1955 in architecture explained

The year 1955 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.

Events

• June – Outrage, a special issue of Architectural Review condemning the areas of British cities failed by urban planning, establishes the reputation of Ian Nairn as an architectural critic.
• December – Reyner Banham introduces the term "New Brutalism" into English print, writing in Architectural Review.
• Chinese American architect I. M. Pei establishes the architectural practice I. M. Pei & Associates with Eason H. Leonard and Henry N. Cobb in New York City.
• German architect Josef Bieling establishes the architectural practice Architekturbüro Josef Bieling in his hometown Kassel.

Buildings and structures

Buildings opened

• June 25 – Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France, designed by Le Corbusier, is dedicated.^[1]
• July 22 – Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the tallest building in Poland (1955–present) and the second tallest in Europe (1955–1990), designed by Lev Rudnev.
• August – Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Japan, designed by Kenzō Tange.

Buildings completed

• February – Bavinger House in Norman, Oklahoma, United States, the best-known building designed by Bruce Goff.^{[2] [3]}
• MIT Chapel and Kresge Auditorium at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, designed by Eero Saarinen.
• Chapel of Trinity College, Toronto, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott.
• Dominus Flevit Church, Jerusalem, designed by Antonio Barluzzi.
• Restoration following bomb damage at Lambeth Palace in London, by Seely & Paget.^[4]
• Reconstructed Kinkaku-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan.
• Chandigarh High Court (Palace of Justice), Chandigarh Capitol Complex, India, designed by Le Corbusier.
• Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta.
• Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Alberta.
• Punta La Entallada Lighthouse on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, designed by Carlos Alcon.
• Fundació Pilar y Joan Miró in Palma, Majorca, designed by Josep Lluís Sert.
• Tate & Lyle sugar silo, Liverpool, England.
• Casa Antonio Gálvez, Mexico City, designed by Luis Barragán.
• House Fox, Worcester, Western Cape, South Africa, designed by Revel Fox.
• Houses for self at 7 Gibraltar Hill and for E. W. Scorer, both in Lincoln, England, designed by Sam Scorer.
• House for John Womersley at Farnley Tyas, Yorkshire, England, designed by Peter Womersley.
• "Hermit's Castle", Achmelvich, Scotland, designed by David Scott.^[5]

Awards

• AIA Gold Medal – Willem Marinus Dudok.
• RIBA Royal Gold Medal – John Murray Easton.
• Grand Prix de Rome, architecture – Ngô Viết Thụ.

Births

• February 12 – Enric Miralles, Spanish Catalan architect (died 2000)
• April 14 – Robert Couturier, French architect and interior designer, designer of Cuixmala^[6]
• July 2 – Francine Houben, Dutch architect
• August 2 – Anne Lacaton, French architect
• November 17 – Amanda Levete, British architect
• date unknown
  • Miroslav Grčev, Macedonian architect and graphic designer
  • Alan Powers, British modern architecture and design historian

Deaths

• February 7 – Carl Rubin, Galician-born Israeli International Style architect (born 1899)
• April 16 – George Howe, American International Style architect and educator (born 1886)
• August 6 – Dominikus Böhm, German church architect (born 1880)
• November 29 – Rene Paul Chambellan, American architectural sculptor (born 1893)

Notes and References

1. Book: 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die. Irving, Mark. Cassell. London. 2001. 978-1-84403-578-6. registration.
2. Saving Bruce Goff. Architectural Review. Michael. Webb. June 2005. 2013-10-09.
3. News: Space and Saucer House: Oklahoma family lives in suspension in a unique new structure. 1955-09-19. Life. 155–156. 2016-01-06.
4. Web site: Lambeth Palace Conservation Area. Conservation Area Character Appraisal. Lambeth Council. 2017. PDF. 2023-03-20.
5. Book: Calder, Barnabas. Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism. London. Heinemann. 2016. 978-0-434-02244-1.
6. Web site: 2008-11-15. Robert Couturier – Biography. Robert Couturier Inc. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110715191728/http://www.robertcouturier.com/biography.html?detectflash=false. 2011-07-15.