Howard Robertson (architect)
Sir Howard Morley Robertson | |
---|---|
École des Beaux-Arts | |
Occupation | Architect |
Spouse | Doris Adeney Lewis |
Buildings | Shell Centre, London |
Early life
Born on 16 August 1888 in
Military career
Robertson joined the
Career as architect
On his return to civilian life in 1919, Robertson formed the firm of Easton & Robertson with
With
Robertson was elected a
In 1927, Robertson married
while his widow survived him until 1981.Robertson published books within his profession, including The Principles of Architectural Composition (1924), and Architecture Arising (1948). As "H. Rob." he contributed articles to the 14th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.[9]
Work
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Shell_Centre%2C_London%2C_UK%2C_June_2004.jpg/140px-Shell_Centre%2C_London%2C_UK%2C_June_2004.jpg)
Robertson designed the British Pavilion for the 1925
His other notable buildings include the Metropolitan Water Board Laboratories, London (1938), in which he paid tribute to the work of Erich Mendelsohn, the Bank of England Printing Works at Loughton in Essex (1956), and the Faculty of Letters building at the University of Reading (1956). His twenty-six-storey Shell Centre (also called the Upstream Building, 1961), in York Road, Waterloo, London, was so high that it caused planning arguments, while its Art Deco style was unwelcome to other architects, who considered it out of keeping with the Modernism of other large new buildings in the neighbourhood.[1][4][11]
'Sentosa', Esher, another domestic building designed by Robertson, built for the Erhardt family in 1934, was made a listed building in 1985.[12][13]
Publications
- Howard Robertson, Modern Dutch Architecture (1922)
- Howard Robertson, Architecture Explained, with an introductory note by J. C. Squire (London: E. Benn Ltd, 1926; New York: George H. Doran Co.)
- Howard Robertson, The Principles of Architectural Composition (London: The Architectural Press, 1924; with foreword by Robert Atkinson)
- Los Principios de la Composición Arquitectónica (Spanish translation)
- Howard Robertson, Some Recent French Developments in Domestic Architecture (1927)
- Howard Robertson, Francis Rowland Yerbury, Examples of Modern French Architecture (London: Ernest Benn, 1928)
- Howard Robertson, The Four Inns of Court (Ludowici-Celadon Co., 1930)
- As "H. Rob.", articles on architectural subjects contributed to Encyclopædia Britannica, revised 14th edition (1933–1973)[9]
- Howard Robertson, Modern Architectural Design (London: The Architectural Press, 1932; new edition 1952)
- Howard Robertson, Französiche Baukunst der Gegenwart (Berlin: E. Wasmuth, 1933)[14]
- Howard Robertson, Reconstruction and the Home (1947)
- Howard Robertson, Architecture Arising (London: Faber and Faber, 1948)
- Howard Robertson & Francis Rowland Yerbury, Travels in Modern Architecture 1925–1930 (London: The Architectural Association, 1989) (posthumously)
Notes
- ^ ISBN 0-7136-2008-0)
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(Oxford University Press, 2007)
- ^ a b c Sir Howard Robertson, R.A. at racollection.org.uk, accessed 26 May 2011
- ^ a b c d 'Sir Howard Robertson, Graduated AA 1907', in AA Alumni RIBA Gold Medal Winners at aaschool.ac.uk, accessed 26 May 2011
- ^ Adolf K. Placzek, Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects, vol. 3 (The Free Press, 1982), p. 590
- ^ John Murray Easton at scottisharchitects.org.uk, accessed 29 May 2011
- ^ The Story of United Nations Headquarters Archived 15 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine at un.org, accessed 26 May 2011
- ^ Sir Howard Robertson at ribapix.com, accessed 26 May 2011
- ^ a b Walter Yust, ed., 'Initials and Names of Contributors' in Encyclopædia Britannica: a new survey of universal knowledge vol. 1 (1950), p. xlv: "H. Rob.— Howard Morley Robertson. Partner in firm of Easton and Robertson, architects, London. Consultant Architect to National Service Hostels Corporation. Author of Principles of Architectural Composition; etc."
- ^ Josef Grünenfelder, Die ehemaligen Vogteien der Stadt Zug (Zug: Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte GSK, 2006)
- ^ Buildings by Sir Howard Morley Robertson at londonarchitecture.co.uk, accessed 29 May 2011
- ^ Sentosa, Esher at britishlistedbuildings.co.uk (Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest), accessed 29 May 2011
- ^ Howard Morley Robertson Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine at elmbridgemuseum.org.uk, accessed 29 May 2011
- ^ Robertson, Howard at d-nb.info (Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek), accessed 1 June 2011
External links
- RAA/LIB/2/137 Sir Howard Robertson, member's file 1949 at racollection.org.uk