Harold Conyers, who will be giving tonight's Bermuda College slide/lecture on Bermuda's architecture, is a Bermudian architect whose work straddles both the traditional and contemporary world.

"Our Island architecture is extremely important, as it is one of the few endemic physical elements of our heritage. We have kite flying, but I believe I would be correct in saying that we have no other native art form in Bermuda.

"My talk will cover the whole spectrum of architecture as it changed and developed in Bermuda,'' he explains. "In the very earliest days, the smaller buildings were largely governed by the length of tree you could cut -- and it gradually progressed to projects such as the huge NATO hangar at the airport.

"So my intent is to point out that in a tiny environment of 21 square miles, we have tremendous variety of imagery and content.'' The recipient of several awards for outstanding restoration and renovation projects, Mr. Conyers acknowledges the importance of both aspects of his firm's work. "We cover a very wide range of architectural services and, although I do love the restoration aspect, we don't want to be pigeon-holed merely as `the restoration guys'.'' To underline that point, Mr. Conyers reveals that this year, Conyers & Associates received awards for the new spa at Cambridge Beaches.

"As a piece of work, that was a completely new building, traditional in style but contemporary. We are also doing the new ACE building and are involved in PW's Waterfront project.

"So we certainly have a deep sensitivity and understanding of renovation and restoration work, but we are also a firm that designs pieces as Masters Bull's Head building and the extension at the Hamilton Princess.'' On the restoration front, he is currently working on two of Bermuda's architectural gems -- Newbold Place in Devonshire which, he says, dates from the mid-17th century and Willoughby in Bailey's Bay, built about a century later.

Mr. Conyers, who has been registered as a qualified architect in Bermuda and the State of New York for the past ten years, says he took up his career almost by accident.

"I started off by drawing and painting and I did sell some of my artwork. It was my high school counsellor (at Saltus) who suggested that architecture might be a way of combining art with paying the bills -- so I guess I owe Malcolm Durrant a debt.'' While agreeing that modern architecture is often a source of controversy on the Island, Mr. Conyers believes "there is as much good stuff as bad stuff going on: "I do think that there is greater public awareness, which in turn, heightens architects' awareness -- and that's a good thing all round.'' One of the problems, he adds, is the public perception that architecture is exclusively concerned with aesthetics.

"It is about that, of course, but it's more and more about business and the use of land which, in the case of Bermuda, is our most valuable resource. It is our task, as architects, to pursue an artistic element in a business fashion - and that's not always easy.'' Mr. Conyers' illustrated slide/lecture, `Bermuda: An Architectural View' takes place this evening, October 20, at 8 p.m. in the North Hall Lecture Theatre of the Bermuda College.

Hosted by Friends of the College Library as part of their 1998-99 Lecture Series, admission is free to members, general admission $5.