FOR THE MOTION
Irena founded Bauman Lyons in 1992, and has been involved in developing a wide range of projects. The practice is especially interested in mixed use, urban regeneration projects which tap into cultural creativity and aim to achieve new standards of sustainable development.
The practice has been concerned with the mitigation and adoption to Climate Change since its conception in 1992.
Irena is a CABE commissioner, CABE Champion for Yorkshire and Humber, past chair of CABE Regions Committee, current chair of Research Group, design review panel member in Hull and in Sheffield, and has been an external examiner for Sheffield and Newcastle schools of architecture and is a current external examiner of Cardiff School Of Architecture. She has also taken up the post of studio tutor at Master of Architecture course at Sheffield School of Architecture. She leads a studio called ‘Repairing the Urban Tissue- the art of asking the right questions’.
She is a frequent speaker and commentator on the shortcomings of economically driven policies and on the fresh thinking required for urban developments to be based on facilitation of community enterprise and long term viability. She contributes on regular basis to her column, Dear Irena, in Building Design that deals with ethical dilemmas in architectural practice.
She has also set up a Community Interest Company, Leeds Love it Share it in partnership with academics and other practitioners to carry out research projects into the future needs of the city. She is the author of How to be a Happy Architect in which her practice explore the changing world of architectural practice. The book was published in October 2008.
