Thomas Vincent Emerson (born 29 September 1970, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) is a British architect based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. His practice, 6a architects, founded with Stephanie Macdonald in 2001 is best known for designing buildings for the arts and education for which it has won several RIBA Awards and the Schelling Medal for architecture. He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...

(OBE) in the

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to architecture and education.

Education

Emerson was born in France and brought up in Belgium. For his studies, he came to the United Kingdom. He studied architecture at the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

, the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and 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 ...

where he met his partner Macdonald.

Architectural work

In 2001, Emerson founded 6a architects alongside Macdonald. Projects have included

Raven Row A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

, 2009,

South London Gallery The South London Gallery, founded 1891, is a public-funded gallery of contemporary art in Camberwell, London. Until 1992, it was known as the South London Art Gallery, and nowadays the acronym SLG is often used. Margot Heller became its direct ...

2010-18 incorporating a garden by

Gabriel Orozco Gabriel Orozco (born April 27, 1962) is a Mexican artist. He gained his reputation in the early 1990s with his exploration of drawing, photography, sculpture and installation. In 1998, Francesco Bonami called Orozco "one of the most influenti ...

and the conversion of the Fire Station, the V&A fashion gallery,

Sadie Coles Sadie may refer to: People Given name or nickname Women * Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898–1989), first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States and to practice law in Pennsylvania * Sadie Benning (born 1973), American ...

HQ in London and MK Gallery in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

winner of an RIBA South Award in 2021. The studio complex for

Juergen Teller Juergen Teller (born 28 January 1964) is a German fine-art and fashion photographer. He was awarded the Citibank Prize for Photography in 2003 and received the Special Presentation International Center of Photography Infinity Award in 2018. Maj ...

won RIBA London Building of the Year 2017 and was nominated for the

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 ...

2017. 6a architects' competition-winning design for a new court at

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

Cambridge was completed in 2016. Works by 6a architects are particularly noted for their use of materials of strong relationship to landscape and gardens.

Academic work and teaching

Since 2010 he has been Professor of Architecture and Construction at the

ETH Zurich Faculty of Architecture Founded in 1854, the Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) at ETH Zurich in Switzerland is an architecture school in Zürich, providing education in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design. It has arou ...

, where he is also Dean since 2021. As part of his teaching and research on landscape and making, his students produced the Pavilion of Reflections floating on Lake Zurich for

Manifesta Manifesta, also known as the European Nomadic Biennial, is a European pan-regional contemporary cultural biennale. History Manifesta was founded in 1994 by Dutch art historian Hedwig Fijen. The first edition took place in Rotterdam. One of ...

11 and urban landscape studies on

Forst Forst may refer to: Communities In Germany *, in the district of Aachen *Forst (Baden), in Baden-Württemberg *Forst (Lausitz), in Brandenburg * Forst (Unterfranken), part of Schonungen, Bavaria * Forst, Altenkirchen, in the district of Altenk ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

which was exhibited at

Glasgow International Glasgow International (GI) is a biennial visual arts festival that takes place in Glasgow, Scotland. While Glasgow has a thriving contemporary art scene of its own, GI offers a platform to artists from other countries as well, showcasing the bes ...

in 2016. Before ETH Zurich, he taught architecture 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 ...

(2000–04) and the

(2004–10). He was awarded the Conrad Ferdinand Meyer Prize in 2018 for his academic work with ETH. Emerson has written several academic journal articles including for ''AA Files'', as well as articles for ''

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is an architectural magazine published in London by Metropolis International. History The first edition was produced in 1895. Originally named ''The Builder's Journal and Architectural Record'', from 1906 to 1910 it was kn ...

''.

Personal life

Tom Emerson lives in London and Zürich. In London, he lives with his partner Stephanie Macdonald and their son Laurie, born in 1999.

Projects by 6a architects

*Oki-ni, Savile Row, London, 2001 *

, Contemporary Art Exhibition Centre, Spitalfields, London, 2009 *

, London, 2010 *Fashion Galleries,

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London, 2012 *

Romney's House Romney's House at 5 Holly Bush Hill, Hampstead, Camden, London was the home of the artist George Romney and then of the architect Clough Williams-Ellis. It is a Grade I listed building. The house was designed for Romney by Samuel Bunce ...

, Hampstead, London, 2012 *Tree House, London, London, 2013 *Façade for Paul Smith, Albemarle Street, London, 2013 *Studio for

, London, 2016 *Cowan Court,

Cambridge, 2015–16 *Black Stone Building, London, 2017 *Coastal House, Devon, 2017 *Blue Mountain School, London, 2018 *MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, 2019

Bibliography

* Never Modern by 6a architects and Irénée Scalbert, Park Books, Zurich, 2013, * 6a architects 2009–17, El Croquis, no. 192, 2017,

References

External links

Professor Tom Emerson Chair of Architecture and Construction ETH Zurich

6a architects

MK Gallery review in The Observer

Juergen Teller Studio in The Observer

Jonathan Glancey Raven Row art gallery: east London architecture at its finest Guardian Review

Icon Magazine feature on 6a architects
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Tom Living people 21st-century British architects 1970 births British expatriates in Switzerland Officers of the Order of the British Empire