With the announcement of plans to turn Dockyard’s Victualing yard into an expansive entertainment venue, many residents raised concerns over just how such a modern structure would fit into an area so rich in history.

Wilson Allen Architecture and Interior Design’s proposal for revitalising Ireland Island was last week chosen from a shortlist of four others by the West End Development Company.

The plan, they said, would offer year-round al fresco dining as well as an enclosed, all-weather event space.

But many residents objected to the plans, which they said would be at odds with the surrounding historical environment in Dockyard.

While nothing is set in stone — there is still a feasibility study to conduct as well as financing to find — architectural designer for the project, Bermudian Kristina Graham-Ward, spoke to The Royal Gazette about the challenges facing building design in Bermuda, and the delicate balance that must always be found between tradition and modernity.

“I believe that now is the opportune time to innovate our built environment by embracing new technologies and designs,” she said.

“This will lead us in a direction of becoming more self sufficient and ultimately being a better contender in the global market.”

After obtaining Masters Degrees in Architecture and Science in Quantity Surveying — among other undergraduate degrees — Kristina returned to Bermuda and launched her own business, Brick Verde Architectural Services.

Her “architectural design company specialises in sustainable design, 3D visualisation, renders, and animation” and was chosen as a design consultant to work with the Wilson Allen team submitting the Dockyard proposal.

Her interest in architecture, she said, started early, at just seven or eight years-old.

“In my teen years, my interests in architecture strengthened as a result of being able to work along with my dad who is a real estate agent.

“The opportunity to see differently designed houses and buildings in Bermuda helped to further shape my passion for architecture ... especially as it relates to Bermuda.”

With a major project design now under her belt, Kristina said her “key objective is to integrate sustainability and green technology”.

But, she added, the community should also be kept in mind; designers and architects should always look at the wider context of the project, to acknowledge “the social, cultural, economic and ecological impacts structures have in and around their environments”.

“Communities should be at the forefront of design and that it is necessary to incorporate communal aspects within the design process.”

But beyond architecture, she said, the challenge in life is to find work that you will never find tiresome, to ignore the critics, and to always strive for more.

“The life of a designer or architect certainly appears to be challenging, but [it] can be very rewarding.”

“I will take a quote from Bill Cosby who I think said it best, ‘I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody’.”

“I would like to encourage the up and coming to challenge themselves but remember to enjoy each step of the process. Like Confucius said: ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’.”