Interview with Architect Peter Cook

ArchRecord interviews the very influential Sir Peter Cook.
Introduction and interview by Bryant Rousseau

Had
Peter Cook’s career ended in the early 1970s, this founding member of
the über-influential Archigram group would still be considered one of
the most important architects of our time. As RECORD has written,
“As the Beatles of architecture, Archigram broke down the dreary
conformity of the 1950s, sweeping aside sclerotic convention with their
antics.”

But in the decades since Archigram disbanded, Cook (b. 1936) has
continued to inspire architects as a highly regarded teacher. He helped
transform Frankfurt’s Staedelschule into one of Europe’s
leading architecture schools, and he served as the Bartlett’s chair of
architecture for a dozen years, retiring from this noted U.K.
university in 2005.

And while Archigram, which
received the RIBA Gold Medal in 2002, changed the direction of
architecture with its theories and drawings—but not its executed
projects, of which there were none—Cook has seen a number of his recent
proposals get built, most notably the Kunsthaus Graz, which was on the
shortlist for the Stirling Prize in 2004.

Currently,
he is serving as a consultant for HOK Sport, which is designing the
London Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Games. He was knighted earlier this
year for his “services to architecture.”

In this
in-depth interview, Cook also proves himself an engaging, witty 
raconteur, discussing his days with Archigram, his design goals for the
Olympic Stadium, his frank advice for architecture schools, the
architects and cities he admires, and the cities (and Royals) he
doesn’t.

Plus, he discusses what inspired him to become an
architect, the biggest challenges facing the profession today, the
drawbacks of computing power, what he dislikes about American
architecture (think École des Beaux-Arts), and which notable American
architect he once thought overrated and now thinks “gets better and
better.” There are also two (highly recommended) audio clips. 

Bryant Rousseau: Peter, how would you distill the essence of what made Archigram unique in the history of architecture?

Sir Peter Cook: There
were two essential things. One is the range of invention. Forget the
mannerisms and styling and the necessary protocol; we focused on
invention. The other thing is the schoolboy-like optimism. And I would
still cling to the fact that invention and optimism are characteristics
that are undervalued in architecture.