Peter Smithson
From Archiplanet
| Peter Smithson | |
| Born | |
| Notes | |
| At Great Buildings | http://www.GreatBuildings.com/architects/Peter_Smithson.html |
Contents |
[edit] Works
- A. E. G. High Tension Factory, at Berlin, Germany, 1910. Archiplanet page GreatBuildings page
- Behrens House, at Darmstadt, Germany, 1901. Archiplanet page GreatBuildings page
- I. G. Farben Offices, at Frankfurt, Germany, 1920 to 1925. Archiplanet page GreatBuildings page
- Apartments at Weissenhofseidlung, at Stuttgart, Germany, 1926 to 1927. Archiplanet page
- <a target="_top" href="
">Photo at ArchitectureWeek</a> Archiplanet page
[edit] Discussion
Peter Smithson was born in Stockton-on-Tees, England in 1923. Allison Smithson was born in Sheffield, England in 1928. Both studied at the University of Durham. They worked with the LCC before joining forces as a design team.
Borrowing from a "bare bones" aesthetic dictated by Mies Van DerRohe, the team generated a revolutionary architectural style based on technological minimalism. While the idea of place acts as the central focus of all their designs, the minimalism directing their designs - both in terms of form and material - has often placed their work within the realms of Brutalist architecture.
While their buildings exhibited some key architectural ideas, the Smithsons gained most of their recognition through their involvement with Team 10 and the overthrow of old CIAM philosophies. In 1956, as members of the Independent Group, the Smithsons contributed to the This is Tomorrow exhibition which was revised in 1990 for an ICA travelling exhibition on their work.
References
Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. NA 40 I45. p143.
