Architecture student wins national award
Wed, Jan 27, 2010
Niall Bird said he has been interested in historic buildings for as long as he can remember and when his friends were drawing Superman or cars he preferred to draw churches and other historic buildings.
He submitted his drawings of a proposed regeneration of the 1930s site to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and was announced as the winner of the Philip Webb Award last night.
He is the fourth Portsmouth student to win the award.
Niall said: “My eventual aim is to specialise in historic building conservation so winning this award means an awful lot personally and professionally and also provides recognition in what is sometimes a difficult area of architecture to get involved in.
“Hopefully, in the long term, it will provide a stepping-stone in my career.”
Niall’s plans for the Hilsea Lido site conserved the original buildings and included new buildings for a range of community-based activities including outdoor activities, the arts, yoga and dance, meeting spaces for local groups and a café.
But his winning designs might not actually be built at the open air swimming pool site.
He said: “The project is technically a 'live' one with real clients. All the diploma one students came up with designs for the site and the volunteer group who run the site will review them on February 15. If they see something they like then they could approach that student to take it further – you never know, but it’s not a given that it will get built.”
Niall is in the first year of a two-year post-graduate architecture diploma course. He graduated from Portsmouth with first class honours degree in 2008 and won the School of Architecture’s Dibden Prize for his final year assignment before taking a year out working in an architectural practice in Bristol.
He said: “I have always been interested in architecture. When I was very young I would draw pictures of old houses and cathedrals rather than cars and superheroes. I was probably inspired by growing up in the Cotswold’s surrounded by villages and towns full of beautiful, historic buildings and also from singing in church choirs from an early age.
“I am really passionate about all historic buildings and how they can be regenerated through the addition of sensitive, contemporary architecture and new uses.”
Niall’s studio tutors are Greg Bailey, Mary Weguelin and Dr Fabiano Lemes de Oliveira. Other Portsmouth School of Architecture students to have won the award are Chris Draper, joint first prize winner in 2000, and Christopher Jones and Martin Coles who jointly won in 1995.
Philip Webb and William Morris were the main founders of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. From the start Webb devoted time to teaching young architects the principles and methods of practical conservation.
The award aims to encourage new design in the context of historic buildings from any era and to develop an appreciation of old buildings among architectural students. Entrants were asked to re-vitalise a building or group of buildings of historic interest which are decaying or neglected.
The judges were architects Giles Downes, Miriam Kelly and Peter Jamieson. Niall will be presented with his award in London this evening.
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