said: “I have gone from feeling down in the dumps to being over the moon. I felt like a failure, but the last six months have been like a dream.”
After applying for the competition, Syed was set the brief of designing a sound system.
Inspiration struck as, staring at a pair of headphones, the shape triggered an idea to combine a sound system with a monowheel – a vehicle similar to a unicycle but with the rider sitting inside.
He said: “I never dreamed I would win, I thought my design was too extreme and no-one would take me seriously.”
But after making the final four, Syed was sent to London on July 22, where he was grilled by internationally-renowned architect Will Alsop, who designed Liverpool’s controversially scrapped “Fourth Grace” Cloud project.
The competition is backed by the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, in partnership with UK-based international architecture firm RMJM.
Syed will fly out on August 7 with fellow winner Andre Reid, where he will spend a week at an RMJM studio, and a second week at the University of Hong Kong in Shanghai.
Project manager of Architecture for Everyone, Veda Harrison said: “It goes to show that the future of great British architecture is out there, you just need to know where to look.”,
