| History | Keith Neighbour (born 13/06/1919) is one of the first of the new breed of architects who shaped his own role as a project manager and entrepreneur. His designs show a sophisticated use and understanding of concrete as a material.
Neighbour attended Victor Harbor High School and then took courses at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts. After returning from World War Two, where he suffered appalling hardships as a POW, he studied architecture, graduating in 1952 with a Fellowship in Architectural Engineering from the South Australian School of Mines and Industries and a Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture from the University of Adelaide.
Between 1948 and 1953 he was articled at Hassell and McConnell Architects. He then worked in the Architect-in-Chief’s Department in South Australia before travelling to the USA as an International Fulbright Scholar. He was awarded the Albert Kahn Memorial Fellowship by the University of Pennsylvania and, in 1954, a Master of Architecture. While in the US he published articles in an Adelaide newspaper as an overseas architecture correspondent and was employed with Vincent G. Kling of Philadelphia.
Back in Adelaide in 1954 Neighbour joined Lawson, Cheesman and Doley. When he and three of the senior architects, R.A. Brabham, A.L. Brownell and Newell J. Platten, became partners the firm became Lawson, Cheesman, Doley and Partners. The firm grew and mutated, with new architects replacing those who retired or died, and by 1973 employed over 100 people in offices in Adelaide and Sydney; it was the largest architectural firm in South Australia and the third largest in Australia. In 1979, the firm amicably divided into three: Raffen Maron Architects; Haddrick, Harris & Wyman; and KMH Neighbour & Lapsys Architects Pty. Ltd., in which Keith Neighbour and Antanas Lapsys were partners. In 1987 the practice became KMH Neighbour Lapsys Pty Ltd.
The work of Neighbour’s practices is varied. The Highways Department building, Walkerville (1959) is a prime example of reinforced concrete with exposed structural elements, whereas Nunyara Chapel, Belair (1962) nestles within a bushland setting and uses domestic materials, form, construction and scale to integrate the spiritual with daily life. The IMFC building, King William Street, Adelaide (1964) uses prefabricated load-bearing concrete wall panels to provide an economical alternative for multi-storey construction, while St Martin’s Church of England, Campbelltown (1970) shows how local materials can be used to great effect in an unusual design. Regency Park College, Regency Park (1974) comprises bold concrete forms that reflect the functions of the School of Food and Catering. Several designs have won awards: the Adelaide Kindergarten Teachers College, North Adelaide won an Award of Merit from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) (SA Chapter) in 1972; in 1977 the Noarlunga Regional Centre and Civic Centre received an Award of Merit from the RAIA (SA Chapter).
In 1956 Neighbour chaired the committee overseeing an exhibition held in conjunction with the Sixth Australian Architectural Convention. Held in the Botanic Park, the exhibition showcased architecture by means of models and actual buildings to stimulate interest in the latest developments. Neighbour is a Life Fellow of the RAIA, after first joining the South Australian Institute of Architects as an Associate in 1952, and was awarded the RAIA (SA Chapter) President’s Medal in 1994; he is also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He has been a member of the Architects Registration Board of South Australia since 1979 to 1995, Chairman from 1987 to 1995, as well as fulfilling many other public roles for the profession. He has lectured at the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia and written on architecture for the local architectural media. He received an Order of Australia in 1992 for his services to architecture.
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