1954 in architecture explained

The year 1954 in architecture involved some significant events.

Events

• June 29 – Buckminster Fuller patents his geodesic dome design, later expressed in his Dymaxion House^[1]
• November – Postwar United Kingdom government limitations on housebuilding are lifted

Buildings and structures

Buildings opened

• April – Bevin Court public housing in the London borough of Finsbury, designed by Berthold Lubetkin with Francis Skinner and Douglas Carr^[2]
• Autumn – Inauguration of the city district of Vällingby, in Stockholm, Sweden, planned by Sven Markelius^[3]
• date unknown
  • Ciudad Universitaria (University City), UNAM's main campus in Mexico City, designed by Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral
  • Pruitt–Igoe housing project in St. Louis, Missouri, designed by Minoru Yamasaki, first occupied^[4]

Buildings completed

• date unknown
  • Hunstanton Secondary Modern School, Hunstanton, Norfolk, England, designed by Peter and Alison Smithson, is completed^[5]
  • St Mary and St Joseph Roman Catholic Church on the Lansbury Estate in Poplar, East London, designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott, is completed^[6]
  • Goddard House, 22 Avenue Road, Stoneygate, Leicester, England, designed by Fello Atkinson and Brenda Walker of James Cubitt & Partners^[7]
  • Martin's (private house), Toys Hill, Brasted, Kent, England, designed by Powell and Moya, is completed^[7]

Awards

• Prix de Rome, architecture – Michel Marot.
• Rome Prize Fellowship at American Academy in Rome – Robert Venturi.
• RIBA Royal Gold Medal – Arthur George Stephenson.

Births

• February 22 – Jean-Philippe Vassal, French architect
• June 23 – Carme Pinós, Spanish architect^[8]
• October 12 – Keith Griffiths, Welsh-born architect
• January 6 – Hans Robert Hiegel, German architect
• date unknown – Kengo Kuma, Japanese architect^[9]

Deaths

• February 25 – Auguste Perret, French architect, pioneer of reinforced concrete (born 1874)
• March 28 – Kaare Klint, Danish architect and furniture designer (born 1888)
• December 12 – Alker Tripp, English town planner (born 1883)
• date unknown – Salvador Valeri i Pupurull, Catalan architect (born 1873)^[10]

Notes and References

1. Book: Donald Langmead. Christine Garnaut. Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats. ABC-CLIO. registration. 2001. 978-1-57607-112-0. 131.
2. Book: Gillian Bebbington. London Street Names. registration. 1972. Batsford. 978-0-7134-0140-0. 46.
3. Book: Mats Deland. The Social City: Middle-way Approaches to Housing and Suburban Governmentality in Southern Stockholm 1900 - 1945. 2001. Mats Deland. 978-91-88882-17-2. 9.
4. Checkoway. Barry. Revitalizing an Urban Neighborhood: A St. Louis Case Study. The Metropolitan Midwest. Urbana/Chicago. University of Illinois Press. 1985. 978-0-252-01114-6. 245.
5. Book: Harwood, Elain. England: a Guide to Post-War Listed Buildings. rev.. London. Batsford. 2003. 0-7134-8818-2.
6. Web site: RC Church of St Mary and St Joseph, Poplar, London. Different Architecture for Different Times. manchesterhistory.net. 2020-10-05.
7. Book: The Twentieth Century Society. The Twentieth Century Society. 100 Houses 100 Years. London. Batsford. 2017. 978-1-84994-437-3.
8. Book: The Architecture of Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós. Dollens, Dennis L.. 093082914X. New York. SITES/Lumen. 1990.
9. Book: John Heskett. Kokusai Kōryū Kikin. Japan 2000: architecture and design for the Japanese public. 1998. Prestel Verlag. 978-0-86559-164-6. 149.
10. Book: Damien Simonis. Barcelona. 2003. National Geographic De. 978-3-936559-01-9. 170.