I have worked at the University for 25 years. I was offered a part time teaching role by my tutor Richard Padovan straight after graduating from Bath in 1995. Until recently I always worked as an architect alongside my teaching role, and even when I was working in Switzerland and San Francisco I came back as a critic for student reviews. I am mainly a studio tutor, which usually involves 1:1 tutorials with students to help them develop their final architectural degree projects, which can range from Abbatoirs to Art Galleries, and span the globe from Tromso to Havana.
What would you most like to achieve while at the University?
Primarily I would like to inspire my students to risk the unusual and not settle for the ordinary. In the words of Eileen Gray, one of the first pioneering women architects of last century “To create one must first question everything”, which is what I try and encourage my students to do.
Name one thing that makes you feel proud to work at the University of Bath?
I have seen the University change over 32 years, seven as a student and 25 as a tutor, and I am proud that it has evolved into a place that still inspires our young people of today.
What piece of advice would you like to give to a student?
I think I would use the quote from T. S. Elliot “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” Even though he went on to win a Nobel Prize for literature, his experimental work often attracted criticism, but he was not afraid to shatter old orthodoxies in favour of new ones.
Who was your most influential teacher/educator, and why?
Patrick Hodgekinson was my tutor for my Architectural Master’s degree, he was the architect of one of the most original urban creations of the past half century, the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury, central London. He was an inspiration and never let us settle for anything less than extraordinary.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I remember wanting to go on adventures, I wanted to explore the world. I also apparently said I wanted to be a farmer quite a bit, so luckily I have managed to somewhat realise both those dreams!
What’s your favourite book or album and why?
Tricky to choose, but I think it is The Go Between, by L.P. Hartley. It explores the loss of innocence, and epitomises Britishness, which having lived most of my life abroad I missed. I also love the line “The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.”
If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and why?
Also a hard choice, but it would have to be Audrey Hepburn, because she lived life beautifully. Even though she was a timeless icon of style and beauty and part of the famous elite, she was at the same time humble and a humanitarian, and apparently she used to eat ice cream for breakfast and had a pet deer called Ip.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Ten years ago I came back to the UK with my family to take over my parents’ farm in Devon where we have one of the largest flocks of Gotland sheep in the UK. They are a rare breed of Viking sheep from the island of Gotland, which is in the Baltic Sea.
Tell us your favourite joke
What is the difference between a hippo and a zippo?
One is really heavy and the other is a little lighter.