Will Alsop | |
|---|---|
 Alsop in his Battersea office at All Design | |
| Born | William Allen Alsop (1947-12-12)12 December 1947 Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK |
| Died | 12 May 2018(2018-05-12) (aged 70) |
| Alma mater | Architectural Association School of Architecture |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Stirling Prize (2000);RIBA Worldwide Award (2004);Civic Trust Award (2003, 2006); RIBA Regional Award (London) (2006) |
| Practice | Alsop and Störmer; aLL Design |
| Buildings |
|
| Projects | Yonkers Power Plant project;Clarke Quay Redevelopment project |
William Allen AlsopOBE RA (12 December 1947[1] – 12 May 2018) was a British architect and Professor of Architecture atUniversity for the Creative Arts'sCanterbury School of Architecture.
He was responsible for several distinctive and controversialmodernist buildings which are usually distinguished by their use of bright colours and unusualavant-garde forms. In 2000, Alsop won theStirling Prize, the most prestigious architecture award in the United Kingdom, for thePeckham Library in London.
Alsop always wanted to be an architect, even before he really knew what architects did; when he was six years old, he designed a house for his mother to live in – its most striking specification was that it had to be built in New Zealand. When he was 16 his father, an accountant, died, and being bored with school, at the private Eaglehurst College[2] he left to work for an architect, doing his A-levels at evening classes.[3]
He was greatly influenced by his drawing tutor,Henry Bird while at foundation course atNorthampton Art School.[4] He recalled how he was taught to draw by him.
He gave me a brick, told me to draw it and promptly left the room. I proceeded to draw it with all its shadows. On his return he went into a rage and chastised me for destroying the vision with shading, shouting: 'What is wrong with a simple line?' He insisted that I redo the drawing with line only so that I could begin to see the brick and its proportions. I drew that brick for two three hour sessions per week, line only, for three months. Eventually, he admitted that I had mastered the brick and I was allowed to progress onto the tin can.[4]
Alsop then studied at theArchitectural Association School of Architecture where at 23 he entered the competition to design theCentre Georges Pompidou in Paris and came second to the eventual winners,Richard Rogers &Renzo Piano.[3] He worked briefly forMaxwell Fry and Jane Drew, a couple who had been instrumental in introducingmodernism to Britain in the 1930s, then joinedCedric Price for four years.[5]
After a short period with Roderick Ham, in 1981 Alsop set up a practice, Alsop & Lyall, with his classmate John Lyall inHammersmith. Jan Störmer later joined the practice and a decade later, in 1991, the practice was renamed Alsop & Störmer after Lyall's departure.[5][6][7]
Alsop's first major commission was a swimming pool forSheringham in Norfolk in 1984, followed by a visitor centre forCardiff Bay. Thereafter he worked on a number of projects in Germany, including theHamburg Ferry Terminal. In 1992, Alsop came first, against competitorNorman Foster, in the competition to design theHôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône (thecounty government office ofBouches-du-Rhône) in Marseille, France. The building, now considered a major work of late 20th century architecture and a Marseille landmark,[8] nicknamedLe Grand Bleu,[3] was designed by Alsop and Störmer, and developed its visual identity through the design process in collaboration with the architectural artistBrian Clarke,[9] with the completed building externally clad inYves Klein blue glass, with one elevation formed of a 1,200 m2 artwork by Clarke screenprinted in ceramic glaze onto the facade.[10][11][12] Alsop and Störmer divided into separate practices in 2000, with Alsop renaming the practice Alsop Architects.[13]
Alsop admitted to never being very good at handling finances, and his practice went through several difficult periods, including the cancellation in June 2004 of plans to build a "Fourth Grace" to be built onLiverpool'sPier Head waterfront. Since 2001–2002, three historical buildings at thePier Head in Liverpool have been known as the "Three Graces": they are theRoyal Liver Building (1908–11) byWalter Aubrey Thomas, theCunard Building (1914–16) by Willinck & Thicknesse with Arthur J. Davis, and thePort of Liverpool Building (1903–07) by Briggs & Wolstenholme with Hobbs & Thornely – the so-called "Cloud Building" – officially because of rising costs and unrealistic design.[14]
In early 2006, Alsop sold his practice to a design conglomerate called the SMC Group to concentrate on architecture.[15]
After leaving ARCHIAL (formerly Alsop Architects, then SMC Alsop), he joinedRMJM's London Headquarters as International Principal on 1 October 2009. The office's name was "Will Alsop at RMJM". Alsop's latest practice was called All Design and had practices in London and Chongqing.[16] Alsop's London office was located in Battersea.
Alsop was a tutor of sculpture atCentral Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London for several years, and held many other academic posts, among others at theVienna University of Technology,Universities of London andHannover, and actively promoted the artistic contribution tobuilt environments.
In 2013, Alsop became Professor of Architecture at theUniversity for the Creative Arts's Canterbury School of Architecture.[17]
Alsop was made an Officer of theOrder of the British Empire (OBE), and was elected to theRoyal Academy on 18 May 2000.[5]
Alsop's architectural heroes wereLe Corbusier,Sir John Soane,John Vanbrugh andMies van der Rohe.[18] Hisavant-garde,modernist buildings are usually distinguished by their vibrant use of bright colour and unusual forms. Before Alsop begins to work on a new project, he uses painting to clear his mind, think freely and create an uncontaminated design approach.
