Michael Wilford
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(born 1938) is an English architect from
Hartfield
Hartfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The parish also includes the settlements of Colemans Hatch, Hammerwood and Holtye, all lying on the northern edge of Ashdown Forest.
Geography
The main ...
,
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...
. Wilford studied at the
Northern Polytechnic School of Architecture, London, from 1955 to 1962, and at the
Regent Street Polytechnic
The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Aug ...
Planning School, London, in 1967. In 1960, he joined the practice of
James Stirling and in 1971 together established the Stirling/Wilford partnership. He designed the
British Embassy in Berlin
The British Embassy in Berlin (german: Britische Botschaft, Berlin) is the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to Germany. It is located on 70-71 Wilhelmstraße, near the Hotel Adlon, in Berlin. The current ambassador is Jill Gallard.
Palais Str ...
.
Biography
In 1960 Wilford joined the practice which James Stirling created in 1956. The Stirling/Wilford partnership was established in 1971 and continued until James Stirling's death in 1992. From 1993 to 2001 Michael Wilford worked in partnership under the name of Michael Wilford and Partners. In England Michael Wilford now practices under the name of Michael Wilford architects and in Germany has established Wilford Schupp, based in Stuttgart.
Wilford's work has gained international renown and includes significant public buildings such as performing art centres, art galleries, museums and libraries located around the world. These projects have won many architectural awards, the most recent including The Royal Fine Art Commission Building of the Year Award in 2001 for The Lowry performing and visual arts centre in Salford, England.
He teaches extensively in schools of architecture including posts at
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
,
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, Rice, the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
in USA, the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
,
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
Montreal in Canada, University of Newcastle, Australia, the Architectural Association in London, and the
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
, England. He is a visiting professor at the Liverpool School of Architecture. This is his favourite school of architecture. He has been an external examiner at many UK schools of architecture and sits on juries for numerous international architectural competitions and architectural awards.
Wilford is a member of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
, the Singapore Institute of Architects, Royal Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow of
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
, and an Honorary Member of the Bund Deutscher Architekten. In 2001 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C467/88) with Michael Wilford in 2009 for its Architects Lives' collection held by the British Library.
[National Life Stories, 'Wilford, Michael (1 of 11) National Life Stories Collection: Architects' Lives', The British Library Board, 2009]
Retrieved 10 April 2018
Buildings
*2000
The Lowry performing and visual arts centre in Salford, England
*2000
British Embassy in Berlin
The British Embassy in Berlin (german: Britische Botschaft, Berlin) is the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to Germany. It is located on 70-71 Wilhelmstraße, near the Hotel Adlon, in Berlin. The current ambassador is Jill Gallard.
Palais Str ...
*1994 Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (University for Art and Music),
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Awards and prizes
*1997
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 ...
– Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst,
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Gallery
File:LowryCentre.jpg, The Lowry performing and visual arts centre, Salford, England
File:Embassy of the United Kingdom, Berlin.jpg, The British Embassy, Berlin.
References
External links
*Michael Wilfor
Official website, UK*Wilford Schupp Architekte
Official website, DE*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilford, Michael
1938 births
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Architects from Sussex
Living people
Harvard Graduate School of Design faculty
Yale University faculty
Rice University faculty
University of Cincinnati faculty
People from Hartfield
Stirling Prize laureates