Diane Haigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diane Haigh
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 2 May 1949 Kendal, England
|
| Died | 31 July 2022 (aged 73) Cambridge, England
|
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Years active | 1982–2022 |
| Spouse(s) | William Fawcett |
| Children | 2 |
Diane Haigh (born May 2, 1949 – died July 31, 2022) was a talented British architect. She was also a teacher at the famous University of Cambridge. Diane Haigh is well-known for her work on the Royal Festival Hall in 2007. She also helped restore and update many other important old buildings.
Early Life and Education
Diane Haigh was born in 1949 in a town called Kendal, England. Her father, Donald Haigh, was also an architect. This might have inspired her!
She went to Newnham College at the University of Cambridge to study architecture. She finished her first degree in 1971. Later, she earned another special diploma from Darwin College in Cambridge.
While at Cambridge, she met William Fawcett, who was also studying architecture. They got married and often worked together on projects.
A Career in Architecture
In 1982, Diane, William, and their two young children moved to Hong Kong. Diane taught architecture at the University of Hong Kong until 1985.
They moved back to Cambridge in 1986. Diane started working for a company called Freeland Rees Roberts. One of her first big jobs there was helping to restore part of Thorpe Hall in Peterborough. This old building was being turned into a hospice, a special place for care.
In the early 1990s, Diane and William worked together on a special project. They restored five houses in Cambridge that were designed by a famous architect named Baillie Scott. They even wrote a book about these houses called Baillie Scott: The Artistic House.
Working on Famous Buildings
From 1995 to 2016, Diane was a director of studies at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. This meant she spent her weekdays working in London and her weekends helping students in Cambridge.
In 1996, she joined a big architectural firm called Allies and Morrison. She stayed there until 2016. At this firm, Diane led many exciting projects. These included:
- Updating Queen's House in 1999 to make it easier for everyone to access.
- Turning Baillie Scott's historic Blackwell house into an art gallery in 2001.
- Refurbishing the Astronomy Centre at the Royal Observatory in 2007.
- Her most famous project, the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall in 2007.
Diane's work on these old, important buildings was very influential. It even helped change the rules and guidelines for how English Heritage (a group that protects historic places) thought about restoring old buildings. She was also appointed a director of design review at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in 2007.
Later Life
Diane Haigh passed away on July 31, 2022. She was survived by her husband, William, and their two children, Eleanor and Francis.
