Karla Roman Travel Bursary - LOM architecture and design

A travel bursary for architecture students in memory of our colleague Karla Roman

Applications for the Karla Roman Travel Bursary are now open.

LOM set up an annual travel bursary in memory of Karla Roman, a talented architect and colleague who was killed while cycling to work in February 2017. She was a creative and hard-working designer, and a good friend who rapidly became a key member of our team, at the start of what was a very promising career.

As well as the UK, Karla worked in Italy and in her native Brazil. She travelled to build her architectural knowledge, and the Karla Roman Travel Bursary was established to enable other architecture students to do the same.

The bursary gives future architects and interior design students the opportunity to travel as part of their education or wider studies. Students can apply for a bursary up to the value of £2,500. It will be awarded to the applicant providing the most creative and compelling case for support, with financial circumstances and need being taken into account. LOM would like to hear from applicants for the 2025 bursary by Friday 30^th May 2025 with a view to travel this summer, approximately between June and November 2025.

LOM would like to extend a special thanks to Bart, Karla’s former partner, for his generous donation to support the bursary.

“Traveling by bike, through forested hills, on highways and along the Danube's shoreside, we had the opportunity to experience the landscape in a visceral way. We were confronted with both the effects of time on historical hotspots, as well as the rugged interactions that humans have with nature outside of urban environments. We are grateful for this opportunity and encourage future bursary applicants to plan adventurously.”

Andreea Ciutac, bursary recipient

How to apply

Applications for the bursary are now open. Architecture students are invited to apply for the 2025 bursary.

Your submission should include the following information:

A copy of your CV
A letter of application of between 500-1000 words, describing your circumstances and why your studies would benefit from the travel bursary. You should include a description of where and when you would intend to travel, and an budget explanation for the bursary funds.
A reference letter from your tutor or a relevant referee, supporting your submission.

You can send your application for the attention of Richard Hutchinson by email to mail@lom-fdp.com or by post to:
The Glass House, 5 Sclater Street, London E1 6JY.

Please mark your application clearly with “Karla Roman Travel Bursary” in the subject line or envelope.

“Experiencing a change of environment facilitated a cognitive shift and a clarity of thought, particularly regarding my career as a designer and urbanist. I discovered layers of imagination that I will continue to nurture, as well as an appreciation for where best to place myself when I finish my studies. The bursary allowed me to have a beautiful experience that has forever changed me.”

Farid Abdulla, bursary recipient

Eligibility

Applicants should be legally resident in the UK, and currently enrolled in a UK-based university studying architecture or similar as a full or part-time undergraduate or postgraduate student.
The bursary will be awarded to the applicant providing the most compelling and creative case for support.
Applications should be original and give a truthful account of your circumstances.
Carbon emissions and the benefits for nature and people will be taken into consideration.

Terms and conditions

The successful applicant will need to sign the terms and conditions of the award before receiving funds. The successful applicant will agree the following:

Permit LOM to publish the following:
– Your name
– Your area of residence (not your full address)
– The university you are attending
To use the bursary for travel expenses during the period June 2025 – November 2025. If for any reason you are unable to use the bursary to travel within this period you may be obliged to return it.
To give Karla’s colleagues at LOM a presentation at our studio in London outlining how your studies have benefited from the travel bursary.
During the trip, to document your highlights and share these with LOM.
To provide receipts for travel-related expenses up to the value of £2,500 for LOM to reimburse.
Applicants must have a UK bank account into which LOM can transfer funds electronically.
Applications are due Friday 30^th May 2025.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact us via mail@lom-fdp.com

“The opportunity to travel to a country with a very different culture from the UK has proved to be an invaluable experience to my thinking as an architect, informing my design approach, broadening my knowledge and helping to shape my way of thinking in the future.”

Eleanor Hyde, bursary recipient