Three young graduate architects from Italy’s Genoa University – Erika Bisio, Giulia Carpeneto and Irene Carpeneto – were recently presented with the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Architecture, at a ceremony in Venice. The US$7,000 prize was awarded on the recommendation of an international jury at the 21st Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA), held in Berlin in July, which focused on the subject of ‘Resource Architecture’. The aim of this year’s prize, centring on the restoration of part of Berlin's Mitte neighbourhood, was to explore sustainable ways to revive urban wastelands, with particular attention to the interests of residents and energy conservation. The competition was open to young architects from all over the world.