Students from the world’s only university qualification in high-rise architecture triumphed in an international design competition.

Nottingham took the first two prizes – and four of the top 10 places overall – in the prestigious Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) 2014 Student Design Competition, which attracted 288 submissions from almost 50 countries.

Alex Balchin led the field with his Clean Air Tower, which combines vertical architecture with industrial air-cleaning technologies and self-generated power to clean 8,500,000m3 of air a year for residents and office workers in Tianjin, China. Second place went to Matthew Humphreys for his Vertical Farm Project in Singapore. Alex won $6,000 and Matthew $4,000 in prize money and stipends to travel to China.

Course Leader Dr Philip Oldfield is delighted at the international recognition for Nottingham’s Masters in Architecture Sustainable Tall Buildings studio.

“For me, this demonstrates that the work our students are undertaking at Nottingham is at the forefront of tall building design and research internationally, and that we’ll see our graduates leading the construction of such radical architecture in the future,” he said.

Alex returned to Nottingham for a Masters in Architecture after working in Shanghai and Singapore for two years, gaining experience in the design of skyscrapers. He is now negotiating a job offer in New York after he graduates later this year.

He said: “It was my pleasure to present my high-rise design to a jury of whom many had been a profound influence on my work in the past. Winning the competition is a high point in my career and I’m excited about the opportunities it has brought me.”

Matthew, who is now working for Pomeroy Studio in Singapore, said: “I was absolutely chuffed to have come second in a competition with such worldwide appeal; it is a great accolade. It was a privilege to attend the CTBUH Shanghai conference as a finalist. To have the opportunity to rub shoulders and learn from the leaders in the field was a fantastic opportunity and experience.”

Dr Oldfield said Alex and Matthew’s projects demonstrated how tall building design was evolving in the face of the global challenges of population growth and urbanisation, while also answering criticism that the tall building was inherently unsustainable, both socially and environmentally.

“There is a growing consensus that tall building design needs to evolve so it makes a more positive impact on the cities of the future,” he said.

“Alex and Matthew demonstrate how the tall building typology is evolving from the air-conditioned glass towers that we currently see in cities around the world, to challenging new ideas for innovative forms and functions, such as vertical farming, or even taking advantage of the stack effect to clean polluted air.”