Sir Peter CookRA (born 22 October 1936) is an English architect, lecturer and writer on architectural subjects. He was a founder of Archigram,[1] and was knighted in 2007 by the Queen for his services to architecture and teaching. He is also a Royal Academician and a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic. His achievements with Archigram were recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2004, when the group was awarded the Royal Gold Medal.
He is a Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London. Cook's professorships include those of the Royal Academy, University College, London and the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (Städelschule) in Frankfurt-Main, Germany.
Cook has built in Osaka, Nagoya, Berlin and Madrid. However it was construction of his arts building in 2003, the Kunsthaus Graz (aka 'The Friendly Alien') in Graz, Austria (with Colin Fournier), that brought his work to a wider public.
He practiced from 2007 to 2019 with Gavin Robotham at CRAB (Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau Ltd). In 2013 he completed the Vienna University of Economics and Business's new law faculty [4] and Australia's newest school of architecture, the Abedian School of Architecture at Bond University on the Gold Coast.[5]
Cook currently practices with Erlend Blakstad Haffner and Branko Belaćević at CHAP (Cook Haffner Architecture Platform Ltd).[8] CHAP has offices in London, Belgrade and Oslo.
Awards and honours
1960 – Henry Florence Student A.A. (Building Centre research Scholar)
Personal exhibitions – various dates: Los Angeles, Tokyo, Oslo, Berlin, Osaka, Frankfurt,
Publications
1967 – Architecture: Action and Plan. London: Studio Vista.
1970 – Experimental Architecture. London/New York: Studio Vista/Universal Books.
1972 – Archigram. London: Studio Vista/Reinhold, Birkhauser
1975 – Melting Architecture. London: Peter Cook, (published to accompany Art Net exhibition).
1976 – Art Net The Rally: Forty London Architects. London: Art Net/Peter Cook, (published to accompany Art Net exhibition).
1976 – Arcadia: The Search for the Perfect Suburb. London: Art Net/Peter Cook.
1980 – Six Houses (with Christine Hawley). London: AA Publications, (published to accompany exhibition at the Architectural Association).
1983 – Los Angeles Now (with Barbara Goldstein). London: AA Publications, (published to accompany exhibition at the Architectural Association).
1985 – Peter Cook – 21 Years, 21 Ideas. Chrisine Hawley; foreword by Reyner Banham. Architectural Association exhibition catalogue. London: AA Publications.
1985 – Lebbeus Woods (editor; with Olive Brown); Architectural Association exhibition catalogue. London: AA Publications, 1985.