A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) architecture student has won one of the UK's most prestigious student architecture awards for a creative design to reimagine a disused local railway.
Jake Southcombe, from DMU's Leicester School of Architecture, has been named this year’s postgraduate winner of the AJ Student Prize 2026 for his project, Great Central Railway Fragments: Building Community Infrastructure.
Jake Southcombe receiving The AJ Student Prize 2026
The ambitious project explores how fragments of Leicester’s former Great Central Railway could be reimagined as community infrastructure, reconnecting people, nature and the city while responding to wider social and environmental challenges.
Jake said: “Winning this award is a huge honour. Studying at Leicester School of Architecture gave me the freedom to explore ambitious ideas and develop a project that shows how architecture can make a positive contribution to communities and the environment.”
The idea forJake's project stemmed from exploring how Leicester's industrial heritage could help revitalise the city. Inspired by a brief focused on rewilding urban spaces, he turned his attention to the Great Central Railway.
The famous line was opened in 1898 as the UK’s last steam mainline, eventually connecting London to Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Leicester until its closure in 1966 following the publication of the Beeching report.
Since then, parts have been restored to use as a heritage line by enthusiasts but other sections remain disused. Jake’s vision – illuminated through a detailed model - imagines a flexible living infrastructure along the former railway route, with different fragments accommodating different forms of social and environmental activity while reconnecting neighbouring communities.
Working closely with DMU's architecture academics, Jake used his model-making skills to bring the concept to life.
Great Central Railway Fragments: Building Community Infrastructure by Jake Southcombe of Leicester School of Architecture, De Montfort University
Victoria Farrow, Associate Professor and Subject Lead in Architecture at DMU, said:
"We are incredibly proud of Jake. He has made a fantastic contribution to Leicester School of Architecture, not only through the ambition, creativity and quality of his architectural work, but also through the energy, enthusiasm and generosity he has brought to our School community.
“The MArch programme team at the Leicester School of Architecture, led by Ben Cowd and Tim Barwell, encourage students to challenge conventions, experiment with ideas and develop their own critical position on architecture and its role in society.
“Jake’s work embodies this ethos, demonstrating the value of independent thinking, research and creative exploration. It is wonderful to see his talent and commitment recognised at a national level, and we are delighted to have been part of his architectural journey."
While developing his idea, Jake made creative use of his social media accounts.
He said: “Throughout my studies, I have also used my Instagram page, @jms_studios_, to document and share my journey through architecture.
“What began as a way of recording my own development has grown into a platform where I can share projects, drawings, models, workflows and experiences with a wider architectural community.
“I hope that documenting my own journey has helped other students feel more informed, inspired and confident in developing their own work.”
Jake's project has received multiple accolades, including the CAA President’s Medal Regional Winner for Europe, the Foster and Partners Prize and the Forterra Brick Prize, and was nominated for the RIBA Silver President's Medal.
The AJ Student Prize, now in its ninth year, celebrates outstanding work from final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at ARB and RIBA-accredited architecture schools across the UK. This year's competition attracted 110 submissions from 61 institutions.
Great Central Railway Fragments: Building Community Infrastructure by Jake Southcombe of Leicester School of Architecture, De Montfort University
Praising Jake’s work, the judges said: “(Jake' had a nice balance of speculative, propositional whimsy but also looked like it was tectonically feasible. It looked buildable, scalable and appropriate. It has legs."
Earlier this year, Fran Williams, Technical Editor and Deputy Architecture Editor at Architecture Journal, visited DMU’s School of Architecture for a feature, calling the university’s postgraduate exhibition "a treasure trove" and the student show "a hidden gem".
Posted on Friday 9 October 2026