Peter Smithson

English architect Peter Smithson (18 September 1923-3 March 2003) formed an architectural partnership with his wife Alison, and is often associated with the Brutalist style.

Smithson was born in Stockton-on-Tees in north-east England. While studying architecture at Durham University (1939-1942), he met Alison Gill, whom he later married, in 1949. Together, they joined the architecture department of the London County Council before establishing their own partnership in 1950.

Their style draws heavily on influences from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, leaning towards minimalism. They were associated Team 10 and its revolt against old Congrès 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}.

Their projects included:

• Hunstanton School, Norfolk (completed 1954)
• 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, and Peter Smithson’s writing and teaching (he was a visiting professor at Bath from 1978 to 1990).