Judge Spotlight - Geraint Evans FRICS

“I was smartly dressed on the way to the RICS UK Awards final last year, so a taxi driver asked me where I was going. I explained and expected him to be disinterested. ‘Fantastic!’ he said. ‘You must get to see everything!’ He understood completely.

“I love the built environment. I challenged myself in the 90s to take on the most academic challenge I could, and completed a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment at Cambridge University. Being an awards judge is the culmination of everything covered on that course. What’s more, you see projects for yourself, guided by professionals who are bursting with infectious enthusiasm for the work they’ve done.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from other judges, as well as entrants. I visited Llwyn Celyn, a medieval house that has been restored and turned into a holiday let by the Landmark Trust, and was joined by RICS certified historic buildings expert Professor John Edwards. ‘That door has been in place for 400 years, and it was turned upside down 200 years ago,’ he said, correctly. I was fascinated. He explained that the dents visible at the top and bottom of the door were caused by rats. After 200 years of gnawing at the door, the rats had caused enough damage to be able to freely crawl through it, and so it was turned around and rehung. 200 years later the rats had done it again. It’s wonderful to get that kind of insight first hand.

“As well as historic buildings, I’ve judged offices, a pier, and small community developments. Part of the fun of the awards is that small scale projects often do extremely well. I’m chair of the Scout Association in Cardiff and Vale. We’ve delivered an incredible redevelopment of a Scout campsite that became overgrown during Covid, and we lost hundreds of ash and willow trees through ash dieback. I’d love to see projects like that, delivered almost entirely by volunteers and Scouts as young as 14, be celebrated alongside bigger developments. As a judge, you get to see it all.

“Some people are intimidated by the idea of being a judge, perhaps thinking they don’t have enough of the right experience. That’s the opposite of how I’d like people to feel. You’ll receive a warm welcome and you’ll never be out of your depth. You don’t need to be an expert to join, but you’ll become one if you do.”

Find out more about becoming an RICS Awards judge.