Secret Intelligence Service building - Vauxhall Cross - Vauxhall - London - from Millbank 24042004

Sir Terence Farrell (born 12 May 1938), known as Terry Farrell, is a British architect and

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban d ...

er. In 1980, after working for 15 years in partnership with Sir

Nicholas Grimshaw Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, CBE, PPRA (born 9 October 1939) is a prominent English architect, particularly noted for several modernist buildings, including London's Waterloo International railway station and the Eden Project in Cornwall. He was ...

, Farrell founded his own firm,

Farrells Farrells is an architecture and urban design firm founded by British architect-planner Terry Farrell with offices in London, Manchester, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. The firm has won numerous awards for their characteristic mixed-use schemes, tr ...

. He garnered a strong reputation for contextual urban design schemes, as well as exuberant works of

postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...

such as the MI6 Building. In 1991, his practice expanded internationally, opening an office in Hong Kong. In Asia his firm designed KK100 in

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provi ...

, the tallest building ever designed by a British architect, as well as Guangzhou South railway station, once the largest railway station in Asia. At the 2013 invitation of

Ed Vaizey Edward Henry Butler Vaizey, Baron Vaizey of Didcot, (born 5 June 1968) is a British politician, media columnist, political commentator and barrister who was Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries from 2010 to 2016. A memb ...

, the

Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries In the Government of the United Kingdom, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage is a ministerial post in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The post is usually a junior to middle-ranking minister to the mor ...

, his firm commenced the ''Farrell Review of Architecture and the Built Environment'', intended to offer expert guidance on the direction of British architecture.

Early life and education

Farrell was born in

Sale, Cheshire Sale is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, in the historic county of Cheshire on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of Manchester. In 2011, it had a population of 134 ...

. His maternal grandfather was born in Manchester to an Irish mother who had emigrated to England from Ireland to escape Great Famine. As a youth he moved to

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, where he attended St Cuthbert's Grammar School. He graduated with a degree in architecture from

Newcastle University School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Newcastle University School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Housed in a Grade 2 listed building in the university quadrangle (built in 1913 to a design by WH Knowles and adjacent to the School of ...

, followed by a Masters in urban planning at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

in Philadelphia.

Career

In 1965, Farrell moved to London to form a partnership with Sir

. In 1980, he founded his own company, Terry Farrell & Partners. In addition, Farrell lectures at a number of different universities including

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, the

and the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

. In the early part of his career, Farrell gave emphasis to housing projects. Later, after the break with Grimshaw, he became the UK's principal

postmodernist Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...

and was best known for the

TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchis ...

headquarters in Camden Lock and the redevelopment of Comyn Ching Triangle in London's Covent Garden. In the 1980s and 1990s his projects included Charing Cross Station, the MI6 headquarters building, The Deep Aquarium in Hull and The

International Centre for Life The Centre for Life is a science village in Newcastle upon Tyne where scientists, clinicians, educationalists and business people work to promote the advancement of the life sciences. The centre is a registered charity, governed by a board of ...

in Newcastle. More recent work includes the new headquarters for the Home Office, the conversion of the Grade I-

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Royal Institution of Great Britain The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

and the Great North Museum in Newcastle. He has been responsible for regeneration projects in the UK including

Newcastle Quayside The Quayside is an area along the banks (quay) of the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne (the north bank) and Gateshead (south bank) in Tyne and Wear, North East England, United Kingdom. History The area was once an industrial area and busy com ...

Brindleyplace Brindleyplace is a large mixed-use canalside development, in the Westside district of Birmingham, England. It was named after Brindley Place, the name of the street (in turn named after the 18th century canal engineer James Brindley) around whi ...

in Birmingham, Edinburgh Exchange District,

Greenwich Peninsula The Greenwich Peninsula is an area of Greenwich in South East London, England. It is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs to the west and Silvertown to the east. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the s ...

and

Paddington Basin Paddington Basin is the name given to a long canal basin, and its surrounding area, in Paddington, London. The basin commences 500 m south of the junction known as Little Venice, of the Regent's Canal and the Paddington Arm of the Grand ...

. He has also designed his own buildings within these projects, including the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and The Point in

. In May 2010, he was appointed to regenerate the area around

Earl's Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

exhibition centre. In 2012 his practice was appointed as masterplanners for Wood Wharf – the next phase of Canary Wharf's development. In East Asia, projects include

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport (IIA; ) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area and one of the largest and busiest airports ...

in Seoul and

Beijing South railway station Beijingnan (Beijing South) railway station () is a large railway station (mainly serving high speed trains) in Fengtai District, Beijing, about south of central Beijing, between the 2nd and 3rd ring roads. The station in its present form opened ...

, the largest in Asia. When completed in December 2010 Guangzhou South railway station was for a time the largest railway station in the world. Since setting up his practice in Hong Kong in 1990, he has designed the

Peak Tower The Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located at Victoria Gap, near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned ...

, Kowloon Station development1998 Kowloon Transport Super City Terry Farrell & Partners/Steven Smith, Hong Kong and the

British Consulate-General, Hong Kong The British Consulate General Hong Kong, located at 1 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong Island, is one of the largest British consulates general in the world and is bigger than many British embassies and high commissions. It is respon ...

. His KK100 tower in Shenzhen is the tallest building ever by a British architect. Farrell is on the Design Advisory Committee of the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current m ...

