Alvin Lam has been awarded a Commendation in the Dissertation Medal category of the 2025 RIBA President’s Dissertation Medal Awards for his dissertation entitled 'Bricks, Railings, Umbrellas: A Study of Barricade Lineage and Practice in 2019 Hong Kong.'
Lam’s dissertation, supervised by Professor Max Sternberg, offers a compelling analysis of the architectural, social, and symbolic functions of protest barricades during the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations. By tracing the lineage of improvised defensive structures and examining how everyday urban materials were re-appropriated, Lam presents a nuanced exploration of architecture’s role in civic resistance and public space.
The RIBA President’s Medals are among the most prestigious international awards for architecture students, celebrating design and research excellence across the globe. Receiving a commendation places Lam’s work among the year’s finest academic contributions to architectural discourse.
The Department congratulates Alvin on this significant achievement, recognising not only the academic rigour of his dissertation but also its timely engagement with urgent global conversations about urbanism, politics, and collective action.