Team 4 was a British

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

firm, established in 1963 by architecture graduates Su Brumwell, Wendy Cheesman,

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and

Richard Rogers Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British architect noted for his modernist and Functionalism (architecture), functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. He was a senior partner a ...

. Friction emerged within the firm, and by June 1967, Foster and Rogers decided to dissolve the firm. The practice originally included Wendy Cheesman's sister Georgie Wolton (née Cheesman) who, as the only qualified architect of the group, allowed the practice to function. Georgie Cheeseman left after only a few months, leaving the remaining members to try to pass their professional exams while continuing to practice.Ian Lambot (Ed.), "Norman Foster: Buildings and Projects Volume 1 1964-1973", Watermark Publications (1991), . Chapter 1 "Team 4" by Sir Richard Rogers, pp. 14-15 Rogers, Foster and Brumwell had first met while studying at

Yale University 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 wo ...

. Rogers and Brumwell later married, as did Foster and Cheesman.

Notable projects

One of the first projects for Team 4 was a commission from Su Brumwell's parents, Marcus and Irene Brumwell, to build a new house in

Feock, Cornwall Feock ( ; kw, Lannfyek) is a coastal civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about south of Truro at the head of Carrick Roads on the River Fal. To the south, the parish is bordered by Restronguet Creek and to th ...

, called Creek Vean. They sold a

Piet Mondrian Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (), after 1906 known as Piet Mondrian (, also , ; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being ...

painting bought from the artist in the 1930s, to fund the new house.

Marcus Brumwell John Robert Marcus Brumwell (20 April 1901 – January 1983) was a British advertising pioneer, designer, businessman, political activist, and art collector. Advertising Marcus joined H. Stuart Menzies's small advertising agency, Stuart Advert ...

was the founder of the

Design Research Unit The Design Research Unit (DRU) was one of the first generation of British design consultancies combining expertise in architecture, graphics and industrial design. It was founded by the managing director of Stuart Advertising Agency, Marcus Brum ...

. Creek Vean took 3 years to construct and was completed in 1966. It became the first ever house to win a

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 ...

Award. Creek Vean is a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, having been listed Grade II in 1998, and subsequently upgraded to Grade II*. It is listed as "Creekvean and Attached Entrance Bridge and Walls to Road, Feock". Team 4 designed Skybreak House in

Radlett Radlett is a village in Hertfordshire, England, between Elstree and St Albans on Watling Street, with a population of 8,042. It is in the council district of Hertsmere in the south of the county, and is covered by two wards; Aldenham East and ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. It was built between 1965 and 1966, and the interior of the house was used in the film

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

. The final project for Team 4 was the

Reliance Controls Reliance Controls Corporation is an electrical products company based in Racine, Wisconsin, founded as Reliance Automatic Lighting Company in 1909 with the invention of the heavy-duty commercial time switch.Electrical Review and Western Electrician, ...

building in

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

, which was completed in 1967, just before Team 4 dissolved. It was noteworthy as it removed the separation of management and workforce by creating a common entrance and canteen. Rogers claims a planning scheme of 120 houses for Water Homes, at

Coulsdon Coulsdon (, traditionally pronounced ) is a town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London since 1965. Prior to this it was part of the historic county of Surrey. History The l ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, to be "probably the most important project of our Team 4 period". Foster would later establish

Foster Associates Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide. ...

and Rogers established the

Richard Rogers Partnership RSHP is a British architectural firm, founded in 1977 and previously known as the Richard Rogers Partnership which became Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. in 2007. The firm rebranded from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to simply RSHP on 30 Jun ...

References

{{Authority control Architecture firms of the United Kingdom Design companies established in 1963 Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank Richard Rogers 1963 establishments in England 1967 disestablishments in England

Notable projects

See also

References