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ARIEL, Israel – Ariel University architecture student Shiran Wiessman has won first place in the Urban Design category of the 11th INSPIRELI Awards, earning international recognition for work developed at the university’s School of Architecture.
The award was presented at the INSPIRELI Awards ceremony in Prague on 24 October 2026, where Wiessman and her mentor, architect Orly Cohen-Moas, represented Ariel University’s School of Architecture.
The Urban Design category attracted 278 projects, with participants representing 55 countries. Across all three categories, the competition received 2,801 projects from participants in 108 countries.
Wiessman, a fourth-year Bachelor of Architecture student, developed her winning project, Layered City, during Ariel University’s third-year Urban Design Studio under the mentorship of architect Orly Cohen-Moas, the studio coordinator.
Layered City responds to Tiberias’s steep terrain and disconnected urban areas. It proposes a continuous pedestrian route between upper and lower Tiberias, with public spaces intended to make everyday movement easier and strengthen connections between communities.
Wiessman said: “Winning the INSPIRELI Award is an incredibly exciting moment for me. For me, architecture starts and ends with everyday life, and Layered City reflects my belief that thoughtful urban design can connect communities and transform challenges into opportunities. Being recognised internationally for a project that explores these ideas is a tremendous honour, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who supported and guided me along the way—especially my mentor, Architect Orly Cohen-Moas.”
Cohen-Moas said: “Guiding her as a spatial researcher and designer has been an absolute privilege. This impressive international recognition on the INSPIRELI stage is a tremendous pride for the School of Architecture at Ariel University and a clear testament to the power of sensitive, purposeful urban design to transform reality.”
The studio’s teaching team also included Dr. Gilad Shavid in the first semester and architect Roi Haymon in the second semester.
