A graduate student has been awarded a prize for excellence for his work in architecture.

Alex Bean, from Watford, has completed his studies at the Kent School of Architecture and has now been recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The 24-year-old won the Diploma Prize for his project. He designed a salt farm near Rye in East Sussex, where the River Rother meets the freshwater Royal Military Canal.

The former Queens School student said: “In a post-Brexit industrial landscape, where developing indigenous industry is of growing importance, the rich mineral history of the site offers an opportunity to showcase salt for its health benefits, rather than just its damaging nature.

“Salt will be harvested seasonally from the pans and processed and refined in the plant before it is used in the Saltarium. Guests can stay overnight and use the facilities, which include a salt bathing pan.”

Watford Observer:

Judges made the following comment on Alex’s project.

They said: “The factory building appears as a modern shipwreck on the canal landscape, a rusting hulk as an iconic representation of our age; and, at the same time, a true reflection of the nature of the materials in both a practical and ironic way”.

Alex received his prize from RIBA West Kent branch at the end of year show held in June. He collected a certificate and a cheque for £200 from Bernard Hyde, chairman of the branch.