In 2013, I entered the inaugural RIBA Journal Eye Line Competition, an international architectural drawing competition established by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the RIBA Journal. I submitted two companion works, Undercroft II, a charcoal drawing on paper, and Empty Windows, rendered in graphite on heavy drafting film. Both drawings explored the psychological qualities of architectural space, using darkness, light and the absence of human presence to suggest something beyond the physical boundaries of the built environment.

The awarded drawings were featured in the inaugural RIBA Journal Eye Line Exhibition, bringing international attention to the competition and celebrating architectural drawing as an art form in its own right.

Exhibition: RIBA Journal Eye Line Exhibition, 2013

Organisers: The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the RIBA Journal, in partnership with AVR London

Venue: TOTO Concept Gallery, central London

Award: Third Place, Practitioner Category

Judging Panel:

Hugh Pearman – Panel Chair and Editor of the RIBA Journal.

Narinder Sagoo – Partner at Foster + Partners.

Tony Parker – Architect and professor.

Selected from 50 shortlisted submissions, the drawings were recognised for their confident use of tonal depth, chiaroscuro and the interplay between the drawn image and the untouched surface of the page. The judges reflected on the ability of architectural drawing to become more than a representation of a building, instead inviting viewers into an imagined world with its own atmosphere and narrative.

At the time, I was associated with Studio B Architects in Melbourne. My two entries explored the unsettling potential of empty architectural boundaries, where the familiar elements of windows, walls and structural openings became something more ambiguous. Rather than depicting occupied spaces, I was interested in what happens when architecture is stripped of human presence, leaving behind traces of a place that feels at once recognisable and strangely unfamiliar.

The judges' commentary captured this quality particularly well:

"Curtainless windows were the inspiration for New Zealand architect Jonathan Gibb, using the medium of graphite on polyester film, in his foray to the dark side."

The review went on to describe the drawings as having the "moodiness of a film noir", praising their chiaroscuro effects and the skill involved in achieving them. The judges found themselves imagining figures moving beyond the windows and forms concealed within the shadows. One described the drawings as resembling "a beautiful, blurred photograph", while another singled out the narrow crack of light in the final image.

I was particularly pleased that the work prompted these personal interpretations. The drawings were deliberately restrained, leaving much unsaid and allowing the viewer to construct their own narrative. Light became more than an instrument for revealing form; it suggested uncertainty, depth and the possibility of something just beyond our view.

Receiving third place in the practitioner category was a memorable moment in my ongoing exploration of architectural drawing. The experience reinforced my belief that drawing need not simply serve the production of architecture. It can exist independently, as a way of exploring atmosphere, emotion and the imaginative possibilities of space.

Looking back, Undercroft II and Empty Windows remain important works in my practice because they capture something I continue to value about drawing: its ability to communicate an idea while leaving room for mystery, interpretation and discovery.