James Stirling: Office Drawings

This monograph on celebrated architect James Stirling provides a fascinating insight into everyday life in an architectural office.

This monograph on celebrated architect James Stirling provides a fascinating insight into the drawings of some of his most famous projects, as well as a peek into everyday life in an architectural office.

James Stirling, after whom the RIBA Stirling Prize is named, was born in Glasgow and raised in Liverpool, and became one of the most inspiring designers of the twentieth century. Alongside partners James Gowan and Michael Wilford, the Associates Laurence Bain and Russell Bevington and other office members, Stirling created some of Britain’s iconic buildings. These include the University of Leicester Engineering Building, the History Faculty Building at Cambridge University, and Number One Poultry in London, which was listed by Historic England as a masterpiece of Postmodern architecture.

The fascinating drawings included in this book reveal the collaborative nature of architecture and the relentless process from idea to completion, fluctuating between doodles and technical drawings. There is a playfulness and irreverence that pervades many of the drawings, doodles, and notes that communicate Stirling’s intelligence and ironic inclinations. This beautifully produced, clothbound book provides an insight into everyday life in an architectural office before the advent of the computer, which appears more varied and collaborative than one might imagine.