"This probably puts me in a unique position as his longest professional colleague and friend, and yet it was only until he showed me the material for the book that I realized the breadth, quality and sensitivity of the work he has quietly been developing over the past ten years. "

Sir Richard Rogers, from the preface, 2008

 

 

This is the first book to be published on the leading London architecture firm Gumuchdjian Architects whose widely published first project the Think Tank established their reputation for sensitive, contextual work. Its covers the first ten years of production since the studio was founded and includes an unusually wide range of project types and collaborations with architects and artists. 

 

They won the international competition for the new Pompidou Centre in Metz with Shigeru Ban and gained planning approval for a residential tower beside the Tate Modern. Their most important finished projects include the giant Recycled Paper Building in the Millennium Dome and the Marylebone School in London, winner of the RIBA National Award in 2008. 

 

For Philip Gumuchdjian, who co-wrote Richard Rogers’ Cities for a Small Planet, the urban and environmental impact of his buildings is as important as their architecture and interiors. Their approach is highly considered and inventive whilst their use of materials and technologies is innovative and sensual. As he puts it himself, “I have sought to deliver buildings that enhance their context, create a sense of place, that consider the needs of the passer-by and that are fundamentally useful.”

 

Philip Gumuchdjian worked for the Richard Rogers Partnership for twenty years before founding his own architectural practice Gumuchdjian Architects in 1998. His is the co-author with Richard Rogers of Cities for a Small Planet: Reith Lectures (1997).

 

Lord Rogers is a world renowned architect whose buildings include the Pompidou Centre, the Lloyd’s Building, the Millennium Dome, the National Assembly of Wales and Heathrow Terminal 5.

 

Jonathan Glancey is the architecture and design editor at The Guardian. His many books include New British Architecture (1989), The Story of Architecture (2003) and Lost Buildings (2008).