Will Alsop : Book 1

By: Kenneth Powell
Will Alsop is one of the most exciting British architects working today. The designer of such striking, often colorful, buildings as Le Grand Bleu in Marseille, the Passenger and Ferry Terminal in Hamburg and, more recently, North Greenwich Station on the new Jubilee Line Extension in London, he was one of four architects chosen to represent Britain at the prestigious Venice Biennale 2000. The first of two volumes on Alsop’s work, this book examines not only his architecture, but also his distinctive creative process. It reveals how Alsop’s early training as a painter—unusual for an architect— had a profound impact on his approach to architecture. This engagement with art has also made him critical of the common perception of architecture as a “literary” medium. To Alsop, architecture should, first and foremost, be visually stimulating. In addition, he sees architecture as a collective effort involving the architect, the client, and the community, and not merely a form of personal artistic expression. Created in close co-operation with Alsop himself, this volume is profusely illustrated with sketches, paintings, plans and photographs that cover his early training at the Architectural Association and with Cedric Price, up to his completed projects of the 1980s. Ken Powell’s masterful text analyses Alsop’s work and ideas, and provides a fascinating biography of one of our most important contemporary architects.