The other thing is the schoolboy-like optimism. Forget the mannerisms and styling and the necessary protocol we focused on invention.

Sir Peter Cook: There were two essential things. Plus, he discusses what inspired him to become an architect, the biggest challenges facing the profession today, the drawbacks of computing power, what he dislikes about American architecture (think École des Beaux-Arts), and which notable American architect he once thought overrated and now thinks “gets better and better.” There are also two (highly recommended) audio clips.īryant Rousseau: Peter, how would you distill the essence of what made Archigram unique in the history of architecture? In this in-depth interview, Cook also proves himself an engaging, witty raconteur, discussing his days with Archigram, his design goals for the Olympic Stadium, his frank advice for architecture schools, the architects and cities he admires, and the cities (and Royals) he doesn’t. He was knighted earlier this year for his “services to architecture.” university in 2005.Īnd while Archigram, which received the RIBA Gold Medal in 2002, changed the direction of architecture with its theories and drawings-but not its executed projects, of which there were none-Cook has seen a number of his recent proposals get built, most notably the Kunsthaus Graz, which was on the shortlist for the Stirling Prize in 2004.Ĭurrently, he is serving as a consultant for HOK Sport, which is designing the London Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Games. He helped transform Frankfurt’s Staedelschule into one of Europe’s leading architecture schools, and he served as the Bartlett’s chair of architecture for a dozen years, retiring from this noted U.K.

1936) has continued to inspire architects as a highly regarded teacher. When asked to describe the inspiration for the marvelous form of his Kunsthaus Graz museum, Cook describes how an intimate familiarity with the project’s site (“It used to be the one place that you could get a drink after 3 o’clock at night”) helped make the design decisions for this acclaimed building “terribly easy.” (1:40)īut in the decades since Archigram disbanded, Cook (b. This slideshow includes images of some of Peter Cook’s Archigram proposals Kunsthaus Graz and the London Olympic Stadium. Kunsthaus Graz in Graz, Austria, designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier.

Peter cook architect