Papageorge wins $10,000 NZIOB Charitable Trust Scholarship

Wellington PhD student Armano Papageorge wins $10,000 NZIOB Charitable Trust Scholarship Award

Armano Papageorge, a PhD student from Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Architecture has won this year’s New Zealand Institute of Building Charitable Trust (NZIOB Charitable Trust) scholarship.

The announcement was made last night at the NZIOB’s New Zealand Building Industry Awards dinner in Auckland.

The NZIOB Charitable Trust offers up to two $10,000 scholarships each year to recognise, encourage and financially support recipients from a trade, technical or professional role, who are proposing to pursue a project linked to building through research, practice or professional development.

Graham Stanage, NZIOB Charitable Trust Chair, said: “These scholarships were established to encourage aspirational thinking that has the potential to increase the building industry’s performance.”

“In selecting Armano Papageorge as the recipient of the 2019 NZIOB Charitable Trust Award, the judges considered a number of compelling entries that covered several research themes that are salient to current practices within our industry.

“The winning entry was seen as being particularly relevant to the advancement of an area that is likely to play a significant role in future – namely that of 3D printing in concrete construction and how it can be applied in a New Zealand context, notably to our current codes and practices.”

The $10,000 cash award will fund research into how 3D printing can influence and optimise different architectural and structural systems. It will fund Armano’s continued research with NZ’s Innovation Agency (Callaghan Innovation) that, with the use of their technical equipment, will develop a 3D printing workflow to produce structural concrete wall elements.

The award will also allow Armano to procure software and equipment to develop his systems and to engage with local consultants to further his research. It will also allow him to visit to Eindhoven University of Technology and other industry contacts in the Netherlands where the knowledge base of 3D printing is rapidly growing and is in wider use than here in NZ.

Armano Papageorge said, "I am extremely grateful to be a winner of this year’s award. It will help immensely in progressing my research to the standard and resolution that I have envisioned for it."

To be eligible for an NZIOB Charitable Trust Award, applicants must be New Zealand residents or citizens, actively involved in the building and construction industry, and be available for an interview with the selection panel.

Last year’s scholarship recipients were Emma Fell and Mikayla Heesterman, both Master of Architecture (Professional) students from the School of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington.

Graham Stanage said, “The NZIOB Charitable Trust warmly congratulates Armano on receiving the 2019 award and looks forward in the near future to hear how this award has enabled him to take his research to the next level and how the industry may benefit from his studies.”

ENDS

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