CONCEPT SPECIAL
In Memory of JAMES STIRLING
The present building was completed in 1997, five years after architect Stirling’s death and three years after construction began.
It is a postmodern structure, with use of bold, perhaps unsubtle, forms and colours in a compact assembly.
It is clad in pink and yellow limestone in even stripes whilst the courtyard, an atrium, displays some of Stirling’s characteristic acidulous colour play.
Like many notable postmodern buildings, the imagery is rich in references. For example, from the sharp apex of the site a keyhole shaped opening leads to a little-seen Scala Regia with a ramped floor, gold-leafed terminus and ancient Egyptian aura takes visitors into the heart of the building.
a sketch of No 1 Poultry by James Stirling