Professor Sir George Grenfell-Baines OBE DL (30 April 1908 to 9 May 2003) 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 (Dick), were prodigiously gifted mathematicians and draughtsmen. George left a secure, but limiting, job in the Lancashire County Architect’s Office to work for the prestigious private firm of Bradshaw Gass & Hope in Bolton in 1930.
April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. ... Building Design Partnership (BDP) is a firm of architects employing over 800 staff in the UK and over 140 more internationally. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... OBE can mean several things, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, distinction of honour. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... An architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person who is involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Urban planners work with local governments to formulate plans for the short- and long-term growth and renewal of urban and suburban communities. ... Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. ... Leonhard Euler is considered by many to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time A mathematician is the person whose primary area of study and research is the field of mathematics. ... This is about drafting, the art and science of technical drawing. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... English firm of Architects founded in 1862 by John Jonas Bradshaw (1837-1912). ... This page is about the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ...

During the 1930’s, George became aware of Modernism, particularly the work of Le Corbusier and Gropius, through the architectural press and was determined to practice it himself. He studied at Manchester University for two years from 1934. It was at this time he adopted the name George Grenfell Baines at the suggestion of fellow student Gerald Hayforthwaite. Later this was hyphenated as Grenfell-Baines: Grenfell being his mother’s maiden name. He was known to friends and colleagues as “GG”.
For Modernism in an American context, see American modernism. ... Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier (October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965), was a French Swiss-born architect and writer, who is famous for his contributions to what now is called modernism, or the International Style. ... Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (May 18, 1883 – July 5, 1969) was a German architect and founder of Bauhaus. ... University of Manchester Motto: Cognitio Sapientia Hvmanitas Knowledge, wisdom, humanity. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1935, he was awarded the Heywood prize for the design of reinforced concrete flats. The following year he was awarded the third prize in a competition for a new Rhodesian Parliament; the prize money, £250, was enough to enable him to start his own practice.
GG’s work for the Air Ministry during World War II brought him to the attention of Anthony Chitty and the London Modernists. Although GG always chose to be based in Preston, he cultivated friendships in national and international circles. In 1951, he was invited to design a pavilion for the Festival of Britain. GG’s post-war work included the New Towns of Newton Aycliffe (planned 1947) and Peterlee (planned 1951).
1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Reinforced concrete at Sainte Jeanne dArc Church (Nice, France): architect Jacques Dror, 1926–1933 Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete in some countries, is concrete in which reinforcement bars (rebars) or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be brittle. ... Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the United Kingdom Government, established in 1918 with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the (then newly formed) Royal Air Force. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in May 1951 in London. ... A new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham, England. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Statistics Population: 30,093 (2001) [1] Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: NZ430409 Administration District: Easington Shire county: County Durham Region: North East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: County Durham Historic county: County Durham Services Police force: Durham Constabulary Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North...

An abiding interest for GG was multidisciplinary working. His highly successful firm BDP (Building Design Partnership) was the result of numerous experiments in management structure.
Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... Building Design Partnership (BDP) is a firm of architects employing over 800 staff in the UK and over 140 more internationally. ...

In 1972, he became Professor of Architecture at Sheffield University where he founded the Design Teaching Partnership. GG officially retired in 1974 but continued working as a consultant into his final decade. GG received an OBE in 1960 and was knighted in 1978. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... University of Sheffield Rerum Cognoscere Causas (To discover the causes of things) Shield image © University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield is a university located in Sheffield, England. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... OBE can mean several things, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, distinction of honour. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

References

Grenfell-Baines, George (2000), interviewed by Louise Brodie at Preston, (January 5 - 11) Architects’ Lives, London: National Biographical Archive, C467/46/F7839.
White, Bill (1987), The Spirit Of BDP, Preston: BDP.

External Links

BDP web site