Michael Hirst was born in Watford, UK, in 1933 and studied at the Architectural Association from September 1950, graduating with Diploma Honours in the summer of 1955. As part of his final year’s studies, in 1954-55, Hirst joined the first cohort of the newly formed AA Department of Tropical Architecture. Immediately following graduation, Hirst and three other DTA students (Kenneth Frampton, Dudley Duck and Graham Herbert) were interviewed by Ivor Cummings, a senior officer in the Colonial Office, and offered jobs in Ghana, working on the design and construction of Tema New Town, Ghana. He was employed initially by Guy Morgan and Partners and subsequently Architects’ Co-Partnership, one of his tasks being the design of a housing prototype. Hirst returned from Ghana in the Spring of 1958 and by 1960 is recorded working on architectural projects for the UK War Office in Malta. From 1963-1969 Hirst operated his own practice, conducting work in Tripoli and Bengazhi before returning once more to the UK where he established Michael Hirst Consultants.

Sources:

• Architectural Association Student Register 1945-1972, AA Archives
• Architectural Association Diploma Roll Book, 1924-1963, AA Archives
• Department of Tropical Architecture, student listing, Otto Koenigsberger Collection, Box 27, AA Archives
• The National Archives, London, UK; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Inwards Passenger Lists; Class: Bt26; Piece: 1403; Item: 44
• Jackson, Ian. “Development Visions In Ghana From Design Schools and Building Research To Tema New Town” Architectural History, 65 (2022), pp293-236
• Times of Malta, ‘If Malta is a second home, the Phoenicia is his house…’ 18th May, 2022. Retrieved 21st December, 2024: https://timesofmalta.com/article/if-malta-is-a-second-home-the-phoenicia-is-his-house.955030