Sir Peter Cook (born 22 October 1936) is an English

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, lecturer and writer on architectural subjects. He was a founder of

Archigram Archigram was an avant-garde architectural group formed in the 1960s ⁠that was neofuturistic, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, drawing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was solely expressed through hypothetical ...

, and was knighted in 2007 by the Queen for his services to architecture and teaching. He is also a

Royal Academician The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

and a Commandeur de l'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

of the French Republic. His achievements with Archigram were recognised by 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 ...

in 2004, when the group was awarded the

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is g ...

Early life and education

Cook was born in

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and studied architecture at

Bournemouth College of Art Arts University Bournemouth (abbreviated AUB) is a further and higher education university based in Poole, England, specialising in art, performance, design, and media. It was formerly known as The Arts University College at Bournemouth and T ...

from 1953–58. He then entered 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, graduating in 1960.

Career

Cook was a director of London's

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...

(1970-1972) and chair of architecture at

the Bartlett ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

School of Architecture at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

(1990–2006), and has been director of Art Net in London and curator of the British Pavilion at the

Venice Architecture Biennale Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

. He continues to curate, organise and exhibit around the world: in Seoul, LA, Cyprus, the

Centre Georges Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generat ...

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located on the shore of the Øresund Sound in Humlebæk, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the most visited art museum in Denmark, and has an extensive permanent collection of modern and cont ...

, as well as in castles, sheds and garages. He is a Senior Fellow of 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 ...

, London. Cook's professorships include those of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, University College, London and the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (

Städelschule The Städelschule (), Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, is a tertiary school of art in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It accepts about 20 students each year from 500 applicants, and has a total of approximately 150 students of visual a ...

) in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

-Main, Germany. Cook has built in Osaka, Nagoya, Berlin and Madrid. However it was construction of his arts building in 2003, the

Kunsthaus Graz The Kunsthaus Graz, Grazer Kunsthaus, or Graz Art Museum was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since become an architectural landmark in Graz, Austria. Its exhibition program specializes in contemporar ...

(aka 'The Friendly Alien') in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

(with

Colin Fournier Colin Fournier is co-architect with Peter Cook of the Kunsthaus Graz in Austria. Educated at the Architectural Association, Fournier was a founding member of Archigram. He is also professor of The Bartlett School of Architecture, a part of Un ...

), that brought his work to a wider public. He practiced from 2007 to 2019 with Gavin Robotham at CRAB (Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau Ltd). In 2013 he (along with his studio CRAB) completed the

Vienna University of Economics and Business The Vienna University of Economics and Business (german: Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, WU) is a public research university in Vienna, Austria, the largest university focusing on business, management and economics in Europe. It has been ranked a ...

's new law faculty and Australia's newest school of architecture, the Abedian School of Architecture at

Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its founding on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teaching-focused higher ed ...

on the Gold Coast. Cook was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, for services to architecture. His first building in the UK, a new drawing studio at the

Arts University Bournemouth Arts University Bournemouth (abbreviated AUB) is a further and higher education university based in Poole, England, specialising in art, performance, design, and media. It was formerly known as The Arts University College at Bournemouth and The ...

was opened by

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

in March 2016. He also built the innovation studio at the

, which was opened by

Odile Decq Odile Decq (born 1955 in Laval, France) is a French architect, urban planner and academic. She is the founder of the Paris firm, Studio Odile Decq and the architecture school, Confluence Institute. Decq is known for her unique, self-described g ...

in 2021. Cook currently practices with Erlend Blakstad Haffner at CHAP (Cook Haffner Architecture Platform Ltd). CHAP has offices in London, Belgrade and Oslo.

Awards and honours

*1960 – Henry Florence Student A.A. (Building Centre research Scholar) *1961 – Piccadilly Circus competition (Mention) *1962 – Gas Council House Design (First Prize) *1965 – Selected as one of "Young British Designers" ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' exhibition *1996 – Jean Tschumi Medal, International Union of Architects *1969 – Grant awarded by Graham Foundation, Chicago, for Instant City *2000 –

, Austria (with Colin Fournier) *2002 – Annie Spink Award, jointly awarded to David Greene (for contribution to architectural education) by the RIBA *2002 – Royal Gold Medal (with Archigram) by RIBA *2003 – Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the France Republic *2004 – Finalist for

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

(with Colin Fournier) *2007 – Knighted in Queen's Honours' list (for services in architecture) *2008 – Senior Fellow of the

, London *2010 –

Mario Pani Mario Pani Darqui (March 29, 1911 – February 23, 1993) was a famous Mexican architect and urbanist. He was one of the most active urbanists under the Mexican Miracle, and gave form to a good part of the urban appearance of Mexico City, with ...

