James Stirling and James Gowan
The short lived partnership of James Stirling (1926-1992) and James Gowan (1923-2015), proved to be one of the most influential in post war Britain. Emerging to the wider public with their design for the Engineering Building at Leicester University in 1963, they had already designed the brutalist Langham House Close flats in 1958. They were both born in Glasgow, meeting while working for Lloyd Israel Ellis. They formed their own practice in 1965, and worked together for seven years, designing a small but influential group of buildings.
After they went their separate ways, Stirling became the world renowned architect, gaining acclaim for his increasingly postmodern works, culminating in the offices at No.1 Poultry, completed 5 years after his death. Gowan kept a lower profile, designing social housing for Camden and Greenwich, as well as two houses for Chaim Schreiber, the first (1964) an austere brick creation looking out over Hampstead Heath, the second (1982) a playful postmodern design in Cheshire. Both architects would also prove influential in their teaching, with the likes of Richard Rogers and Peter Cook among their students. Gowan outlived his former partner by over 20 years, passing away in 2015.
Featured Buildings: 41 Gloucester Ave, Children's Home, Frogmore, Faculty of History, Grenville Place, Langham House Close, 9 West Heath Road, Trafalgar Road
After they went their separate ways, Stirling became the world renowned architect, gaining acclaim for his increasingly postmodern works, culminating in the offices at No.1 Poultry, completed 5 years after his death. Gowan kept a lower profile, designing social housing for Camden and Greenwich, as well as two houses for Chaim Schreiber, the first (1964) an austere brick creation looking out over Hampstead Heath, the second (1982) a playful postmodern design in Cheshire. Both architects would also prove influential in their teaching, with the likes of Richard Rogers and Peter Cook among their students. Gowan outlived his former partner by over 20 years, passing away in 2015.
Featured Buildings: 41 Gloucester Ave, Children's Home, Frogmore, Faculty of History, Grenville Place, Langham House Close, 9 West Heath Road, Trafalgar Road