Richard MacCormac

Ruskin Library at the University of Lancaster

Sir Richard MacCormac CBE PPRIBA RA (3 September 1938),^[1] is an award winning modernist British architect, the founder of MJP Architects.

Born Richard Cornelius MacCormac,^[1] and after serving his national service in the Royal Navy,^[1] he was educated at the University of Cambridge and the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London.^[2]

MacCormac undertook a broad range of work, including social housing for the London Borough of Merton,^[2] before founding MacCormac Jamieson and Prichard in 1972. In 2011, he left MJP to set up a new practise in his own name.^[3]

After winning an open competition for the design of a university building in Bristol, he made he name in the 1980s through use of modernist design, particularly in university architecture. These included: the Sainsbury Building for Worcester College, Oxford (Won the 1984 Civic Trust Award); the Ruskin Library at the University of Lancaster (Independent on Sunday Building of the Year Award 1996, Royal Fine Art Commission/BSkyB Building of the Year University Winner 1998, Millennium Products status awarded by the Design Council 1999);^[1] Bowra Building at Wadham College, Oxford; Burrell's Fields at Trinity College, Cambridge (RIBA Regional Award 1997, Civic Trust Award 1997); and the Garden Quadrangle at St John's College, Oxford.^[1]

Commercial clients have included: Southwark tube station for the Jubilee Line Extension (Royal Fine Art Commission Trust/BSkyB Millennium Building of the Year Award 2000);^[1] Wellcome Foundation Wing/Dana Centre at the Science Museum, London (Celebrating Construction Achievement Regnl Award for Greater London 2000);^[1] the Cable and Wireless training centre in Coventry (Royal Fine Art Commission/Sunday Times Building of the Year Award 1994),^[1] and a bespoke Tesco supermarket in Ludlow.

MacCormac designed the new Egton Wing of the BBC's Broadcasting House. But more than half way through the project, the BBC asked for a redesign in light of its internal budget restrictions, which MacCormac refused unwilling to sacrifice the quality of his design, and hence MJP was sacked from the project.^[4] In 1999, MacCormac designed a new home in Hampstead for then Arsenal F.C. striker Thierry Henry, described as described as "one of the finest examples of modern architecture in the UK".^[5]

MacCormac was a founder of the Phoenix Initiative, with artists Jochen Gerz, Susanna Heron and David Ward, working on merging art and architecture for the future concept of central Coventry.^[2] The project was shortlisted RIBA Stirling Prize in 2004.^[1]

MacCormac has taught and lectured extensively. He taught architecture at the University of Cambridge (1969-75; 1979-810), and been a visiting professor of architecture at the University of Edinburgh from 1982-85, the University of Hull (1998-99); and a studio tutor at the London School of Economics in 1998.^[1]

Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1982,^[1] he was elected to the Royal Academy in 1993.^[2] Made an honorary fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge in 2006,^[6] he was awarded an honorary DSc in 2008.^[1] Made a CBE in 1994, he was knighted in 2001.^[1]

His hobbies include music and reading,^[1] and he owns and sails a 1908 oyster fishing smack in the Thames Estuary.^[7]

Gallery

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  The former Cable and Wireless training centre in Coventry, now owned by Network Rail

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  Sainsbury Building for Worcester College, Oxford

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  Entrance to Southwark tube station

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  Bespoke Tesco at Ludlow

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  Burrell's Field for Trinity College, Cambridge

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  Bowra Building at Wadham College, Oxford

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  The Egton Wing of the BBC's Broadcasting House

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  The Garden Quadrangle, St John's College, Oxford

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: MJP Architects

• Profile at the Royal Academy
• Profile at Debretts