Aidea, an inspired architecture studio based in Makati City, Philippines took first place in this year’s Build London Live event. Whilst there was no monetary prize or promise that their concept would be realised, the sixteen-strong team are delighted with the international recognition they have received.

Architect Abelardo Tolentino Jr. told The Inquirer: “One very important reason why we joined this kind of competition is to show to the world that the Philippines can do something good or comparable to what others can do outside the country. Many people do not know what capability we have here. I’m sure there are a lot of people who were surprised that we won first place because people know that Europe is more advanced than us. But that’s not the case. We can compete with them.”

The contest saw ten teams from the UK, UAE, India, Ireland, Chile, Greece and the Philippines address a design brief (revealed on day one) over the course of two days using BIM technology. The teams were given 48 hours to conceptualise and develop a museum which celebrated the year 2012 as a landmark for London in light of the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Jubilee.