Richard Mervyn Noad [also known as R. Mervyn Noad and Mervyn Noad] was born in Perth, Scotland on 8 September 1906 and from 1924 to 1929 studied at Glasgow School of Architecture under Thomas Harold Hughes (1887-1949), while at the same time serving an apprenticeship with Keppie & Henderson in Glasgow. Following the completion of his apprenticeship he remained with Keppie & Henderson as a draughtsman until 1930 when he set up his own architectural practice in Glasgow. In 1933 he went into partnership with Alastair (Alexander) Frew Wallace (1908-1994) as Noad & Wallace. The partnership was dissolved in 1978
Together with Basil Spence and Thomas Tait, Noad designed the North and South Scottish Pavilions at the 1938 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow. He also designed a living-room furnished to emphasise the possibilities of Scottish materials for the ‘Britain Can Make It’ exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, in 1946.
Noad was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1930 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1950. Noad died in 1991.
For a list of projects by the Noad & Wallace partnership see the Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1660-1980