Emelie Christina Fraser, a 2025 DipArch graduate from the Mackintosh School of Architecture’s (MSA) Stage 5 programme, has been awarded the RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal for Best 5th Year Student in Scotland. The winners of the 2025 awards were announced at the annual Andy MacMillan Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, 1 October at Civic House in Glasgow. This is the fourth consecutive year that a Mackintosh School of Architecture graduate has been awarded this accolade, with Euan Clarke in 2024, Rachel Crooks in 2023 and Karlis Kukainis in 2022, all previous winners of the prestigious medal.
As part of MSA Stage 5’s ‘Ethical City’ conceptual brief, Emelie’s thesis O PARQUE DOS MORTOS: An Architecture of Changing Perceptions critiques Portugal’s architectural approach to death, noting a shift in societal attitudes, with over 57% of urban residents opting for cremation and euthanasia legalised. Despite these changes, death architecture remains largely segregated. Emelie’s thesis advocates for a new integrated architectural response to mortality, questioning how design can support the social processes of dying and reflect evolving perspectives on death. Aiming to more prominently incorporate the architecture into the urban fabric, her thesis proposes a spine wall to guide visitors, and three-walled gardens for mourning and dignified death, promoting decay as a living process while embracing Porto’s wet climate for natural reclamation.
“We are delighted in Emelie’s achievement in winning the RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal for Best 5th Year Student. It is a testament to the exceptional calibre of talent nurtured here at The Glasgow School of Art” Says Professor Sally Stewart, head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture.
“Emelie’s thesis, which boldly reimagines Porto’s architectural responses to death with sensitivity and invention, exemplifies the forward-thinking spirit we strive to encourage here at The GSA. The Mackintosh School of Architecture’s remarkable four-year streak of cultivating students who have secured this prestigious award highlights the GSA’s continued commitment to shaping architects who challenge conventions and engage meaningfully with complex social issues.”
Judges’ comments: “This project is a standout example of architectural sensitivity and technical excellence, tackling a rarely addressed but deeply important subject with grace and clarity. The concept of geometry and circularity is beautifully embedded in both the spatial design and the lifecycle narrative, resulting in a thoughtful and emotionally resonant journey through the building. Stunning, soft-textured drawings and convincing technical detail elevate this project into a compelling and memorable architectural statement. This was a stand-out – when we saw it, we wished this building existed.”
The Royal Incorporated Architects of Scotland Awards, in tandem with Architecture & Design Scotland, bring together the five schools of architecture in Scotland to celebrate the continuing high standards of Scottish architecture.
Fraser was also presented with the RIAS Andy Macmillan Drawing Prize at the ceremony and joins her previous awards including the GSA’s own Chair’s Medal and the 2025 3DReid Prize. The full details of Fraser’s winning thesis can be viewed on the 2025 Undergraduate Showcase HERE
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About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.
