[ad_1]
Designer, teacher and critic, his curious and challenging approach and belief in close client consultation led to NHA’s specialization in educational architecture
Nicholas Hare, founding partner of Nicholas Hare Architects and an inspirational teacher at Cambridge School of Architecture for many years, has died aged 81.
Nick entered the field of architecture late after studying Natural Sciences and English at Cambridge University, Corpus Christi. He worked as deputy editor of TLS and printer at Jarrold’s before leaving his young family to take up a position at the Liverpool School of Architecture. This love for precisely expressed words never abandoned him and influenced the clarity of his designs.
So does his scientific background, with his first architectural job working for the multidisciplinary Arup Associates. He appreciates his rational approach to design and particularly enjoys working with engineers. Many became lifelong friends.
He brought this joy of architecture to Cambridge students. Nick is a talented teacher who brings out the best in everyone who works with him. His ability to identify key issues in problematic designs served him well as a teacher and critic. He worked as a consultant architect at the University of Essex for 17 years and serves as an external examiner for a number of schools of architecture. His favorite was Caribbean School, where he enjoyed cigars as much as he enjoyed student work.
Nick founded NHA in the attic of his Highbury house, and his first public success was the design of the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Although it did not win, NHA was the only UK clinic to be shortlisted, and the publicity brought it to prominence and the prize money allowed it to relocate. Although we missed the refreshments on the table, the business address and growing reputation meant more client commissions. Nick’s wife Sophie became the heart of the management team and the NHA family. The culture never changed.
The practice was subsequently shortlisted for redevelopment in Covent Garden, but its first important arts building was the Brunei Gallery at SOAS. The scheme to create a tree-lined pedestrian street in the heart of Georgian London, as well as a gallery of Islamic art and extensive teaching facilities, was both demanding and controversial. Its challenges led Nick to develop his personal philosophy of architecture.
He is always very sensitive to the context of the project, both physically and emotionally, as well as the client’s wishes. He was an early advocate of passive design and was particularly fascinated by natural light. Expressing the essence of materials, such as the SOAS Gallery’s massive exterior brick walls and flat arches of brick and concrete vaults, was a key design driver. He advocates exploring design in imagination to achieve intuitive spatial clarity and sensory pleasure, calling it the importance of direction. Critics often find it difficult to identify the NHA style because the projects look very different but all share these basic principles.
Nick believes that good architects can and should tackle any project, always encouraging us to think from first principles. He favors a curious and constantly challenging approach based on close consultation with clients, resulting in innovative and exciting architecture. This approach dovetailed with the aspirations of the Blair government’s “Building the Schools of the Future” programme, and ironically led to the NHA becoming an education expert.
Nick’s fascination with structure, sustainability and natural light is reflected in the design of the new production hall at the Royal Opera House in Thurrock. The arched green roof structure spans a light-filled shed and allows for the construction of fully assembled sets. “Dedicated to light and craftsmanship,” the RIBA award judges said, but the same can be said of the architect.
Nick retired in 2018 after leading NHA for more than 40 years. He remained enthusiastic and began a new career experimenting with large-scale sculptures.
Carol Lelliott is a former partner and consultant at Nicholas Hare Architects
[ad_2]
Source link