Smithson was born in Stockton-on-Tees in north-east England. While studying architecture at Durham University (1939-1942), he met Alison Gill, whom he later married, in 1949. Together, they joined the architecture department of the London County Council before establishing their own partnership in 1950.
Their style draws heavily on influences from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, leaning towards minimalism. They were associated Team 10 and its revolt against old Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM) philosophies, arguing instead for 'streets in the sky' where inhabitants could live and work, and with the Independent Group (an off-shoot of the Institute of Contemporary Arts).
Garden building, St Hilda's College, Oxford (1968)
Robin Hood Gardens housing complex, Poplar, east London (1969-1972)
Buildings at the University of Bath, including the School of Architecture and Building Engineering (1988)
Unfortunately, Robin Hood Gardens suffered from structural problems and high levels of crime, fatally undermining both their progressive vision of 'streets in the sky' and their architectural reputation. With the exception of their work at Bath, they designed no further public buildings in Britain, relying instead mainly on private overseas commissions, and Peter Smithson’s writing and teaching (he was a visiting professor at Bath from 1978 to 1990, and was also a unit master at the Architectural Association School of Architecture).
PeterSmithson, who has died aged 79, was one of the most influential figures in post-war British architecture.
Peter Denham Smithson was born at Stockton-on-Tees on September 18 1923.
PeterSmithson was a brilliant and highly influential teacher at the Architectural Association, where he preferred teaching small groups of students to giving lectures.
PeterSmithson, who has died aged 79, was a Durham lad who, as a young man, made no secret of his intention to become "the world's greatest architect", a possibility which his peers tended to accept.
In 1949, Smithson quickly landed a job as an assistant in the schools division of the London County Council architect's department, which, in the first half of the 20th century, attracted architects from all over the world.
The Smithsons were averse to the concept of "styles" and "isms", but Banham had their work in mind in his 1955 essay on the new brutalism, which he saw as a humanising force focusing on the everyday.
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