Niall Elected as a Royal Academician in the Category of Architecture

NIALL ELECTED AS A ROYAL ACADEMICIAN IN THE CATEGORY OF ARCHITECTURE

JUNE 2019

The Royal Academy of Arts has elected Níall as a Royal Academician in the category of Architecture following a recent General Assembly. John Akomfrah was also elected as a Royal Academician in the category of Painting and in addition, international artists Kara Walker and Carmen Herrera have been elected as Honorary Royal Academicians.

The Royal Academy of Arts is governed by 80 Royal Academicians who are all practising artists or architects. On reaching the age of 75 they become Senior Academicians thus initiating vacancies for new Members. Elections are held at regular meetings of the General Assembly, when new Members are voted in by existing RAs.

The Royal Academy of Arts was founded by King George III in 1768. It has a unique position in being an inde-pendent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to be a clear, strong voice for art and artists. Its public programme promotes the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate.

THE WELCOME BUILDING

SEPTEMBER 2017

The Welcome Building in Bishop Auckland consists of a new viewing tower and central ticketing hall for the The Auckland Project. It acts as an access point and gateway to the wider site whilst also giving views over the town and landscape setting. The tower – a timber framed structure – is now well under way on site.

The building team has worked tirelessly and with the highest level of precision, to build the in-situ concrete lift shaft. Working from the ground up seemed to take an age.

Meanwhile, the enormous larch glulam beams have been carefully crafted and manually grey-oiled in the joiner’s workshop.

The frames are now being lifted into position on site and suddenly the building can be seen. Almost in an instant. As if the past four years had happened in the blink of an eye.

We are so excited and proud – even – to see this fantasy project becoming real at last. But with completion on the horizon, time seems to now move all too fast.