Current NAA Trustees

Neil Barker

Neil is a Chartered Architect with 45 years experience. He is owner and director of chartered practice emBarkArchitecture based in Whitley Bay. A past RIBA Tyneside Branch and North East Regional Chair, he represents RIBA NE on the Newcastle Conservation Advisory Panel and Historic Environment Advisory Panel. His interests are particularly in healthcare and historic environments. Neil is the current President of the NAA.

Bob Giddings

Bob studied Architecture at Newcastle University, becoming a tutor before joining the forerunner of Northumbria University in 1987; where he started the Architecture programme in 1996, and became Professor of Architecture and Urban Design in 2007. He has also worked with three architectural practices in Newcastle, has been lead examiner for the Architects Registration Board and a member of the RIBA Visiting Board Panel.

Bill Calder

Bill studied a masters in Structural Engineering with Architectural Design at Heriot Watt University. Following graduation, he completed another masters in Architectural Restoration at the University of A Coruña. He joined the Structural Engineering Consultancy, Narro Associates in Edinburgh, and after gaining chartership moved to North East England to establish its Newcastle Office, which has a close relationship with architectural practices in the Region.

Ian Wells

Ian studied Architecture at Newcastle University and became a member of the RIBA in 1984. He has extensive experience with practices in Newcastle and North East. As an Architect accredited in Building Conservation, Ian has won four awards. He is the events coordinator for The Northern Architectural History Society, in which role he plans and facilitates the annual programme of lecture and tours.

Ruth Sidey

Ruth studied both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Newcastle University and qualified as a Registered Architect in 2018. She now works locally for a conservation and heritage focused practice and is a visiting design tutor at Newcastle University. She is interested in how we assign significance to historic buildings; specifically, how we record buildings whose significance is derived from past human practices and cultures.

Oliver Currie

Ollie is a Chartered RIBA Architect and the founder of 33 Architecure Ltd, a small practice formed in 2015. It specialises in projects predominantly in the residential and hospitality sectors, particularly enjoying those within conservation and the historic environment. Ollie continues to work closely with the regional North East RIBA team, and hopes the NAA and RIBA can continue to collaboratively raise awareness and support the profession in the region.