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Architecture student Unaiza Karim Ullah’s master’s thesis wins an Honorable Mention at the wa award
At the 2026 wa award, organized by the architecture magazine wa wettbewerbe – a prestigious design competition for architecture students – Unaiza Karim Ullah from Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Frankfurt UAS) successfully qualified for the finals. She received an honorable mention for her master’s thesis, “Flatpack Futures: A Temporary Learning Typology for Disaster-Prone Areas”, in which she designs a concept for modular, prefabricated schools that can be quickly set up in disaster-stricken areas. In addition, her visualization appears on the cover of the May issue of the magazine “wettbewerbe aktuell”.
This year’s student competition was themed “Constructive Spaces”. The expert jury recognized projects that explore fundamental questions of building construction while breaking new ground in the use of materials, joints and structure. A total of 107 entries were submitted from over 30 universities, academies, and colleges in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; only nine made it to the finals. The award ceremony took place on May 4th, 2026, at the Rhineland-Palatinate University of Applied Sciences (RPTU) in Kaiserslautern-Landau.
Unaiza Karim Ullah completed her bachelor’s degree in her home country, Pakistan, and then she had the opportunity to come to Germany and continue her studies at Frankfurt UAS. She is a student in the Advanced Architecture master’s program under the supervision of Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Tatjana Vautz. The English-language program covers design and construction at all scales, from urban contexts down to one-to-one details, making it appealing not only to international students. “Studying here has been a truly life-changing experience, both academically and personally”, Karim Ullah says.
She was inspired to create her project “Flatpack Futures” by the devastating floods that Pakistan has faced in recent years. “With around 47 % of the country’s population currently under the age of 18, such climate-related disasters have a particularly strong impact on younger generations and their future opportunities”, Ullah says. The disasters have disrupted schooling for millions of children, many of whom are already particularly vulnerable.
Karim Ullah’s master’s thesis was supervised by Prof. Stefanie Eberding and Prof. Jan Dieterle, Ph.D., at the Department of Architecture. The title “Flatpack Futures” is a play on the term flat pack, which refers to space-saving, self-assembly components packed in cardboard boxes, such as those used by furniture stores.
“Flatpack Futures designs modular, rapidly deployable learning spaces for regions affected by natural disasters”, Prof. Stefanie Eberding explains. “These so-called flat-pack structures are cost-effective, climate-resilient, and made from local materials. The goal is to combine short-term emergency aid with long-term access to education, thereby ensuring the continuity of learning even in crisis situations.“
Co-advisor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Dieterle praises the “outstanding master’s thesis for its rare combination of analytical depth, design clarity, and social relevance. Based on a thorough examination of local conditions, Karim Ullah developed a concept for a modular school in Pakistan that can be built by the local community through self-help efforts“, Dieterle says. “Particularly impressive are the precise, hand-drawn visualizations and the accompanying, accessible brochure, which makes the structure understandable even to laypeople – an exemplary contribution to a context-sensitive, emancipatory architectural practice.“
“While Pakistan serves as the starting point, the proposal addresses a global challenge“, Karim Ullah emphasizes. “By 2050, millions of people in many parts of the world are expected to be affected by flooding, climate change, and water scarcity. The design therefore proposes resilient, bamboo-based educational spaces that can be efficiently assembled, adapted, and replicated in vulnerable regions.“
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Head of Programme Advanced Architecture, Prof. Tatjana Vautz, phone: +49 69 1533-3655, E-Mail: advanced-architecture@fb1.fra-uas.de | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Dieterle, phone: +49 69 1533-3695, E-Mail: jan.dieterle@fra-uas.de | Prof. Stefanie Eberding, phone: +49 69 1533-2385, E-Mail: stefanie.eberding@fra-uas.de
https://www.frankfurt-university.de/adv-arch (klick "EN" at the top of the webpage for Information about Advanced Architecture Master of Science in English)
https://www.wettbewerbe-aktuell.de/wa-award (Information about the wa-award)
Unaiza Karim Ullah illustrates her “Flatpack Futures” design for modular classrooms with precise, ha ...
Source: Visualization: U. Karim Ullah
Copyright: Unaiza Karim Ullah
Unaiza Karim Ullah received an honorable mention in the finals of this year's wa awards for her mast ...
Source: wa wettbewerbe aktuell
Copyright: wa wettbewerbe aktuell
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