Alison and Peter Smithson

English architects Alison Smithson (1928-1993) and Peter Smithson (18 September 1923-3 March 2003) together formed an architectural partnership, and are often associated with the Brutalist style.

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Peter was born in Stockton-on-Tees in north-east England, and Alison was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. While studying architecture at Durham University (1939-1942), they met each other, and married in 1949. Together, they joined the architecture department of the London County Council before establishing their own partnership in 1950.

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Their style draws heavily on influences from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, leaning towards minimalism. They were associated Team 10 and its 1953 revolt against old Congr?s International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM) philosophies, arguing instead for 'streets in the sky' where inhabitants could live and work, and with the Independent Group (an off-shoot of the Institute of Contemporary Arts).

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Their projects included:

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• Smithdon High School, Hunstanton, Norfolk (1949-1954; a grade II* listed building)
• The House of the Future exhibition (at the 1956 Ideal Home Show)
• The Economist Building, Piccadilly, London (1959-1965)
• Garden building, St Hilda's College, Oxford (1968)
• Robin Hood Gardens housing complex, Poplar, east London (1969-1972)
• Buildings at the University of Bath, including the School of Architecture and Building Engineering (1988)

Unfortunately, Robin Hood Gardens suffered from structural problems and high levels of crime, fatally undermining both their progressive vision of 'streets in the sky' and their architectural reputation. With the exception of their work at Bath, they designed no further public buildings in Britain, relying instead mainly on private overseas commissions, Peter Smithson?s writing and teaching, (he was a visiting professor at Bath from 1978 to 1990, and also a unit master at the Architectural Association School of Architecture).

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English: English in common usage may refer to:...

Architect: An architect, also known as a building designer, is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a building's construction, whose role is to guide decisions affecting those building aspects that are of aesthetic, cultural or social concern. More generally, an architect is the desig...

1928: 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar)....

Alison and Peter Smithson related Images and Photos (experimental)

St. Peter and St. Paul	Saints Peter and Paul	St. Peter and St. John Healing a Cripple	Apostles Peter and Paul 1708
St. Peter and St. John Healing the Paralytic 1783	Stories of S.S. Peter and Paul Altarpiece: Vocation of St. Peter Conversion of St. Paul	Paul and Peter Bring a Dead Boy Back to Life	Tinker Bell and Peter Pan: A Touch of Magic
The Disciples Peter and John Running to Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection circa 1898	Altarpiece with Saints Peter and Paul	The Miraculous Intervention of Ss Peter and Paul in the Battle of Lepanto 7th October 1571	The Virgin and Child with Ss. Peter and Paul