Nigel Coates Lives in Architecture Book, British Architecture Publication, English Architect
Nigel Coates Lives in Architecture Publication
22 May 2022
Lives in Architecture series from RIBA Publishing continues with Nigel Coates
“Buildings are important, but so are ideas. Ideas are the real building blocks of the city.” – Nigel Coates recounts a prolific life in architecture with new autobiography from RIBA Publishing
Nigel Coates Lives in Architecture Book News
The latest release in the successful Lives in Architecture series from RIBA Publishing is here: the unvarnished personal history of one of the UK’s most versatile designers – Nigel Coates.
Documenting a prolific design career, this compelling and warm autobiography shows how Coates has been stirring up the architectural scene for over 40 years.
Nigel Coates’ work often treads playfully at the intersection between bodies, sexuality and form, something which can be seen in the more than 100 featured images of his most celebrated projects. Spanning the globe from London’s Liberty to Noah’s Ark in Japan, this memoir is a visual feast for any devotee of contemporary British design.
Starting with his childhood in post-war Malvern, and his student years at the Architectural Association, the book delves into the highs and lows of life at the cutting edge of architecture. This includes the founding of radical architectural group NATØ; 70s and 80s club culture in London; his first openly gay project at the Galleria Zona in Florence; personal stories including those of lost loves; and his rich professional career to date.
“I coveted the idea that architecture could shape my destiny,” says Coates in the opening chapter. He goes on to describe his early career, moving between London and Italy: “Like artists, we were living the work.”
Speaking about writing this autobiography, Coates commented: “Though daunting at first, I began to relish the writing process as the narrative threads developed. I discovered how serpentine my career path has been, sometimes deviating far from what is normally considered to be architecture and how my personal life and my work have folded seamlessly into one another. Through this book, I hope to widen my reader’s sense of how broad a palette design can be. It’s your perceptions that count, and nothing should be excluded from the creative process.”
With Coates’ portfolio traversing buildings, interiors, teaching, exhibitions, furniture and products, this is profound, entertaining and enlightening reading for everyone at the centre of the architecture community, as well as anyone on its fringes.
Simon Allford, RIBA President says: “Nigel Coates’ autobiography is an engaging and generous story that illustrates in words and projects why his enquiry and practice is important today. It is also a striking and delightful reminder of the import of life informing design, all evidenced by his particular and personal exploration of the varied and rich potential of architecture.”
Lives in Architecture: Nigel Coates is available exclusively now from RIBA Books, or from wider retailers from 1 June 2022.
Nigel Coates
About the Author
Nigel Coates is an acclaimed British architect and designer. As director of Branson Coates (1984–2006), he designed buildings, interiors and products internationally. Examples of his work are held in several museum collections, including the V&A in London, FRAC in Orléans and M+ in Hong Kong.
Emeritus Professor and former Head of Architecture at the Royal College of Art, he was awarded the RIBA Annie Spink Award in 2012 for his outstanding contribution to architectural education.
Formerly the Head of Architecture at the Royal College of Art, London, he is now a leading light of the new London School of Architecture.
RIBA Books, Nigel Coates Lives in Architecture Book images / information received 200522
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