"One of the reasons for painting is that you are not really in control of what you are doing – and that interests me a lot. Instead of having a specific starting point, which perhaps, in architectural terms, would lead through to a series of logical thoughts working towards a designed building, you can start anywhere."[19]
For him, the act of painting together with working closely with the client and the local community are necessary ingredients in urban design and architecture.[19]
In 2004, Alsop published a book entitledSupercity which elicited much debate. It was the subject of aChannel 4 television documentary and an exhibition at theUrbis museum inManchester. This book described his vision of a "Supercity" – a futuristicconurbation – stretching along theM62 corridor fromLiverpool toHull. It included a discussion of how the increasing interconnectivity of the cities along this corridor is changing the concepts of a "city", and how they can be developed to merge the idea of the rural and urban. It also included a number of architectural ideas of possible buildings and communities in this city. Although there was some political support for his ideas, withThe Times claiming that former BritishDeputy Prime MinisterJohn Prescott was a supporter,[20] the Supercity has its critics.
Alsop featured significantly inIain Sinclair's bookGhost Milk (2011), especially the chapter "In the belly of the architect". The book is a critique – written using the literary technique ofpsychogeography – of the capital used to drive through vanity planning projects such as theLondon Olympics, and Alsop's unbuilt planning projects in the north of England, such as Supercity, are seen as typical of these, where the architect fantasizes about how architectural design solves social and economic problems.[21]
Alsop's architectural talents may be the subject of controversy built up an international reputation and a degree of celebrity and professional recognition, described by theObserver as "number three in the hierarchy ofBritish architects after LordsRogers andFoster".[3]
Notwithstanding this, like fellow avantgardist DameZaha Hadid, he actualised relatively few buildings from his designs. Alsop estimated that only about 10% of his designs have been built, something he stated did not worry him because of the enjoyment he derived in designing buildings even without a particular commission or competition in mind. In a 2007 interview, Alsop stated "It's like tennis – you have to keep doing it all the time, whether you have a client or not. I believe that absolutely. You can speculate in your sketchbook – you're allowed to think about anything, with or without a client."[3]
In April 2007,The Observer commented that Alsop's approach to architecture could broadly be defined by his statement: "I like people. I hope it shows."[3]
| Image | Information | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|
 | Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre |
|
 | Hamburg Ferry Terminal | |
.jpg) | Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône (Le Grand Bleu) |
|
 | North Greenwich tube station |
|
 | Peckham Library |
|
 | ||
 | Urban Entertainment Center Mixed-use complex with a hotel, shops and a casino | |
 | Sharp Centre for Design,Ontario College of Art & Design | |
Fawood Children's Centre[26][27] |
| |
 | Ben Pimlott Building,Goldsmiths, University of London | |
 | Blizard Building,Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry |
|
Alsop Toronto Sales Centre | ||
.JPG) | Palestra, 197 |
|
 | Quay Redevelopment project[28] | |
 | The Public, West Bromwich |
|
StratfordDocklands Light Railway Station[30] | ||
Yonkers Power Plant project[31] | ||
KingTowns[32] | ||
 | New Islington | |
Westside Gallery Lofts | ||
Raffles City |
| |
 | Gao Yang | |
| Testbed1 Cultural Centre Battersea, London |
Alsop was an ongoing professor of architecture at theVienna University of Technology and received many honorary doctorates such as the honoraryDoctorate of Civil Law (DCL) by theUniversity of East Anglia[33] and honorary doctorates atRyerson University andOCAD University.
Alsop was known to be constantly drawing and painting either for his architectural work or for his own sake.[19] His paintings and sketches have been exhibited alongside his architectural projects in dedicated exhibitions atSir John Soane's Museum, Milton Keynes Gallery,Cube Gallery in Manchester, and the British Pavilion at theVenice Biennale, among other venues.[35]
Alsop was a patron of the charityThe Nightingale Project[usurped], which uses the arts to enhance the environment in hospitals, and has exhibited his paintings in a London hospital under the auspices of this charity.[36] Alsop also conducted a series of workshops with psychiatric patients at London's St Charles, Chelsea and Westminster hospitals, creating large communal artworks.[19] He has been chair of the board of Trustees ofThe Architecture Foundation.
Major Exhibitions:
Alsop and his wife lived between anEdwardian mansion flat in London and a converted stable block in Norfolk. They have three adult children.[3]
He had a twin sister, Elizabeth,[3] who still lives inNorthampton.
Alsop would try to relax as much as possible on weekends and also took a month off in the summer to go painting inMenorca with his friendBruce McLean. Alsop enjoyed smoking and drinking. He was, according to an April 2007 article inThe Observer, "obviously not a man familiar with gyms".[3]
Alsop died in London after a short illness on 12 May 2018 at the age of 70.[38][39]
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| People | |
| Other | |
