Alex de Rijke (born 1960 of Dutch parents) is a British architect, timber architecture advocate, educationalist and architectural photographer. De Rijke founded the architecture practice, dRMM, in 1995 with Philip Marsh and

Sadie Morgan Sadie Anna Morgan (born 28 February 1969) is an English designer. In 1995 she founded dRMM, the RIBA Stirling Prize winning architecture practice, with Alex de Rijke and Philip Marsh. Morgan is the chair of the Independent Design Panel for Hig ...

. In 2022 dRMM Studio was formed to acknowledge co-directors Jonas Lencer, Saskia Koopmann and Judith Stichtenoth and a Berlin office. De Rijke’s research into, and application of, contemporary materials, technologies and methods of construction have helped make dRMM a globally recognised pioneer and authority in engineered timber design. De Rijke's alma mater is the Royal College of Art, London. As an advocate of learning through experiment and making, and has taught at several architecture education institutions, including the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...

in London, Kingston University, Plymouth University, Oxford Brookes University, Avani School of Architecture, India, and the Peter Behrens School of Arts/University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf. He was Dean of Architecture at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

from 2011-2015, and simultaneously Professor of the Masters Programme in 2013-15. Although he resigned from teaching to focus on practice, he guest lectures around the world and has been external examiner to the Architectural Association Design & Make (Hooke Park) timber M.Arch and MSc. programmes, as well as the Spatial Practice Masters programme at Central St. Martin's, University of the Arts London. In 2006 de Rijke and dRMM designed and built 'Naked House', a research prototype, flat-packed cross-laminated timber (CLT) house for global adoption. This was installed at the exhibition 'Industry!' in Oslo with an accompanying manifesto declaring, 'Timber is the New Concrete'. De Rijke and dRMM then built the first UK school buildings constructed in CLT, the Kingsdale School Music and Sport buildings 2007. In 2009 de Rijke led a dRMM competition project for a 100m span timber stadium for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2013 de Rijke devised cross-laminated hardwood (Tulipwood CLT) with AHEC (American Hardwood Export Council) and ARUP for dRMM’s London Design Festival project, ‘Endless Stair’. The development of cross-laminated tulipwood was then demonstrated in dRMM's design of Maggie’s Oldham 2017, the first CLT hardwood building in the world. dRMM received the UK's top architecture honour in 2017, the

RIBA Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...

, for the design of Hastings Pier, for which de Rijke was the project architect. In 2021, he was a judge on the first series of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's '' Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker'', a TV carpentry talent competition.

References

External links

dRMM Architects
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Rijke, Alex Alumni of the Royal College of Art 21st-century British architects 1960 births Living people Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker