Nadine Isaacs

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Nadine Isaacs
Born
E. Nadine Isaacs

1942
Died16 June 2004
NationalityJamaican
Occupationarchitect
Years active1964–2015
Known forfirst female head of the Jamaican Institute of Architects

Nadine Isaacs (1942–2004) was a Jamaican architect. She was the first female vice chair of the Architects Registration Board and the first female president of the Jamaican Institute of Architects. She headed the Caribbean School of Architecture, as its first female leader, as well as leading the faculty of the Built Environment at the University of Technology in Kingston.

Biography[edit]

E. Nadine Isaacs was born in Jamaica in 1942 to Ivy and Wills Isaacs. She graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia, with a degree in architecture. She then returned to take a position with the Jamaican Ministry of Housing, working her way up to become the senior executive architect.[1] In the mid-1970s, she worked with the World Bank on projects in conjunction with the Ministry of Housing to improve the availability of low-cost roofing materials. Isaac's job was to assess the requirements needed to meet local conditions as well as price-point concerns.[2] She joined the Sites and Services Division and worked designing and constructing low-cost housing, later joining the Urban Development Corporation before opening her own firm.[1]

In 1986,[1] Isaacs was elected the first female president of the Jamaica Institute of Architects.[3] She was re-elected for a second term in 1987, and that same year, she became vice chair of the newly established Architects Registration Board.[4] In 1999, Isaacs became the first female to head the Caribbean School of Architecture and was the first female fellow of the Jamaica Institute of Architects. She also led the faculty of the Built Environment at the University of Technology in Kingston.[1]

Isaacs died after a lengthy bout with cancer on 16 June 2004 in Kingston, Jamaica.[1] Posthumously, an annual design award is given in her name by the University of Technology.[5]

Further reading[edit]

  • The Agriculturalist. Kingston, Jamaica: Caribbean Agricultural Communications Services. 1991.
  • Aldrich, Brian C.; Sandhu, Ranvinder Singh (1995). Housing the Urban Poor: A Guide to Policy and Practice in the South. Zed. ISBN 978-1-85649-359-8.
  • Jamaica Architect. Kingston, Jamaica: Jamaican Institute of Architects. 1984.
  • Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects. S. Kumar. 1997.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Architect Nadine Isaacs dies at 62". Kingston, Jamaica: Jamaica Observer. 18 June 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Development of low-cost roofing from indigenous materials in Developing nations" (PDF). USAID. Dayton, Ohio: Monsanto Research Corporation. 1974–1975. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  3. ^ Wedderburn, Joni (March–May 2014). "Designing Jamaica". Wealth Magazine Home Sweet Home. 1 (1). Kingston, Jamaica: Pear Tree Press: 16. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  4. ^ "History". Kingston, Jamaica: Architects Registration Board. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  5. ^ "UTech Breaks Ground for Training Facility at Lionel Town Hospital". Kingston, Jamaica: University of Technology, Jamaica. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2015.