David Rock (architect)
Encyclopedia
David Rock, born 1929, is an English
architect
and graphic designer
, twice RIBA
vice-president (1986-87 & 1995-97) and RIBA president (1997–99).
Rock studied under Lord Holford
and Peter Smithson who described him as "the most naturally gifted and talented architect he'd ever met". He then worked for Basil Spence
for five years. He joined Grenfell Baines
& Hargreaves in 1959 as Associate Partner to open its first London office; this office initially operated out of Rock's flat in Earls Court
. Rock was responsible for BDP
London
during the 1960s, becoming an Equity Partner in 1964; he resigned in 1971.
Rock went into partnership with John Townsend, an expert on bürolandschaft. In 1972, Rock Townsend opened, what would become, Workspace, which further developed the idea of multidisciplinary working by providing office space for small design businesses.
Rock was a supporter of, the radical architecture group, Archigram
in the 1960s an 70s. He nominated them for the RIBA Royal Gold Medal
which they received in 2002.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
, twice RIBA
Riba
Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...
vice-president (1986-87 & 1995-97) and RIBA president (1997–99).
Rock studied under Lord Holford
William Holford, Baron Holford
William Graham Holford, Baron Holford was a British architect and town planner.-Biography:He was born in South Africa and educated at Diocesan College, Cape Town. He studied architecture at Liverpool University, where he won the Rome Scholarship in Architecture to the British School at Rome in 1930...
and Peter Smithson who described him as "the most naturally gifted and talented architect he'd ever met". He then worked for Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
for five years. He joined Grenfell Baines
George Grenfell Baines
Professor Sir George Grenfell-Baines OBE DL was an English architect and town planner. Born in Preston, as George Baines, his family’s humble circumstances forced him to start work at the age of fourteen. Both George and his younger brother, Richard , were prodigiously gifted mathematicians and...
& Hargreaves in 1959 as Associate Partner to open its first London office; this office initially operated out of Rock's flat in Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
. Rock was responsible for BDP
Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the 1960s, becoming an Equity Partner in 1964; he resigned in 1971.
Rock went into partnership with John Townsend, an expert on bürolandschaft. In 1972, Rock Townsend opened, what would become, Workspace, which further developed the idea of multidisciplinary working by providing office space for small design businesses.
Rock was a supporter of, the radical architecture group, Archigram
Archigram
Archigram was an avant-garde architectural group formed in the 1960s - based at the Architectural Association, London - that was futurist, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, drawing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was solely expressed through hypothetical projects...
in the 1960s an 70s. He nominated them for the RIBA Royal Gold Medal
Royal Gold Medal
The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture....
which they received in 2002.