The judges in the fourth year of the IHBC Marsh Awards – for Successful Learning in Heritage Skills and Community Contribution (Retired Member) – have carefully assessed the submissions, and are delighted to confer the 2019 IHBC Marsh Awards as follows:
For Successful Learning in Heritage Skills:
- Rachael Purse (£500 Award + place at the IHBC’s 2019 Annual School ‘Heritage, Risk and Resilience’), is now in the third year of her PhD Scholarship project, entitled ‘Bringing Back the Mack’, funded by the Glasgow School of Art and Historic Environment Scotland. The aim of this project is to secure a research legacy for the restoration of the Mackintosh Building after the fire of 2014.
‘Rachael has been lecturing GSA architecture students as well as visiting groups of students from Plymouth to Vancouver on the history of the Scottish conservation movement, as well as the lessons learned and discoveries made during the 2014-2016 restoration project, and contemporary conservation and restoration philosophies. During the 2014-2016 restoration, Rachael conducted site visits of the Mackintosh Building with groups of students and professionals from organisations such as the APT and BGS, ensuring that the lessons learnt on site were disseminated within the wider heritage community. Rachael has been working on the salvage of the Mackintosh Building post-2018 fire and is working alongside Historic Environment Scotland’s Collection Team to share research and contribute to HES guides being written on the salvage and emergency planning.’
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Rachael is now a confident lecturer and passionate advocate of our built environment and shared cultural heritage, and after her PhD, she looks forward to continuing her career within the heritage industry.’
Image: Rachael Purse welcoming the APT course attendees to Glasgow School of Art outside the Mackintosh Building in 2018.
For Community Contribution (Retired Member):
- Bill Brogden (£500 Award + place at the IHBC’s 2019 Annual School ‘Heritage, Risk and Resilience’), retired.
‘Bill has been an active and popular member of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) committee for many years, including a spell as a highly respected Chairman. More recently, he has headed our Cases Panel, and has helped it become significantly more active in overseeing planning applications in Aberdeen city and shire. He maintains and shares an optimistic outlook on modern design, as well as doggedly supporting appropriate conservation. His strategic, wide-ranging outlook on buildings, their settings and wider landscapes is well represented in his many books on architecture and gardens of the North East. In his role as lecturer at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, he has tutored many young students who have become successful and innovative architects and landscape designers.’ (Amanda Booth, Secretary of AHSS in the North East, and Aberdeen City Heritage Trust Director).
Most of Bill Brogden’s research/practice has to do with public policy. The series or projects to do with design value for local authority uses began in 1997 with the Design within Nature report which segued into a series over the next decade or so. Here is the front cover of ‘A City’s Architecture. Aberdeen as ‘Designed City’ and ‘Ichnographia Rustica’.
Both Rachael and Bill have the opportunity to attend the IHBC’s 2019 School in Nottingham, 4-6 July 2019, themed on ‘Heritage, Risk & Resilience. Confronting conservation calamities’, and valued at up to £500. The programme includes the IHBC’s Annual Dinner on Friday 5 July at Nottingham Council House where the formal presentations of these well-deserved awards will take place, along with the presentation of the Gus Astley Student Award 2018. Cash prizes are awarded by the Awatrds partner Marsh Christian Trust, while the offer of free places at the 2019 Annual School in Belfast is sponsored by the IHBC.
Brian Marsh, OBE, inspiration and Chairman of the Marsh Awards, said: ‘As our historic environment continues to face great risks, we feel that it is vital to continue recognising those fighting to protect it. Whether that is by contributing skills and expertise developed through years of experience, or by demonstrating a passion to develop new skills and share knowledge in this field, we continue to be encouraged by the strong set of candidates put forward for these Awards. My warmest congratulations to this year’s deserving winners’.
IHBC President and awards co-judge David McDonald said: ‘It has been an extremely positive experience working with the Marsh Christian Trust for this fourth year and we hope that we can continue making a positive impact on the recognition of extraordinary people working in our precious historic environment. As the Awards are gaining more awareness, competition is fierce and the next IHBC Marsh Awards will close in February 2020, so be sure to start planning your nominations early on! We strongly advise to look at the ‘How to nominate’ section to make a successful case for the person you champion, highlighting the key contribution to a community or the acquisition of relevant heritage skills’.
Carla Pianese, IHBC’s Programme Support Officer and led organiser of the Marsh Awards said: ‘We were pleased to see that the standard of nominations across both categories was very high and with a diversity of technical conservation skills and community contribution throughout. I am extremely pleased that this year the judges recognised the importance of technical conservation skills such as fire protection, salvage and emergency planning, and the need to develop a robust legacy for future heritage professionals and scholars, as well as the importance of volunteering in public policy, supporting appropriate conservation and its impact on local communities. My deepest congratulations to our 2019 winners’.
For more on the annual IHBC Marsh Awards for community contribution and successful learning see the IHBC Marsh Awards website and for background see the NewsBlogs.
