The principal designers were 1982Pritzker Prize laureateKevin Roche (June 1922 – 2019),[2] withJohn Dinkeloo—a graduate of theUniversity of Michigan—as the expert in construction and technology. Both had previously worked forEero Saarinen's architecture firm. After Roche's death, the firm relaunched in 2020 as Roche Modern under director Jerry Boryca and managing director Eamon Roche.[3] The firm is now based out of New Haven, Connecticut.
Kevin Roche (l) and John Dinkeloo (r), 1967
Roche and Dinkeloo both previously worked withEero Saarinen. Almost all buildings built by Roche are with this firm, and they exhibit his particular architecture and aesthetic, although it has changed wildly throughout the past 40 years. Earlier buildings were characterized by massive facades and experimentation with exposed steel and concrete, while more recent buildings emphasize a clean, glassy look suggesting futuristic andgreen architecture. The firm also built inpostmodern andhistoricist styles during the early 1990s.
KRJDA
"KRJDA is engaged in major projects throughout the United States, Europe and Asia and provides complete master planning, programming, architectural design, interior design, working drawings, specification and construction administration services. The firm has designed a variety of institutional and corporate projects including 38 corporate headquarters, three hotel/apartment buildings, eight museums, numerous research facilities, theaters, schools, factories, performing arts centers, houses, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Central Park Zoo in New York City."
www.krjda.com
The firm received the American Institute of Architects 1974 Architectural Firm Award and in 1995 the firm was the recipient of the American Institute of Architect's 25-Year Award for theFord Foundation Headquarters in New York City. In 1982, Kevin Roche received thePritzker Prize[4] and in 1993, he received theAIA Gold Medal. In 2015 Kevin Roche received theGeorge Malcolm White Award from the American Architectural Foundation.Kevin Roche has been referred to as the "first [architect] to see architecture and nature as one."[5]
One UN Plaza depicting Roche-Dinkeloo's signature modernist design, showingchamfers or slant backs on northern and southern faces (1975). The Head Office for Bouygues SA Holding company received the "Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE)" which is the highest certification for environmental quality in building design in France. Headquarters for Santander Central Hispano located in Madrid, Spain. The continuous glass wall at Lucent Technologies in Nuremberg, Germany wraps around the complex to create a unified street facade. TheFord Foundation Center for Social Justice
KRJDA has completed over 200 projects in the US and internationally. These include 8 museums, 38 institutional and corporate headquarters, 7 research laboratories, conference and performing arts centers, theaters, and campus buildings for 6 separate universities. KRJDA maintained its office inHamden,Connecticut.
A feature documentary aboutKevin Roche and his work, calledKevin Roche: The Quiet Architect was released in 2017.[6] It is directed by Irish filmmaker (ex-architecture student) Mark Noonan whose 2015 debut featureYou're Ugly Too starredAidan Gillen and was met with critical acclaim.[7]
^Pelkonen, Eeva-Lissa; Kevin Roche; Kathleen John-Alder; Olga Pantelidou; David Sadighian (2011).Kevin Roche: Architecture As Environment. New Haven: Yale University Press.ISBN978-0-3001-5223-4.