Alan Jones (architect)

Alan M Jones BSc(Hons) Dipl Adv Arch Studies (Dist) ARB(reg) RIBA PGCHET FRSA (b. Derry, September 21 1964fact|date=March 2008) is a practisingarchitect and academic, and was a member of the RSUA Council from 1998-2006 and 2007-08. From 2002-06 he was Vice President of the RSUA, in charge of its foundation wing. From 2001-02 he was Hon Vice President (Education) of the RIBA. He has served as a judge for RIBA and RSUA awards, of which his practice has been awarded several.

Practice

Having previous experience with London-based Michael Hopkins & Partners and as an associate with David Morley Architects, Jones returned to Northern Ireland in 1998 to take up private practice as principal of Alan Jones Architects and to teach at the School of Architecture, Queens University Belfast.

He has since realised numerous projects, including the stainless steel-clad farmhouse extension at Cranfield (RIBA Award 1999); Straidhavern School; his family home in Randalstown; and an office for a coffee importer in Belfast, which received a special mention in the Architectural Association of Ireland awards 2004.

In the citation for the mention, judge Aaron Betsky said of him:

"By looking at the exciting conditions in which he works and thinking about how it could be represented in a manner that mines the meagre surroundings for maximum effect, this young architect is showing an alternative way of creating architecture".

In May 2006, the Randalstown house received the RSUA Design Award for residential projects and an RIBA Award in 2007 and shortlisted for the 2007 RIBA Manser Medal.

Recent projects include the Strabane Arts Centre, a joint project by Glenn Howells Architects Birmingham and Alan Jones Architects - in which the first performance was held in March 2007.

His work has featured in various publications - Domus (Milan), Wallpaper*, Architecture Today, Blueprint, Vision (Shanghai), Hinge (Hong Kong), and the Sunday Times. His work has also been included in technical publications including Birkhauser's "Fibre Cement: Technology and Design" (2006) and the RIBA "Guide to Architectural Insitu Concrete" (2007).

Teaching

Alan Jones is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Queen's University Belfast and became their 2008-2011 Director of Education (Architecture) in August 2008. He was the master of final year of the BSc Architecture course at QUB 1998-2007 and from September 2007 is the master of the BArch (RIBA Part 2 Course) and its final year. He also lectures in design, theory and construction. He has been invited to be a design critic at the schools of architecture in Delft, Cambridge, North London, Bath and Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin and University College Dublin. He is a member of the RIBA education committee and the Architects Council for Europe Education Working Group.

Education

He was educated at Ballymena Academy and at Queen's University Belfast.

He has suspended his research for a Doctorate on the relationship between architectural practice, teaching and research.

He is married to Laura, a dentist, with her practice being situated in Ballymena Co. Antrim.

Publications

"Toward an architecture : Ulster - Building our own authenticity", with David Brett, Black Square Books, 2008.

An exhaustive list of his publications is available [http://space.qub.ac.uk/Shared%20Documents/cber%20publications/AlanJonesPublications.pdf here] .

References

* [http://www.jonesarchitects.com Alan Jones Architects ]
* [http://www.rsua.org.uk RSUA]
* [http://www.riba.org RIBA]
* [http://www.qub.ac.uk/arc QUB Architecture]