Sir G. Iacobescu Award for Academic Excellence

Three Minute Doctoral Research Presentation, at the Embassy of Romania in London. Applicants must present their PhD dissertation research in a clear,compelling and engaging manner, making it accessible to a diverse audience without relying on excessive academic terminology. The goal of the three-minute presentation is to capture interest, clearly and succinctly explain the scientific significance of the dissertation research, while leaving a lasting impression on a highly observant but mainly non-specialist audience.

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My presentation focused on describing how architectural heritage is increasingly born‑digital, yet the rapid obsolescence of software and hardware threatens to cast today’s design files into a future “Digital Dark Age.” These 3D models and digital drawings contain rich material, technical, and procedural knowledge, but their long‑term accessibility is far from guaranteed. This research develops preservation strategies for fragile digital architectural files while also treating them as archaeological sites from which historical insights can be extracted. Through two case studies from Zaha Hadid Architects, the project uses reverse‑engineering to reconstruct lost workflows, reveal embedded data, and recover production narratives. Ultimately, the thesis argues that safeguarding digital design legacies requires both technical preservation and creative reconstruction to prevent the disappearance of our built environment’s digital memory.