SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

The Life and Works of Sir Nicholas Grimshaw

Simon A Lunn BA3

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Today I will talk about

Who is Nicholas Grimshaw UK Projects International Projects Design Ethos

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

Nicholas Grimshaw was born in Hove West Sussex on the 9th of October 1939. As a boy he reputedly developed an appreciation of the materials and construction, enjoying meccano and building tree houses and boats. From 1959 to 1962, he studied at the Edinburgh College of Art where he graduated with an Honours degree. In 1962 having won a scholarship awarded by Arcuk (Architects Registration of the United Kingdom) he attended the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

Whilst studying at the AA he won two further scholarships to travel to Sweden in 1963 and the United States in 1964. In 1965 he graduated with an honours diploma in Architecture and won a bronze medal awarded by the French Socit dArchitectes Diploms par le Gouvernement (Sadg), for one of the three best theses discussed at the Architectural Association that year. He immediately entered into a partnership with Terry Farrell and 2 years later joined the RIBA in 1967. in the 1960s and 1970s he won many architectural awards for his buildings, which were noted for their innovative approach to construction materials and detailing.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

He worked with Farrell for 15 years before establishing his own practice, Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, in 1980.. In 1989, he won a RIBA national award for his design of the Financial Times print works in east London. In 1991 Ministry of Education and Science gave permission to practice architecture in Spain. After designing Britains pavilion for the Seville Expo in 1992, he was appointed a CBE in 1993. In 1994 his Waterloo Eurostar railway terminal was awarded Building of the Year.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

In 1994 he was elected vice-chairman of the Architectural Association and elected a Royal Academician. Made an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Elected a member of the Ordre des Architectes, Paris. Elected Honorary Member Bund Deutcher Architekten (BDA). In 2002 he was Knighted by the Queen. In 2004 he was elected president of the Royal Academy of Arts.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

Since its foundation in 1980 Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners Ltd has won over 100 awards for Architecture and Civic Design all over the world. The practice is now internationally recognised as GRIMSHAW with offices in London, New York and Melbourne.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

The practice is best known in the UK for the Waterloo International Station and the Eden Project in Cornwall. There are numerous other significant projects in the UK, including the: RAC Regional Headquarters in Bristol, Sainsburys urban quarter in Camden, the Financial Times Print Works and in 2009 the UCL Cancer Institute Paul O Gorman Building.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Who Is Nicholas Grimshaw

Ever since the mid 70s he has worked on the International Stage. There are many examples of Grimshaw international work in Europe, the USA and further afield in Russia and Australia, including; The British Pavilion at the Expo 92 in Seville, Spain. Southern Cross Railway Station in Melbourne, Australia, which won the RIBA Lubetkin prize in 2007.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UK Projects
Financial Times Print Works Waterloo Station Eden Project University College London - Cancer Institute.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Financial Times Print Works

In 1998 the Financial Times moved from Fleet Street to a new home in London Docklands. It moved to two buildings, the editorial centre and the new print works, which were to house two state of the art presses. These were larger and heavier than anything the FT had had before. The entirely purpose built building would function as the outer skin of the presses.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Financial Times Print Works

The business of printing papers, and the two huge presses was clearly visible to traffic on the East India Dock Road through the glazed facade.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Financial Times Print Works

