Hugh Geoffrey Pearman (born 29 May 1955'PEARMAN, Hugh Geoffrey', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 201
accessed 5 June 2017
/ref>) is a London-based architectural writer, editor and consultant. He is the author of several books including ''Contemporary World Architecture'' (Phaidon), ''Airports: A Century of Architecture'' (Laurence King and Abrams), ''Equilibrium: the work of Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners'' (Phaidon), ''Cullinan Studio in the 21st Century'' (Lund Humphries), and in 2023 ''About Architecture: An Essential Guide in 55 Buildings'' (Yale University Press)

Early life and education

Pearman was born in Tunbridge Wells,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, and studied at the Skinners School in

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sand ...

and

St Chad's College St Chad's College is one of the Colleges of Durham University#Types of College, recognised colleges of Durham University. Founded in 1904 as St Chad's Hall for the training of Church of England clergy, the college ceased theological training in ...

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

. His degree is in English Language and Literature. In December 2020 he appeared on

Christmas University Challenge ''Christmas University Challenge'' is a British quiz programme which has aired on BBC Two since 19 December 2011. It is a spin-off from ''University Challenge'' that airs daily over the Christmas period, and features teams of noteworthy alumn ...

as a member of the Durham alumni team.

Career

He edited the

RIBA Journal The ''RIBA Journal'' (often known simply as the ''RIBAJ'') is an architecture magazine and website published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, based in London. It has the largest circulation of any UK-originating architecture magazine. ...

from September 2006, retiring in December 2020. He was architecture and design critic of

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

for 30 years, from 1986 to early 2016. Other newspapers he has contributed to include

the Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

, the

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

, and The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

. Other magazines he has written for include Newsweek, Art Quarterly, Royal Academy Magazine, Crafts,

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

, the Architectural Review, and World of Interiors, among many other publications. He has served on

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

's architecture advisory group, and was one of the instigators of The RIBA

Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The ...

for Architecture in 1996. From 2000 to 2004 he chaired the "Art for Architecture" initiative at the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2001. He was visiting professor in Architecture at the Royal College of Art, London, during 2015. He was an honorary vice-president of London's Architectural Association, 2014-2016. Pearman was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2019 Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

for services to architecture.

References

External links

hughpearman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearman, Hugh Living people British male journalists 1955 births Alumni of St Chad's College, Durham Architecture writers British magazine editors Architecture critics Members of the Order of the British Empire