Supporting Content
Latest series of Dream Builders
David Adjaye
David Adjaye has been described as an architect with an ‘artist’s sensibility’. His internationally renowned buildings are defined by his bold use of innovative materials and a diverse colour palette which reflect an equally strong interest in landscape and terrain.From his pioneering ‘Ideas Store’ library buildings in the UK, to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver , to The Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, London, to the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington DC, his work is imbued with, and inspired by, the stories of people and dynamics of place.
In 2007, he was awarded an OBE for services to architecture and in 2013 he topped the Guardian’s “Powerlist” of Britain’s most influential black people. He currently has projects underway in Ghana, Nigeria, America, China and the Middle East.
In this programme recorded in partnership with RIBA, David Adjaye talks to about his approach to building, his many journeys and the projects and experiences that have defined him.
In this programme recorded in partnership with RIBA, David Adjaye talks to Razia Iqbal about his approach to building, his many journeys and the projects and experiences that have defined him.
Photo: © Ed Reeve
Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Heatherwick is a designer with an international reputation for experimentation and surprise. In 2012 the world watched in awe as his Olympic Cauldron came together from 204 steel ‘petals’ - a prime example of a distinct approach to design that fuses a bold and original vision with craftsmanship and detailing.
Formed in 1994, Heatherwick Studio is made up of over 100 architects, designers and makers who collaborate on everything from bridges, sculptures, vehicles, interiors and entire city plans. Notable recent projects include the New Bus for London, and the award winning UK Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo 2010. He is currently working on a university in Singapore, a passenger boat in France, a distillery in Southern England and a ‘Garden Bridge’ spanning the River Thames in London. In 2004, Thomas was the youngest practitioner to be appointed a Royal Designer for Industry and he is today an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), a Royal Academician and has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the design industry.
In this programme recorded in partnership with RIBA, Thomas Heatherwick talks to Razia Iqbal about his unique approach to making, the projects that have defined his diverse career and those that are set to in future.
Photo: © Elena HeatherwickFrancine Houben
Francine Houben is one of the Netherlands’ leading architects who, with her practice Mecanoo Architecten, has sought to create buildings that ‘touch all the senses.’ Her architecture encompasses ‘emotional, social, playful and humane aspects’ as well as intellectual, conceptual and visual ones.
From ground breaking housing projects in her early years, she has gone on to design signature projects including the Philips Business Innovation Centre, FiftyTwoDegrees in Nijmegen, La Llotja Theatre and Conference Centre in Lleida, Spain, and Europe’s largest Library building in Birmingham, UK. Houben lectures widely on issues surrounding urban design and from 2002 to 2006 put these into practice as City Architect for Almere in the Netherlands.
In this programme recorded in partnership with RIBA, Francine Houben talks Razia Iqbal about her unique approach to architecture, a passion for light and beauty and striving to work in untraditional ways.
Photo: © Marco van Rijt
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie is an architect, urban planner, theorist and author whose buildings the world over are committed to responding to ‘human needs and aspirations.’
He first came to the world’s attention in his early twenties through his ground-breaking ‘Habitat 67’ project - a vast interlocking prefabricated housing complex and the centre piece of the Montreal EXPO, which he also developed the master-plan for. Safdie has since gone on to write, lecture, teach and build extensively in North America and in many other countries, frequently returning to his native Israel where he was responsible for the restoration of old Jerusalem and the creation of the new city of Modi’in, the new Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, and the Rabin Memorial Center.
In this programme recorded in partnership with RIBA, Moshe Safdie talks to Razia Iqbal about the power of architecture, a humane approach to urbanism and the projects that have defined a global career.
Photo: © Stephen Kelly