Home > Alison Smithson

Smithson was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. While studying architecture at Durham University (1939-1942), she met Smithson, who she married in 1949. Together, they joined the architecture department of the London County Council before establishing their own partnership in 1950.

Their style draws heavily on influences from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, leaning towards minimalism. They were associated Team 10 and its 1953 revolt against old Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM) philosophies, arguing instead for 'streets in the sky' where inhabitants could live and work, and with the Independent Group (an off-shoot of the Institute of Contemporary Arts).

Their projects included:

• Hunstanton Secondary School, Norfolk (1949-1954)
• The House of the Future exhibition (at the 1956 Ideal Home Show)
• The Economist Building , PiccadillyPiccadilly is a major London street, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is the location of Fortnum & Mason, the Royal Academy and The Ritz Hotel. Simpson, once amongst the nation's leading clothing stores, opene, LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri (1959-1965)
• Garden building, St Hilda's College, OxfordSt Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded by Dorothea Beale, it traditionally has close connections with Cheltenham Ladies' College. It is the only one of the university's colleges to (1968)
• Robin Hood Gardens housing complex, PoplarPoplar is an area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. During the development of the Isle of Dogs the street signs pointed to the new development (by the LDDC), and Poplar was lost for a decade or more. St Matthias Old Church, east London (1969-1972)
• Buildings at the University of BathThe University of Bath established in 1966 near Bath, England, has grown into one of the United Kingdom's leading universities, ranking consistently as one of the top 10 universities in major UK league tables. It is one of the members of the 1994 Group of, including the School of Architecture and Building Engineering (1988)

Unfortunately, Robin Hood Gardens suffered from structural problems and high levels of crime, fatally undermining both their progressive vision of 'streets in the sky' and their architectural reputation. With the exception of their work at BathFor alternate meanings see Bath (disambiguation Palladian Pulteney Bridge and the weir at Bath Bath is a city in south-west England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. The city was first recorded as a Roman spa, though verbal tradition su, they designed no further public buildings in Britain, relying instead mainly on private overseas commissions, and Peter Smithson’s writing and teaching (he was a visiting professor at Bath from 1978 to 1990).

Alison Smithson died in 1993.