Born in Warsaw the daughter of a Polish sociologist and philosopher, Irena Bauman moved from Israel to Leeds in 1981. She graduated from the University of Liverpool School of Architecture in the 1980s with a BA and went on to set up her own practice in partnership with Maurice Lyon in 1992 - Bauman Lyons Architects - winning a RIBA award for her work on the south promenade of Bridlington. The practice has a strong social justice and sustainability ethos with a preference for working on local projects in order to 'maximise productivity and gain a deeper understanding of place'. Irena Bauman has stated that her practice will not travel more than 70 miles from their Leeds base. By remaining local they can get to know and fully understand the politics and culture of the place. This ethos means that the practice tends to generate its own work rather than relying upon commissions. Her works include Huddersfield Media Centre Project and Tower Works in Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire. She is Professor of Sustainable Urbanism at Sheffield University School of Architecture as well as an external examiner at the Welsh School of Architecture and Manchester School of Architecture. In addition, Professor Bauman also holds several other positions such as Chair of the Regional Design Review Panel; Chair of Yorkshire Design Review; Patron of the Urban Design Group and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts - she was also the Commissioner for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment from 2002-2009. In 2015 she organised an international conference at the University of Sheffield entitled Architecture and Resilience on Human Scale. Her writings include the book How to be a Happy Architect (2008), which focuses on the value of architecture in society and its attendant philosophical and ethical aspects. Professor Bauman has also contributed columns to Building Design magazine regarding architectural ethics. She has also compiled case studies for the RIBA entitled 'Retrofitting Neighbourhoods - Designing for Resilience'. Professor Bauman has been quoted as saying that 'As architects we have a choice of how to practice and there are ethical choices we can make both as professionals and as individuals. I want to teach students architecture and urban design that is underpinned by a value system that makes it worthwhile to get out of bed every morning'.
Further Reading
How to be a Happy Architect, Black Dog Publishing, 2008.