. In 2008 he was appointed Design and Planning Leader for the

Thames Gateway Thames Gateway is a term applied to an area around the Thames Estuary in the context of discourse around regeneration and further urbanisation. The term was first coined by the UK government and applies to an area of land stretching east from ...

, Europe's largest regeneration project. Farrell was named

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1996 and made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in 2001. He was made a visiting professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University, and also an honorary freeman of Newcastle, in 2016. In 2018, he donated £1 million and his archive to the university.

Personal life

Farrell has been married three times, and has five children and six grandchildren.

Selected awards

* The Herman Miller factory in Bath, UK (joint project with

), completed 1976: the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'' Industrial Award (1977),

Civic Trust Award The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. As the longest standing built environment awards scheme in Europe, since 1959, more than 7000 projects have ...

(1978),

RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

South West Award (1978), Grade II listing by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

(2013) * The Henley Regatta Headquarters, completed 1986: Civic Trust Awards (1988),

award (1988)Henley Royal Regatta: ‘’History of Henley Royal Regatta’‘
Linked 21 February 2014 * Charing Cross railway station/Embankment Place, completed 1990:

(1991 & 1994),

RIBA National Award RIBA National Awards are part of an awards program operated by the Royal Institute of British Architects, also encompassing the Stirling Prize, the European Award and the International Award. The National Awards are given to buildings in the UK w ...

(1991), British Council of Offices Award (1994) * Edinburgh International Conference Centre, completed 1995: (

Award (1996),

(1996) *

, completed 1998: Civic Trust Urban Design Award (1998) *

Centre for Life The Centre for Life is a science village in Newcastle upon Tyne where scientists, clinicians, educationalists and business people work to promote the advancement of the life sciences. The centre is a registered charity, governed by a board of ...

, completed 2000:

(2002) * The Home Office building, completed 2005: ( RIBA International Award (2005), LEAF Award for Best Public Building (2005), the

MIPIM MIPIM (in French, Le Marché International des Professionnels de L’immobilier) is an international property event hosted in Cannes, France, each March. It is hosted by Reed MIDEM and includes an exhibition area, networking events and conference ...

Award for Business Centres (2008) * The Green Building in Manchester, ongoing:

for Sustainability (2006 & 2010), LEAF Award for Best Environmentally Sustainable Project (2006) *

, completed in 2008: RIBA International Award (2009) * Great North Museum, completed in 2009:

Award for North East England (2010) *The Earls Court Project, ongoing: MIPIM AR Future Projects Award for regeneration and planning (2011)

Selected publications

*2014 ''The Farrell Review of Architecture and the Built Environment'' *2013 ''The City As A Tangled Bank: Urban Design versus Urban Evolution'', John Wiley and Sons London *2009 ''Shaping London: The patterns and forms that make the metropolis'', John Wiley and Sons London *April 2008 Prospect, 12 Challenges for Edinburgh *Sept 2007 Architectural Review, Manifesto For London *2004 Place, Terry Farrell's Life & Work: Early Years to 1981 London *2003 ''Buckingham Palace Redesigned: A Radical New Approach to London's Royal Parks '', Papadakis *2002 Terry Farrell in Scotland foreword by Dr. Brian Edwards, Edinburgh *2002 The Deep The World's Only Submarium – An Icon for Hull foreword by The Rt Hon

John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...

, London *2002 Ten Years: Ten Cities The Work of Terry Farrell & Partners 1991–2001 foreword by Sir Terry Farrell, Introduction by Hugh Pearman, Text by Jane Tobin, London *1999 PA Pro Architect 13 Terry Farrell, Seoul *1998 Sketchbook 12.05.98 Terry Farrell & Partners with essays by Robert Maxwell and Terry Farrell, London *1998 98:06 World Architecture Review Special Issue: Terry Farrell & Partners Shenzen *1998 Kowloon Transport Super City Terry Farrell & Partners/Steven Smith, Hong Kong *1994 Terry Farrell Selected and Current Works introduction by Clare Melhuish, Victoria *1993 Terry Farrell Urban Design introduction by Kenneth Powell, London/Berlin *1993 Blueprint Extra 09, Three Urban Projects text by Piers Gough, London *1993 World Architecture Building Profile No 1 Lightweight Classic Terry Farrell's Covent Garden nursery building, London *1992 Vauxhall Cross: The story of the design and construction of a new London landmark, Kenneth Powell, London *1991 Palace on the River Terry Farrell's design for the redevelopment of Charing Cross, Marcus Binney, London *1989 A U special feature: Terry Farrell & Company’ Japan, December pp. 37–132 *1987 Terry Farrell in the context of London catalogue by Rowan Moore with an introduction by Deyan Sudjic, published to coincide with the exhibition at the RIBA Heinz Gallery 14 May to 13 June 1987, London *1986 Designing a House Charles Jencks and Terry Farrell, London *1984 Architectural Monographs: Terry Farrell introduction by Terry Farrell, texts by Colin Amery and Charles Jencks, London

References

External links

Terry Farrell and Partners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Terry 1938 births Living people People from Sale, Greater Manchester Harkness Fellows Modernist architects from England Postmodern architects People from Newcastle upon Tyne People educated at St. Cuthbert's School Alumni of Newcastle University Architects from Greater Manchester Knights Bachelor Commanders of the Order of the British Empire University of Pennsylvania School of Design alumni