Richard Rogers dies

[Cycleops]

Legendary British architect Richard Rogers has died at the age of 88.

He designed some of the worlds most iconic and most recognised buildings includ the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Lloyds in London. Most recently the ‘cheese grater’ building in Leadenhall St.
He pioneered the use of putting the ‘works’ on the outside of buildings. One of his most controversial designs was the Millennium Dome.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59715838

 

[Oldhippy]

Clever but supremely ugly to my eyes and taste.

 

[Cycleops]

His designs are certainly polarising, you either love them or hate them. They bold and brutal. What can’t be denied is that he broke the mould for architecture.
I remember visiting the Pompidou Centre for the first time and I just thought wow.

 

[Blue Hills]

His designs are certainly polarising, you either love them or hate them. They bold and brutal. What can’t be denied is that he broke the mould for architecture.
I remember visiting the Pompidou Centre for the first time and I just thought wow.

I don't think it was all his own work though, though many Brits think so.
Renzo Piano?

 

[Cycleops]

I'd forgotten it a cooperative effort. Thanks.

 

[Beebo]

The Lloyds building is iconic from the outside but horrible to work in as it lacks natural light.
Going in the lifts was fun when glass lifts were a new thing.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Sad news. A big name over the last 50 years. A bit like music really, with three or four others put Brit architecture right at the top.

 

[Blue Hills]

I'd forgotten it a cooperative effort. Thanks.

no probs - I've only just learned that he was actually Italian.
Which helps explain the Renzo Piano hook-up.

 

[farfromtheland]

Aah, he was very very good, when he was good.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/sep/08/place-all-people-richard-rogers-review

"Quite why the greatest architect of his age, who has campaigned for equality, social housing, lifestyle-size street furniture, improved cities, community communities, multicultural handshake sheds and countless other right-on causes should all but shred his reputation by designing extremely expensive and very ugly flats is a mystery."

 

[Pale Rider]

A big name over the last 50 years

Speaking of which, we've not seen @Archie_tect for a few weeks.

 

[Blue Hills]

Aah, he was very very good, when he was good.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/sep/08/place-all-people-richard-rogers-review

"Quite why the greatest architect of his age, who has campaigned for equality, social housing, lifestyle-size street furniture, improved cities, community communities, multicultural handshake sheds and countless other right-on causes should all but shred his reputation by designing extremely expensive and very ugly flats is a mystery."

this is the path of contemporary architecture I fear. I went to a very depressing exhibition at RIBA a while ago. This wasn't the intended message of the exhibition but it was all too clear to me that while for a fair while after WW2 the prestige projects for architects were very often community-based public works ones - social housing, public spaces, schools etc etc, the profession reached a point where they salivated mainly over corporate works and that was where the money was.
It's one of the reasons London has become more boring in recent years.
And don't get me started on private space one would once have thought was public.

 

[Grant Fondo]

this is the path of contemporary architecture I fear. I went to a very depressing exhibition at RIBA a while ago. This wasn't the intended message of the exhibition but it was all too clear to me that while for a fair while after WW2 the prestige projects for architects were very often community-based public works ones - social housing, public spaces, schools etc etc, the profession reached a point where they salivated mainly over corporate works and that was where the money was.
It's one of the reasons London has become more boring in recent years.
And don't get me started on private space one would once have thought was public.

I agree with a lot of that, but that isn't the architects fault. I went to a Rogers lecture, probably early 90's, when he was explaing his 'green spine' ideas for London. It was an idea where the Thames wasn't some showcase real estate for posh flats and offices. It was purely public space to enjoy a ramblas along the banks, to take in the views, like a big extension of the South Bank. I got that, but knew it would never really happen, the land is just way too 'valuable'. We get what we deserve. Bless him for thinking how we might improve our lives.

 

[MichaelW2]

Yesterday I happened to be visiting his first major public building, the Sainsbury Centre at UEA. It is always an uplifting experience to be in such an expansive modern building.

 

[Cycleops]

While we're talking about architecture and architects I didn't realise that Owen Luder had also passed away in October.
You might recall he was responsible for many brutalist concrete structures including the 'Get carter' car park and the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth which Price Charles once described
as a 'mildewed lump of elephant droppings'.
His souless concrete structures were never loved.
He was known as a member of the Rubble Club, having seen many of his own buildings torn down in his lifetime.

 

[Pale Rider]

Yesterday I happened to be visiting his first major public building, the Sainsbury Centre at UEA. It is always an uplifting experience to be in such an expansive modern building.

View attachment 622849

View attachment 622850

Looks like finding the baked beans wouldn't be easy.