Over three decades, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), has attracted critical acclaim and won dozens of awards including the Stirling Prize 2009 for Maggies London, and the Stirling Prize 2006 for Terminal 4, Madrid Barajas Airport and the Manser Medal in 2008 for an energy-efficient housing scheme in Milton Keynes.
RSHP is an international architectural practice based in London, currently working on a range of high profile projects including; two office buildings in Washington DC; an extension to the British Museum in London; One Hyde Park, a luxury residential development in Knightsbridge; a major mixed-use development in Scandicci, Italy; and a wide range of major masterplans in cities across three continents. The practice is currently participating in the Greater Paris project, which looks at the future of the city as a more integrated metropolitan region as it faces the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
Our clients include: AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea Madrid), BAA (British Airports Authority), British Land, Canary Wharf Group, Candy & Candy, Daimler Chrysler, le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Reuters, Stanhope plc, Silverstein Properties, and Native Land.
Richard Rogers was Chief Advisor on Architecture and Urbanism to the former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and continues to play an advisory role on design to the current Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. He has acted as Chairman of the British Government’s Urban Task Force and was a member of the Mayor of Barcelona’s Urban Strategies Advisory Council.
Buildings
The practice has designed a wide range of buildings, notably the Pompidou Centre in Paris (with Renzo Piano); Lloyd’s of London, Headquarters for Channel 4 Television, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping and Marks & Spencer, all in London; the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg; law courts in Bordeaux and Antwerp; the National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff; and Heathrow Terminal 5. RSHP is currently working on a wide range of commercial and residential schemes in London; a major mixed use scheme in Yeouido, Seoul; the high profile regeneration of an historic bullring in Barcelona as a cultural and entertainment complex; and other major projects in London, New York, Washington DC, Granada, Rome and Seoul.
The Environment
In an age when concern for the global environment is one of the most hotly-debated topics, RSHP takes its obligation to address growing concerns regarding sustainability seriously. As part of a wider design team, the practice has undertaken exhaustive research into a responsible approach to energy consumption, technologies that harness passive energy sources, and systems that reduce energy consumption and regulate harmful emissions, and applies the results of this research to every scheme regardless of size or budget. The practice’s commitment to improving the built environment has resulted in the award of European Union and government grants for further research into energy regulation in design. The National Assembly for Wales achieved BREEAM Excellent in 2006, and the office strives to develop environmentally innovative solutions in all its projects.
City
Central to the philosophy of the practice is a commitment to the creation of public spaces that enliven and rejuvenate inner-city areas. This commitment permeates all RSHP buildings, both public and private. The Pompidou Centre in Paris, with over half the site allocated to a public piazza, is an outstanding example of the positive impact of urban regeneration. Some 30 years on, the Pompidou continues to attract some seven million visitors a year – more than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower combined. The piazza is enjoyed by Parisians, tourists, picnickers, buskers – it is one of the most popular public spaces in a city already famous for its gardens, parks and street culture. This emphasis on vibrant public realm is central to all of our masterplanning projects. Current schemes include mixed-use projects in Valladolid, Rome and Granada, as well as a major development in Yeouido, Seoul and a scheme to transform the former Marconi factory site in Chelmsford, UK into a vibrant mixed-use, residential area. An innovative and sustainable approach to the urban environment has attracted praise from the leaders of many of the world’s most dynamic cities.
The Practice
RSHP employs around 140 people, including 10 Directors and 40 Associates, in four offices across the world – Madrid, Barcelona, Tokyo and London Mentoring systems and close ties to key universities in Europe and the United States, fostering young architects and the promotion of an ongoing culture of learning, have earned the practice an exemplary reputation as a progressive and humanist organisation. A ‘Think Tank’ philosophy is employed at every level, to enable design and management leaders to collaborate and contribute their individual expertise. Weekly meetings – open to all employees – provide a vital forum for discussion of current competitions and on-going projects, as well as a platform for creativity and new solutions appropriate to each design. This ‘collegiate’ approach to the work of the practice is embodied in a constitution that consciously brings a moral dimension to our work and takes the form of, among other initiatives, a staff profit-sharing scheme and significant contributions to charity, with staff members nominating the charities of their choice.