The Financial Times Print Works was designed specifically to house two huge printing presses and had to be flexible to handle major changes to the newspaper printing business.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
Waterloo Eurostar Terminal is a railway station which functions like an airport. The brief called for a streamlined terminal, through which, 15 million passengers could pass each year with the minimum of fuss at maximum speed. The international terminal was completed in May 1993 on budget and with no disruption to the main line rail services from Waterloo. It has won numerous awards including the RIBA Presidents Building of the year 1994 and the Miles van der Rohe Pavilion award for European Architecture 1994.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
A monument to the new cross channel rail age. Connected to Waterloo but with its own identity.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
The asymmetric roof must rise steeply on the western side to accommodate the height of the trains.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
Passengers from the continent arrive to panoramic views of the River Thames and Westminster.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
Bowstring arch roof structure is clearly expressed.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
The impressive roof belies the fact that most of the project is concerned with underground works.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
Arrivals and departures are organised to move passengers efficiently to their destination.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Waterloo Station
Passengers for Europe move up one level to the trains. Arriving passengers are carried down two levels to the double height arrivals concourse, which opens directly onto the street.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Eden Project
Following the success of his Eurostar Terminal, Grimshaw was approached in 1996 to design the Eden Project. The original design for the biomes, was inspired by the sinuous asymmetrical curves of the Waterloo Terminal. This similarity to Gramshaws Eurostar Terminal was instrumental in securing Millennium funding for the project. This showcase for bio-diversity built on the site of a worked out china clay pit in Cornwall, would be the largest plant enclosure in the world and was to become one of the most innovative and high profile of the Millennium projects.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Eden Project
The final design was inspired, by Buckminster Fullers Geodesic domes, which gives the maximum enclosed volume, with the minimum surface area. Built in four phases to date, with more planned, the Eden project is a series of interconnecting biomes, which house vast tropical and temperate habitats. The biomes are served by a visitor centre, perched on the rim of the quarry, affording views over the whole 15 acre site.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Eden Project
There are eight interlinked biomes of varying height from 18 to 65m, depending on the size of plants they house. One major design consideration was to minimise, the amount of light blocked by the structure its self. As too much shadow would adversely affect they way the plants grow as they follow the light. Another was to maximise solar gain in order to passively heat the biomes.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Eden Project
The solution was a space frame comprising if two interdependent elements. A light weight tubular steel sub frame and innovative ETFE hexagonal pillows.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Eden Project
The Eden Project provides employment for 500 mainly local people. In its first year there were 491,213 visitors. By the end of the following year 1.9 people had visited the project. Under Gramshaw's Masterplan is is anticipated the centre will attract 2 million visitors per year and provide employment for 700 local people.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

Grimshaw was commissioned to design a new post graduate medical school and the new UCL Cancer Institute in 2000.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

The Cancer Institute is built adjacent to the medical school, in place of a 1930s extension, which has been demolished. The site is on the edge of the Bloomsbury conservation area and medical school is in a refurbished Grade II listed building.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

Signature building designed to attract the best minds in Cancer research.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

Main Entrance between the Listed building and the new Institute building. Gap creates light-well with steel and ETFE cushion roof (As Eden Project). Highly engineered staircase is focal point. Transparency, emphasises the institute as a live and active building.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

The staircase is beautifully detailed stainless steel treads, cantilevered from a pre-cast concrete spine.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

Internal layout separates the laboratories from analysis and write up space. 5th floor balcony gives views over London.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

Rhythm of louvres similar to DNA sequence bar code pattern Position of louvres to provide solar shading.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

The Terracotta in the adjoining 19th century building is repeated in the louvres. The stainless steel suspension system is finely detailed.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

First to fourth floor full length write up space. Warm American Cherry acoustic panelling and glazed panels and doors. Glazed panels sand blasted for privacy.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

UCL Cancer Institute

The faade and write up spaces push out past the structural grid. This articulation gains floor space in the write up areas, whilst the ground floor is setback to minimise the massing at street level.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

International Projects
Southern Cross Railway Station, Melbourne.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

Space - Structure - Skin Grimshaw worked in collaboration with a local practice, Jackson Architecture forming Grimshaw Jackson JV to redevelop the Southern Cross rail Station in Melbourne. They designed a scheme, which would accommodate the anticipated increase in demand for future rail services and provide a pedestrian link between the central business district and the developing Docklands area of Melbourne. The resulting scheme, won the RIBA Lubetkin prize for the best new building outside the European Union in 2007

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

Space The interior is a vast hall with vistas in every direction so the interconnecting streets surrounding the station can be easily understood.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

Pods under the roof house admin functions with retail space below.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

The dune like roof covers an entire city block and visually links the city to the docklands area.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

The roof form is a key part of the environmental control of the building. Passively cooling and extracting fumes.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

Space Structure Skin

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Southern Cross Station

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

Design Ethos
Nicholas Grimshaw developed an interest in structure and in particular how metal is fastened together when studying in Edinburgh. That clearly stayed with him as all of the examples I have looked at have a clear structure, beautifully executed and detailed. Whilst doing his diploma at the AA, he became interested in giving people the tools to change their lives. He built in the ability to configure the apartments he built on Park Road in 72 different ways, giving the occupants the ability to determine their living space how they choose. All of his buildings are designed to function. The beauty comes from the execution. In Sir Nicholas Grimshaw case, form does follow function, and I for one like the results.

SIR NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW CBE, PRA, RIBA, AIA

For Those Still Awake

Thank you For Your Attention

Simon A Lunn BA3