Chamberlin, Powell and Bon

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Chamberlin, Powell and Bon is the name of an influential British modern architecture firm founded in 1952 by Peter "Joe" Chamberlin (1919–1978), Geoffry Powell (1920–1999) and Christof Bon (1921–1999). One of her most important works is the Barbican complex with the Barbican Center in London, which is assigned to brutalism .

The three architects met as professors at the Kingston School of Art in the late 1940s , where they decided to open a joint office. In 1952 you entered the architectural competition for the Golden Lane Estate , a public housing project in London, with three separate designs . Powell emerged victorious from the competition, the office was founded and the project was implemented together.

The architectural community's first office was at Avenue Studios in Sydney Mews. Around 1960 the order situation developed so positively that additional rooms had to be rented to plan the expansion of the University of Leeds . Separate rooms were also required for the planning of the Barbican. While Powell often worked on his own projects with his own assistants and only occasionally worked on joint projects - especially in the area of ​​landscape planning - Chamberlin and Bon worked more closely. With these two, who also both worked with their own teams, Chamberlin was often responsible for the first rough drafts and ideas, while Bon concentrated on the detailing. The office was finally established in the 1960s; However, the three partners were personally in secure financial circumstances, so that one could also submit more complex and sophisticated designs than usual for larger projects.

Chamberlin died in 1978 at the age of 59, just two weeks after joining the Royal Academy  and during the planning and construction of the Barbican Center . In 1975 architect Frank Woods became the firm's new partner, and after Powel and Bon retired in 1987, he merged with the larger Austin-Smith: Lord firm . Bon and Powell died within a few weeks in 1999.

Buildings (selection)

literature