Warren Chalk (1927–1988) was 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 ...

. He was a member 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 ...

. Amongst the group he was known as "the catalyst of ideas".

Early life and education

Chalk, (John) Warren (1927–1987), architect, was born on 7 July 1927 at 32 Killarney Road, Wandsworth, London, the second of three sons of James Percival Chalk (1887–1962), Unitarian minister, and his wife, Gretchen Elisabeth Stovold, née Brigden (1891–1972). He studied painting, then architecture at Manchester School of Art, now part of Manchester Metropolitan University.

Professional life

Chalk worked at London County Council where he designed with his east London friend and close colleague,

Ron Herron Ronald James Herron () was an English architect and teacher. He is perhaps best known for his work with the seminal experimental architecture collective Archigram, which was formed in London in the early 1960s. Herron was the creator of one of ...

. They made a reputation designing the London Southbank Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery, and the famous 'undercroft', now so popular with skate boarders. He taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture () in Bedford Square, London, and regularly attended lectures from his peers. He was friends with Reyner Banham, James Stirling, James Gowan,

Alison and Peter Smithson Alison Margaret Smithson (22 June 1928 – 14 August 1993) and Peter Denham Smithson (18 September 1923 – 3 March 2003) were English architects who together formed an architectural partnership, and are often associated with the New Brutalism ...

an
Cedric Price
who also attended AA events. His major contribution was th
Archigram magazines
especially Issue 4 with the famou
Zoom cover
Chalk and Herron won various competitions before their involvement with Archigram, notably 'Gasket Homes' was an early success. He was known as the most critical and abrasive of the Archigram group, questioning the banal, and his interests were broad and eclectic. He was always divided between architecture and painting.

Past appointments

* Architectural Association School of Architecture, London Unit Master * Fellow of the

British Interplanetary Society The British Interplanetary Society (BIS), founded in Liverpool in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest existing space advocacy organisation in the world. Its aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration. Str ...

* Member of the

Chartered Society of Designers The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) is a professional body for designers. It is the only Royal Chartered body of experienced designers. Its membership is multi-disciplinary – representing designers in all design, disciplines including I ...

* Member of the Interfaculty Computer Graphics Research at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

* Consultant at the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

References

1927 births 20th-century English architects 1988 deaths Alumni of the Manchester School of Architecture {{England-architect-stub