Kevin McCloud

Infobox Person


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name = Kevin McCloud
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birth_name = Kevin McCloud
birth_date = 8 May 1958 (aged 50)
birth_place = Bedfordshire, England
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residence = Somerset
nationality = British
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occupation = Broadcaster / Journalist / Designer
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spouse = Suzanna McCloud
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children = 4
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Kevin McCloud (born May 8 1958) is a British designer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his work on the Channel 4 series "Grand Designs". Kevin lives in Somerset with his wife Suzanna and their four children. [ [http://www.tvlives.com/view.php?x=2&id=1075 Kevin McCloud's Biography ] ]

Biography

Born in Bedfordshire, McCloud and his two brothers, Terence and Graham, were raised in a house his parents had built. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,1075269,00.html Building sight] The Observer - November 2, 2003] McCloud attended Dunstable Grammar School becoming Manshead Upper School, Dunstable, and then studied History of Art and Architecture at Cambridge University.

Designer

After graduating, he trained and worked as a theatre designer, then set up his own lighting design practice and manufacturing business 'McCloud Lighting' - at one point employing 26 people. His work includes the carved and painted rococo-style vegetable ceiling in the Food Halls at Harrods; and lighting installations at Ely Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, the Savoy and the Dorchester Hotel and also [Tesco] supermarket in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland. [ [http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/presenters/kevin_mccloud_gallery.html Biography at Channel4] ] Today he concentrates on television work, journalism and product design, including work for British manufacturers such as Fired Earth.

McCloud's first book "Kevin McCloud's Decorating Book" was published in 1990, and remains in print in five languages. "The Techniques of Decorating" and "Kevin McCloud's Lighting Book" were published in 1995, and "The Complete Decorator" in 1996. In 2005 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Design from both Oxford Brookes and Plymouth University. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He is patron of Somerset Arts, the Carymoor Environmental Centre and the Genesis Project and he is an ambassador for WWF, actively campaigning to promote One Planet Living, the WWF's sustainability initiative.

Television presenter

As a result of his design work, Kevin was invited to appear as a guest presenter on television, first for "Homefront" on BBC Two. He then went on to write and present "Grand Designs", a programme covering unusual architectural projects, produced by Talkback, which is now in its eighth series. In the series he always remains critical of the designs, continuously hoping for a house to be designed that follows the schedule properly and does not go over the estimated budget.

He also wrote and presented "Grand Designs Indoors" and "Grand Designs Abroad". In the course of the latter series, McCloud demonstrated his fluency in French and Italian, occasionally acting as a translator for people who have houses built abroad in places where they don't know the language. He is also editor-at-large for "Grand Designs" magazine, and sat on the steering committee for the associated exhibition "Grand Designs Live" in 2005 and 2006.

In May 2008, Kevin took the "Grand Designs" series of programmes to a new level with "Grand Designs Live", in which he demonstrated environmentally-sensitive construction methods on a site in the East End of London, as well as presenting a "Grand Design of the Year" competition. His co-presenters included Dave Gorman, Janet Street-Porter, Naomi Cleaver, Diarmuid Gavin and Bill Bailey.

Other TV work has included "Don't Look Down", in which McCloud examined the construction of tall buildings while climbing them, on BBC Two in 2000, "Demolition" on Channel 4 in 2005, "The Stirling Prize: Building of the Year" (in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007), and "Kevin McCloud and the Big Town Plan" on Channel 4 in August 2008. His recent publications include "Choosing Colours" in 2003, and "Grand Designs Handbook: The Blueprint" in 2006. He is currently writing a consumer guide to sustainability and culture change.

Developer

In early 2007, McCloud led a consortium to purchase two plots of land to develop HAB housing (happiness, architecture and beauty) development on the outskirts of Swindon, Wiltshire. [ [http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/interiors/article2588582.ece Green living at Grand Designs] The Sunday Times - 7th October, 2007] Design work for the first housing project is now under way with a planning application for highly sustainable buildings scheduled for May 2008.

References

External links

*imdb|id=1652333|name=Kevin McCloud
* [http://www.kbjmgt.co.uk/clients/kevin_mcCloud/ Biography at his agent's website]
* [http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/grand-designs/index.html Grand Designs at Channel4]
* [http://www.habhousing.co.uk HAB Housing]
* [http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/0-9/4homes/castleford/index.html The Castleford Project]
* [http://www.channel4.com/4homes/style/kevins-fave-things.html Kevin's favourite things]