{"product_id":"aj-24-09-26-student-prize","title":"AJ 24.09.26: Student Prize","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the \u003cstrong\u003eAJ Student Prize 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e issue. Showcasing the work of architecture students from across the UK, the prize drew 110 submissions from 61 out of 62 eligible UK schools. The students featured are not simply preparing to enter the profession as it currently exists; they are already questioning its boundaries, its responsibilities and its possibilities. Projects grapple with questions that extend well beyond the conventional production of buildings, from circularity and material reuse to funding, phasing and delivery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe issue’s lead news feature presents the findings of the AJ’s \u003cstrong\u003eInto Work survey\u003c\/strong\u003e, published here for the first time, with feedback from more than 400 students and early-career professionals. Key findings are that more than a quarter of student respondents have given up on their dreams of becoming an architect, and 57 per cent of those cite insufficient pay. The results paint a stark picture of intense competition, mounting debt and professional disillusionment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA feature by \u003cstrong\u003eDerin Fadina and Fran Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e asks why architecture is still worth studying, speaking to former architecture students now working as filmmakers, planners, set designers, cultural programmers and journalists, including the \u003cem\u003eGuardian’\u003c\/em\u003es Oliver Wainwright. In addition, architect and lecturer \u003cstrong\u003eToko Andrews\u003c\/strong\u003e writes a letter to students just starting their academic year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAway from architectural education, another news feature focuses on plans approved for a quartet of \u003cstrong\u003eall-timber tree houses\u003c\/strong\u003e in Norfolk by Material Cultures, Hudson Architects, Denizen Works and Mole Architects, each to be built largely from trees grown on site. And in Opinion, \u003cstrong\u003eAlexander Buck\u003c\/strong\u003e argues that a retrofit-first planning policy would unlock innovation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Culture, \u003cstrong\u003eEdward Bottoms\u003c\/strong\u003e talks about the launch of a major digital archive related to the AA’s Department of Tropical Architecture, and \u003cstrong\u003eMark David Flynn\u003c\/strong\u003e reports on the restoration of Copenhagen’s fire-gutted Børsen, Denmark’s first listed building.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRounding out the issue are \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Grandorge\u003c\/strong\u003e’s photograph of a 1:10 model of Kenzo Tange’s 1953 house in Tokyo, sketches by \u003cstrong\u003eAzal Kassim\u003c\/strong\u003e and a competitions compilation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDid you know that students get 50 per cent off subscriptions? Find out more \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.architectsjournal.co.uk\/AJSTU50\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Architects' Journal Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57580880789877,"sku":"EMA-AJ202609","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0534\/0590\/9186\/files\/000_CVR_V_AJW_260924.jpg?v=1790066902","url":"https:\/\/www.architects-journal-shop.co.uk\/products\/aj-24-09-26-student-prize","provider":"Architects' Journal shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}