wa award 2026 for Master's Graduate Jonas Mörler
2026/05/05
Jonas Mörler, a graduate of the Department of Architecture at TU Darmstadt, has received a prize at the wa award 2026, a prestigious student competition in the German-speaking architecture community. His master's thesis was developed at the Department of Architectural Design and Industrial Methods of Building Construction under the supervision of Prof. i. V. Martin Baur.
The wa award is organised by the specialist journal wa wettbewerbe aktuell and ranks among the most recognised student architecture prizes in the German-speaking world. In 2026, 107 nominated works were submitted from more than 30 universities, universities of applied sciences, and art academies. This year's theme was Konstruktive Räume – Neue Wege im Umgang mit Material und Fügung (Constructive Spaces – New Approaches to Material and Joinery).
Jonas Mörler's award-winning thesis addresses the Cheryomushki neighbourhood in Odessa, proposing a new residential building type for the future reconstruction of the war-affected city. Central to the design is the regional natural stone Rakushnik (coquina limestone), employed as the primary structural material. An articulated load-bearing system of stone, timber, and metal generates a flexible spatial framework capable of accommodating a wide range of uses.
“The fundamental question of tectonic construction — what role coquina limestone can play as a spatial protagonist — is answered in an inventive and multidimensional way. Alongside the logic of construction and the remarkable clarity of the serial and adaptive spatial structure, an enormous, material-determined spatial effect unfolds.” — Jury, wa award 2026
The jury, chaired by Prof. Boris Milla (RPTU Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University), awarded four prizes (€1,000 each, plus material prizes and a wa premium subscription) and five commendations (€200 each). The prize ceremony and announcement of results took place on 4 May 2026.