Following open competition, the following have been appointed as Members of the Advisory Group:
Ian McKnight
Marcus Patton OBE
Professor Tom Woolley
Gerard Lynch
Andrew Gault
Alan Strong
Emily Hadden
Arthur Acheson
The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) will champion design quality in all sectors of the built environment in Northern Ireland and advise the Minister on the implementation of the Architecture and the Built Environment Policy published in June 2006. The appointments, for a term of three years, will take effect from 1 September 2007.
The Minister congratulated Mr Todd on his appointment and said: “Mr Todd is a well known and respected architect whose appointment will be welcomed by the profession.
“Both the Architecture and the Built Environment Policy and the Ministerial Advisory Group will aim to raise the standard of the design and performance of publicly funded buildings and leave a legacy which generations to come will treasure.
“Attractive, safe, healthy and well-designed buildings can greatly improve our quality of life and impact upon the social, economic and environmental landscape of Northern Ireland. With Barrie as Chair I am confident that the new Group will quickly win respect as a champion for good design in the built environment.”
Accepting the appointment Barrie Todd said: “I am very pleased to be appointed as Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Group and am looking forward to working closely with the appointed, esteemed members of the Group. Northern Ireland is currently seeing its biggest public sector buildings spend for quite some time and the regional capital, Belfast, the biggest regeneration programme since Victorian times. The formation of the Ministerial Advisory Group is therefore timely and appropriate in that particular context.”
Notes to Editors:
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In June 2006 the former Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Maria Eagle MP, announced the publication of Architecture and the Built Environment for Northern Ireland.
This new policy made provision for the creation of a Ministerial Advisory Group to advise on policy implementation and to champion good design in the built environment in Northern Ireland.
This press release communicates the outcome of the public appointments competition for the Chair and Membership of the Advisory Group.
The appointments process was carried out in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. A selection panel, which included an independent assessor, as required under the Commissioner’s Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointment s rested with the Minister.
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for the political activity of appointees (if declared) to be published.
The chair receives £6000 per annum. The posts of Member are unremunerated. Authorised expenses incurred through carrying out official duties will be reimbursed.
Barrie Todd
Barrie Todd has served the architectural profession with great distinction for 36 years and has worked tirelessly and often on a voluntary capacity to improve the standard of design across the Province.
In 1976 he founded his own architectural practice Todd Architects which has grown to have offices in Belfast, London and Dublin. Over 20 years from 1987 he has played an active role in the Royal Society of Ulster Architects as Council Member, Committees’ Convenor. As its President he successfully campaigned for the establishment of the architecture and built environment centre in Belfast known as PLACE which he continues to Chair.
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List announced in June 2007 Barrie Todd was awarded the MBE for services to Architecture in Northern Ireland.
Ian McKnight
Ian McKnight is a qualified architect and works as an associate architect with Belfast based Kennedy, Fitzgerald and Associates Architects. He is a visiting architecture critic and lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast. He is an Assessor and Examiner for the Architects Registration Board as well as a member of the Royal Institution of British Architects validation panel.
Marcus Patton OBE
Marcus Patton is a qualified architect and artist. He studied urban design and worked as a town planner. He is Director of HEARTH Housing Association. He has served as a council member of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects and was first convenor of its conservation committee. He has also served as committee member of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and in 1995 he was awarded the OBE.
He is a Member of Historic Buildings Council which is unremunerated.
Professor Tom Woolley
Tom Woolley is Professor of Architecture and former Head of School, Queen’s University Belfast. Throughout his career he has campaigned for the conservation of existing buildings, he played a key role in the community architecture movement and he is regarded as a leading figure in the field of sustainable architecture.
Gerard Lynch
Gerard Lynch is a qualified town planner and member of the Royal Institute of Town Planning. He is a member of the Historic Buildings Council and was a member of the Rural Development Council. Both posts are unremunerated.
From 1989 to 2001 he served as an elected member of Limavady Borough Council and from 1996 to1999 he was elected Mayor of the Borough.
Andrew Gault
Andrew Gault is a qualified architect and works as Project Manager with Northern Ireland Public Private Partnership (PPP) Education Service. Before that he worked for the South Eastern Education and Library Board and before that as an associate architect with the Consarc Design Group. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Beechlawn Special School.
Alan Strong
Alan Strong is a qualified civil engineer and works as a senior lecturer in Environmental Engineering at the University of Ulster School of the Built Environment. He is leader of the University’s Sustainable Development Group. In 2006 he served as Chair of the Institute of Civil Engineers and in 2004 as Chair of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.
He is a member of the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the Waste Management Communications Panel. He also served as member of the Waste Management Advisory Board and served as a Governor of the East Antrim Institute of Further and Higher Education. These positions were unremunerated
Emily Hadden
Emily Hadden is a qualified landscape architect but she also holds a BA degree in architecture. Currently she works as a lecturer in architecture at the University of Ulster. Before that she was a visiting lecturer, Queen’ s University Belfast and she also worked for a short time in a landscape architecture practice. As policy coordinator for the Northern Ireland Branch of the Landscape Institute she supports the establishment of an undergraduate degree course in landscape architecture in Northern Ireland.
Arthur Acheson
Arthur Acheson is a qualified architect, Partner and Chair of the Belfast based Boyd Partnership Chartered Architects. Earlier in his career he was a full time lecturer and associate professor at universities in Canada, Australia and N Ireland. In 1982 he was founder Chair of the Belfast Civic Trust.
