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The winners of the RIBA President鈥檚 Medals Student Awards 2009 in association with Atkins have been announced.

Nicholas Szczepaniak from the University of Westminster won the top silver medal for his project 鈥楢 Defensive Architecture鈥�.

Set in the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, the project envisages a set of militarised coastal defence towers that perform multiple functions.

He said: 鈥淭he thesis is intended to expose unexpected readings of the built environment in the future if we don鈥檛 take more drastic steps to deal with climate change.鈥�

His tutors said: 鈥淗e imagines a set of austere and stark coastal defence towers that have multiple functions.

鈥淣ot only do the towers act as an environmental protection device that serves as a warning to mankind of the dangers that lies ahead, but they are also repositories of knowledge, housing a major collection of books, much like the British Library.

鈥淭hese 鈥檃rks鈥� are exquisitely explored in great detail through drawings and experimental models. The scheme is handled in a sensitive and thoughtful manner throughout.鈥�

Wen Ying Teh from the Architectural Association won the bronze medal for her project 鈥楢n Augmented Ecology of Wildlife and Industry鈥�.

By examining the salt mine that sits on the Galapagos landscape, he proposes an alternative to the typical conservationist practices applied across the islands.

His tutors said: 鈥淭he capacity to be wildly imaginative but at the same time technically rigorous and utterly believable is what gives the project its critical edge.鈥�

Rebecca Gregory from the University of Westminster won the dissertationmMedal for her work 鈥楾he Art of Skew Bridges: The Technique and its History Explored鈥�.

A record 250 schools of architecture from 50 countries were invited to nominate two of their best student design projects at Part 1 (first degree), two at Part 2 (second degree) and one dissertation.

The awards achieved the highest number of entries ever in 2009, with over 70 schools of architecture from 25 countries accepting the invitation to submit entries.

Ruth Reed, RIBA president, said: 鈥淭he annual celebration of the President鈥檚 Medals reward the outstanding young talent in schools of architecture in the UK and across the world, and this year is certainly no exception.

鈥淓ducation is an area of great importance to me, and I warmly congratulate this year鈥檚 winners for their excellent work.鈥