Niall McLaughlin Receives an Honorary Royal Designer For Industry Award

NIALL MCLAUGHLIN RECEIVES AN HONORARY ROYAL DESIGNER FOR INDUSTRY AWARD

DECEMBER 2015

The title ‘Royal Designer for Industry’ is awarded annually by the Royal Society of Arts to designers of all disciplines who have achieved ‘sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society’. The RDI is the highest accolade for designers in the UK; only 200 designers can hold the title and non-UK designers may receive the honorary title Hon RDI.

This year there were 8 RDI’s awarded. Alongside Niall McLaughlin were Ronan Bouroullec and Erwan Bouroullec who both also received an Hon RDI for their progressive and influential work across products, furniture and public spaces and impact on contemporary design culture, Michael Anastassiades RDI for his excellence and innovation in lighting design and supporting young designers, manufacturing and making in the UK, Kate Blee RDI for contributing her outstanding expertise in textiles to social investment projects and therapeutic public spaces, Kim Colin RDI for her sustained excellence in product design and applying design thinking to create thriving and sustainable enterprises, Karen Nicol RDI for pushing new boundaries in fabric and stitch design, promoting recycled textiles and designing for Fine Cell Work that teaches creative needlework to prisoners and David Pearson RDI for his distinctive and innovative contribution to British publishing and commitment to design education.

The Royal Society of Art’s Chief Executive Matthew Taylor commented ‘The RSA is committed to encouraging and rewarding outstanding designers who challenge convention, discover new insights, and improve our quality of life. These eight leading practitioners are from wide-ranging disciplines and are united by a driving commitment to innovate, create, educate and inspire others through design’.

Current architects with the title of Royal Designer of Industry are; David Chipperfield, Peter Clegg, Edward Cullinan, Norman Foster, Eva Jiricna, John Pawson, Alan Stanton, Sarah Wigglesworth, and Paul Williams.

Current architects with the title of Honorary Royal Designers are; Mario Bellini, Andrea Branzi, Antonio Citterio, and Peter Zumthor.

NIALL MCLAUGHLIN APPOINTED PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE

OCTOBER 2015

Niall has been appointed Professor of Architectural Practice at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Niall has been teaching at the Bartlett for 25 years and alongside his new role will continue to teach on the MArch Architecture Unit 17 with Michiko Sumi and Yeoryia Manolopoulou, as well as continuing to develop his design research folio in building design, material behaviours, building use, cultural meaning and user experience.

Professor Bob Sheil, Director of The Bartlett School of Architecture said ‘Níall takes up this new role as one of our most admired and influential design tutors. Throughout his time at the school his profile as a skilled and significant practitioner has grown to international status and throughout this period we have witnessed his considerable investment in architectural research both through UCL and Níall McLaughlin Architects.’