Michael Holland, BA(Hons) Architecture,was the joint winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Degree Prize which celebrates talent at the University.

Judges said his concept of giant crab-like machines that travel to cities around the globe, showing international amateur films showed “exemplary thought” and described his work as “beautifully hand-drawn”.

Michael said: “I wanted to remove the red carpet and celebrity, creating an alternative but equally lavish festival experience”.

Agata Malinowska, 22, BA(Hons Architecture at the University, also received the Degree Prize after judges said they were impressed with her imagined School of Visionary Architecture set in the future. Her drawing, they said “took our breath away”.

Agata said: “The current British system of education is outdated and architects have become too close to the commercial world. It should be more open to stimulate our creativity”. She envisages the School as literally attached to traditional Georgian buildings and to Nelson’s Column.

A third Diploma went to Edward Crump, Architecture RIBA Part2 MArch, for The Architectural Algorithm – a series of drawing machines which took code and translated it into imagery. They described it as “extraordinary analysis of a site, which astounded us”.

Edward said: “In a world that has evolved to a digital age, the translation of data into physical objects is not necessarily straightforward. Conflict occurs on the boundary between the digital world and the physical world.”

The robots that he designed and built analysed a site around the Preston Road railway viaduct in Brighton. The robots’ analysis formed the basis of the design for a Land Registry Dispute Resolution Centre.

Prizes were presented by Paul Zara, Chair of RIBA Sussex Branch.