Architect Richard Rogers

Richard Rogers

(b. Florence, Italy 1933)

Richard Rogers was born in Florence, Italy in 1933. He attended the Architectural Association School in London before graduating from Yale University. He and his first wife, Sue, worked in a partnership with Norman and Wendy Foster as "Team 4". In contrast to Foster, who generated a sophisticated architecture based in technology, Rogers created lavish, enthusiastic designs. In 1970 Rogers established a partnership with the Italian architect Renzo Piano. After the completion of the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Richard Rogers Partnership was formed.

His works reject the classical past, while enthusiastically embracing a technological future with its accompanying aesthetic. Although he places emphasis on technology, he believes that it cannot be an end in itself, but must attempt to solve existing social and ecological problems.

His interest in uninterrupted interior spaces has made Rogers an heir to the functionalist tradition. His concern with total flexibility and obvious technical imagery has been termed Late Modern. However, his more recent works have returned to the images of the early Modernists, notably Mendelsohn.

References

Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture.