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10 Amazing Facts About Architect Peter Cook

Peter Cook is an English architect and writer on architectural subjects and lectures. He is as well-known as Royal Academician and a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic.

He was born on October 22, 1936, in Southend-on-Sea, England. He studied at Bournemouth College of Art architecture from 1953 and 1958. Later he joined the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and graduated in 1960.

Peter was the director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts from 1970 to 1972 and has been the director of Art-Net in London and curator of the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

1. He was the Founder of Archigram

Peter Cook was the founder of Archi gram, an avant-garde British architectural group together with Warren Chalk, David Greene, Ron Herron, and Michael Webb in the 1960s.

 His achievements with Archigram were recognized in 2004 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom) and the group was awarded the Royal Gold Medal, which is awarded annually, in recognition of an individual’s or group’s substantial contribution to international architecture.

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2. He has Been a Leader in Several Organizations

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Cook has been a leader in several organizations. From 1970- 1972 he was the director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square.

He was also the chair of architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture at the University College London from 1990 to 2006. Cook has been the director of Art-Net in London and curator of the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy annually.

3. His Arts Building, the Kunsthaus Graz Made him Popular

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Peters has worked as an architect in several cities such as Berlin, Madrid, and Nagoya. However, many people never knew him till he constructed his arts building in 2003, the Kunsthaus Graz, which was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since become an architectural landmark in Graz, Austria.

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4. Awards and Honours

Peter Cook has been awarded several awards and honours throughout his architectural journey. Some of the Awards and honours he has received include:

Henry Florence Student A.A. in 1960, Honorary Doctorate of Technology, Lund University, Sweden in 2010, Piccadilly Circus competition in 1961, Mario Pani Award for Architecture, Mexico City in 2010, Gas Council House Design in 1962, Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London in 2008, Selected as one of “Young British Designers” Sunday Times exhibition in 1965, Knighted in Queen’s Honours’ list (for services in architecture) in 2007, Jean Tschumi Medal, International Union of Architects in 1996, Finalist for Stirling Prize for Kunsthaus Graz (with Colin Fournier) in 2004 among others.

5. Cook has Succeeded in Several Architectural Competitions

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One of the amazing facts about Peter Cook is that he has succeeded in several architectural competitions. This has made him a popular and famously known architect in different parts of the world.

Some of his successful architectural competitions are Monte Carlo Entertainments Centre (with Archigram) in 1970, Finalist in the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct in 2013, Solar Housing, Landstuhl, Germany (with Christine Hawley) in 1990, Finalist in the National Stadium of Israel (CRAB + POPULOUS) in 2013, Museum of Antiquities, Austria (with Christine Hawley) in 1992, New Theatre Verbania, Italy (with Gavin Robotham) in 2006, and 2nd prize in the Taiwan Tower international competition (with Gavin Robotham) in 2010 among others.

6. He is a writer

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Cook is a writer as well. He writes about architectural work. Throughout his career, he has published several notable books.

Some of his publications include The Archigram published in 1972, Drawing: The Motive Force of Architecture published in 2008, Experimental Architecture published in 1970, Melting Architecture published in 1975, Art-Net The Rally published in 1976, Architecture: Action And Plan published in 1967, and Underground Design among others.

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7. Peter has Taught at Several Universities

One of the amazing facts about Peter Cook is that despite being an architect he is as well a lecturer. He has taught at several prestigious universities such as the Architectural Association School of Architecture together with other influential architects and educators such as David Greene and Colin Rowe.

Other universities, he has taught at include the University of London and the Royal College of Arts. Through his teaching, Peter has helped upcoming architects and designers to think creatively and bring the best out of them in the architectural field.

8. Cook is a Learned Architect

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One of the amazing facts about Cook is that he is a learned architect and has knowledge in the architecture field. He attended Bournemouth College of Art, a further and higher education university based in Poole, England, to study architecture in the year 1953 – 1958.

He later joined the Architectural Association School of Architecture, the oldest private school of architecture in the UK mostly known as the AA in London, and graduated in 1960.

9. Co-Founded a Firm with Gavin Robothan known as CRAB Studio

One of the amazing facts about Peter Cook is that he founded a firm together with Gavin Robothan known as CRAB Studio (Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau) in 2006. Gavin Robotham acts as the Director design team leader of Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau Ltd.

The firm received planning approval for a new Innovation Studio which was to be constructed at the Arts University Bournemouth in Poole, England, in 2019 and later revealed the design of the New Innovation Studio.

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10. His Current Appointments

Cook has several current appointments with several people. Some of the people he has appointments with include Professor Emeritus at University College London, Fellow of University College London, Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts, Member of the RIBA, Architects Registration Board (ARB), Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London, Life Professor at the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (Städelschule) Frankfurt-Main, Honorary Fellow of the Arts University Bournemouth, and Member of the Hessische Architektenkammer.