Nigel Coates (architect)
Encyclopedia
Nigel Coates is an English architect
, author, and prolific designer
of interiors, exhibitions, products, and lighting. He grew up in the town of Malvern, Worcestershire
and was educated at Hanley Castle Grammar School
before studying at the University of Nottingham
(1968-71) and the Architectural Association (1972-4). He formed Branson Coates Architecture with Doug Branson in 1985-2006. He established his own studio of architecture and design in 2006.
He first attracted the attention of the international architecture world in 1984 with the publication of NATO (Narrative Architecture Today) magazine, and was New Labour’s architect of choice in the late 1990s. His work has been compared with that of Tom Dixon
and Ron Arad
.
His built projects around the world include Caffè Bongo (1986), Noah’s Ark (1988), the Wall (1990) and the Art Silo (1992), all in Japan, and in Britain, the Geffrye Museum
extension, Oyster House (both 1998), and the ill-fated National Centre for Popular Music
in Sheffield (1999) which is now the successful music venue, The Hub. As designer and curator of Powerhouse::uk (1998), an inflatable structure improbably located on Horse Guards, he is associated with the flowering of the arts in late nineties Britain dubbed by Vanity Fair as Cool Britannia
.
He has also been responsible for many well known, narrative-based, interior and exhibition designs in the UK and Europe, including the Living Bridges exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts (1996), the British Pavilion at Expo '98
in Lisbon, the Body Zone at London's Millennium Dome
, the Jigsaw flagship store on Knightsbridge, Ecstacity in the British Pavilion at the 2000 Venice Architecture Biennale, Mixtacity at Tate Modern
and his Hypnerotosphere installation at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale (a collaboration with film maker John Maybury
).
Coates’ best known product designs include furniture for Fratelli Boffi, Poltronova, Hitch Mylius and Varaschin, glass and tableware for Alessi, Salviati
, Fornasetti
and Dartington Crystal
, and lighting for Slamp and AV Mazzega. In 2010 he began exhibiting limited edition pieces with Cristina Grajales Gallery, New York. Items of his work are displayed in several museums including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt
, and FRAC.
From 1995 to 2011 he was Professor and Head of Department in the School of Architecture & Design Department at the Royal College of Art
and in 2011 was made Emeritus Professor. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation and director of Nigel Coates studio and showroom, based in South Kensington
.
Jonathan Glancey, Body Buildings and City Scapes, Thames & Hudson, 1999
Nigel Coates, Guide to Ecstacity, Laurence King, 2003
Alessandra Orlandi, Interview with Nigel Coates, The Plan 006, 2004
Jenny Dalton, Coates of many Colours, How To Spend It, Financial Times, April 2009
Guido Incerti, Interview with Nigel Coates, Klat magazine 05, Spring 2011
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...
, author, and prolific designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
of interiors, exhibitions, products, and lighting. He grew up in the town of Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
and was educated at Hanley Castle Grammar School
Hanley Castle High School
Hanley Castle High School, formerly called Hanley Castle Grammar School, was probably founded in 1326, making it one of the oldest schools in England. For much of the 20th century it was a boys grammar school that grew from about 50 to around 200 day-pupils and boarders. In 1972, the school...
before studying at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
(1968-71) and the Architectural Association (1972-4). He formed Branson Coates Architecture with Doug Branson in 1985-2006. He established his own studio of architecture and design in 2006.
He first attracted the attention of the international architecture world in 1984 with the publication of NATO (Narrative Architecture Today) magazine, and was New Labour’s architect of choice in the late 1990s. His work has been compared with that of Tom Dixon
Tom Dixon (industrial designer)
Tom Dixon, OBE is a self-taught Tunisian designer specialised in welded salvage furniture. He moved to Great Britain at the age of 4. Dixon has been head of design for the Habitat chain of furniture stores , and of the Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek...
and Ron Arad
Ron Arad (industrial designer)
Ron Arad is an Israeli industrial designer, artist, and architect.-Biography:Arad attended the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem between 1971–73 and the Architectural Association in London from 1974–79...
.
His built projects around the world include Caffè Bongo (1986), Noah’s Ark (1988), the Wall (1990) and the Art Silo (1992), all in Japan, and in Britain, the Geffrye Museum
Geffrye Museum
Founded in 1914, the Geffrye Museum is a museum specialising in the history of the English domestic interior. Named after Sir Robert Geffrye, former Lord Mayor of London and Master of the Ironmongers' Company, it is located on Kingsland Road in London...
extension, Oyster House (both 1998), and the ill-fated National Centre for Popular Music
National Centre for Popular Music
The National Centre for Popular Music was a museum in Sheffield, England for contemporary music and culture, a £15 million project largely funded with contributions from the National Lottery, which opened on 1 March 1999, and closed in June 2000....
in Sheffield (1999) which is now the successful music venue, The Hub. As designer and curator of Powerhouse::uk (1998), an inflatable structure improbably located on Horse Guards, he is associated with the flowering of the arts in late nineties Britain dubbed by Vanity Fair as Cool Britannia
Cool Britannia
Cool Britannia is a media term that was used during the late 20th century to describe the contemporary culture of the United Kingdom. The term was prevalent during the 1990s and later became closely associated with the early years of "New Labour" under Tony Blair...
.
He has also been responsible for many well known, narrative-based, interior and exhibition designs in the UK and Europe, including the Living Bridges exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts (1996), the British Pavilion at Expo '98
Expo '98
Expo '98 was an official specialised World's Fair held in Lisbon, Portugal from Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, September 30, 1998. The theme of the fair was "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future," chosen in part to commemorate 500 years of Portuguese discoveries...
in Lisbon, the Body Zone at London's Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
, the Jigsaw flagship store on Knightsbridge, Ecstacity in the British Pavilion at the 2000 Venice Architecture Biennale, Mixtacity at Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
and his Hypnerotosphere installation at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale (a collaboration with film maker John Maybury
John Maybury
John Maybury is an English filmmaker. In 2005 he was listed as one of the 100 most influential gay and lesbian people in Britain.-Early life:...
).
Coates’ best known product designs include furniture for Fratelli Boffi, Poltronova, Hitch Mylius and Varaschin, glass and tableware for Alessi, Salviati
Salviati (glassmakers)
A family called Salviati were glass makers and mosaicists in Murano, Venice and also in London, working as the firm Salviati, Jesurum & Co. of 213 Regent Street, London; also as Salviati and Co. and later as the Venice and Murano Glass and Mosaic Company...
, Fornasetti
Fornasetti
Piero Fornasetti was an Italian painter, sculptor, interior decorator and engraver.He lived most of life in Milan, attending the Brera Art Academy from 1930-32 when he was expelled for insubordination. During World War II, he went into exile in Switzerland from 1943-46...
and Dartington Crystal
Dartington Crystal
Based in Torrington in north Devon, England, Dartington Crystal manufactures crystal glassware using traditional Swedish glass blowing techniques.-History:...
, and lighting for Slamp and AV Mazzega. In 2010 he began exhibiting limited edition pieces with Cristina Grajales Gallery, New York. Items of his work are displayed in several museums including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, a subsidiary of the Smithsonian Institution, is the United States' national museum of design history and contemporary design and the only museum in the U.S. whose collection is solely focused on contemporary and historic design...
, and FRAC.
From 1995 to 2011 he was Professor and Head of Department in the School of Architecture & Design Department at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
and in 2011 was made Emeritus Professor. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation and director of Nigel Coates studio and showroom, based in South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
.
Related Publications
Rick Poynor, Nigel Coates: The City in Motion, Fourth Estate, 1989Jonathan Glancey, Body Buildings and City Scapes, Thames & Hudson, 1999
Nigel Coates, Guide to Ecstacity, Laurence King, 2003
Alessandra Orlandi, Interview with Nigel Coates, The Plan 006, 2004
Jenny Dalton, Coates of many Colours, How To Spend It, Financial Times, April 2009
Guido Incerti, Interview with Nigel Coates, Klat magazine 05, Spring 2011
External links
- Nigel Coates website
- Portrait of the artist: Nigel Coates, architect interview in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Nigel Coates profile on Architonic