Award for Architecture,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

*2010 – Honorary Doctorate of Technology,

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Wien - WU Campus, D3 & AD

*1970 – Monte Carlo Entertainments Centre (with

) *1990 – Solar Housing, Landstuhl, Germany (with Christine Hawley) *1992 – Museum of Antiquities, Austria (with Christine Hawley) *2000 – The Kunsthaus, Graz (with Colin Fournier) *2006 – New Theatre Verbania, Italy (with Gavin Robotham) *2009 – Faculty of Law (D3) and Central Administration (AD), Vienna Business and Economics University (with Gavin Robotham) *2010 – 2nd prize in the

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Tower international competition (with Gavin Robotham) *2011 – Soheil Abedian School of Architecture,

on the Gold Coast, Australia (with Gavin Robotham and Brit Andresen) *2013 – Finalist in the National Stadium of Israel (CRAB + POPULOUS) *2013 – Finalist in the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct

Current appointments

*Professor Emeritus at University College London *Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts *Life Professor at the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (Städelschule) Frankfurt-Main *Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London *Honorary Fellow of the

*Member of the Hessische Architektenkammer *Member of the RIBA,

Architects Registration Board The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is the statutory body for the registration of architects in the United Kingdom. It operates under the Architects Act 1997 as amended, a consolidating Act. It began under the Architects (Registration) Act, ...

(ARB) *Fellow of University College London

Exhibitions

*Archigram exhibition – 1994 onwards: Vienna, Paris, New York, London, Pasadena, Chicago, Milan, Hamburg, Seoul, Mito, Taipei, Winnipeg, Zurich, Cracow, Zaragoza, Brussels, Rotterdam. *Curator of

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

British Pavilion 2004, Cyprus Pavilion 2006 *Personal exhibitions – various dates: Los Angeles, Tokyo, Oslo, Berlin, Osaka, Frankfurt,

Publications

*1967 – Architecture: Action and Plan. London: Studio Vista. *1970 – Experimental Architecture. London/New York: Studio Vista/Universal Books. *1972 – Archigram. London: Studio Vista/Reinhold, Birkhauser *1975 – Melting Architecture. London: Peter Cook, (published to accompany Art Net exhibition). *1976 – Art Net The Rally: Forty London Architects . London: Art Net/Peter Cook, (published to accompany Art Net exhibition). *1976 – Arcadia: The Search for the Perfect Suburb. London: Art Net/Peter Cook. *1980 – (with Christine Hawley). Six Houses. London: AA Publications, (published to accompany exhibition at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

). *1983 – (with Barbara Goldstein). Los Angeles Now. London: AA Publications, (published to accompany exhibition at the Architectural Association). *1985 – Peter Cook – 21 Years, 21 Ideas. London: AA Publications, (foreword by Banham, Reyner and narrative by Hawley, Christine; published to accompany exhibition at the Architectural Association). *1985 – (editor with Olive Brown). Lebbeus Woods. London: AA Publications, 1985, (published to accompany exhibition at the Architectural Association). *1987 – (with Christine Hawley). Cities. London: Fisher Fine Arts, (published to accompany exhibition at the Fischer Fine Arts). *1989 – Peter Cook 1961–89. A+U. *1991 – (with Rosie Llewellyn-Jones). New Spirit in Architecture. New York: Rizzoli. *1993 – Six Conversations. London: Academy Editions, (Architectural Monographs Special Issue, No. 28). *1996 – Primer. London: Academy Editions. *1999 – Archigram. London/New York: Princeton Architectural Press (also in Japanese, German, Chinese) *1999 – (with John Hedjuk and Helene Binet). The House of the Book: Building, Zvi Hecker. London: Black Dog. *1999 – (with Neil Spiller). The Power of Contemporary Architecture. London: Academy Editions. *2000 – Bartlett Book of Ideas. London: Bartlett School of Architecture. *2001 – (with others). The Paradox of Contemporary Architecture. Chichester: Wiley-Academy. *2003 – The City, Seen As A Garden Of Ideas. New York: Monacelli. *2008 – Drawing: The Motive Force of Architecture. Chichester: Wiley. *2014 – Drawing: The Motive Force of Architecture. Second Edition: Wiley. *2016 - Architecture Workbook: Design through Motive. Chichester: Wiley. *2021 - Lives in Architecture: Peter Cook. London: RIBA Publishing.

References

* Interview with Peter Cook on Archinect �
Conversation with Peter Cook on the State of Things
*

Simon Sadler Simon Sadler (b. 1968, UK) is a professor in thDepartment of Designand in the Art History Program at the University of California, Davis. His publications focus on histories, theories and ideologies of architecture, design and urbanism since the m ...

, ''Archigram: Architecture without Architecture'', Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 200

Interview with Designboom

External links

Arcspace: Kunsthaus GrazKnighthood: Peter Cook (06/2007)Archinect interview (06/2008)Architectural Record interview (2007)Design Museum: ArchigramCHAP El País (spanish journal) interview (2011)

* ttp://www.whatisarchitecture.cc/peter-cook/ Interview with Peter Cookabout - What is architecture?, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Peter 1936 births Living people Architects from Essex Academics of University College London People from Southend-on-Sea Knights Bachelor Royal Academicians Alumni of Arts University Bournemouth Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture