Jennifer Evelyn Taylor (; 12 April 1935 – 7 December 2015) was an Australian architect, professor, critic and author who made a significant contribution to writing on contemporary Australian, Japanese and South Pacific architecture.

Biography

Australian by birth, Taylor began studying architecture at the

School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University The Oxford School of Architecture was founded in 1927. Forming part of the Oxford City Technical School, this became the Oxford College of Technology in 1956, the Oxford Polytechnic in 1970 and Oxford Brookes University in 1992. Now called the ...

after taking a course in nursing. She then completed a B.Arch (1967) and M.Arch (1969) at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

, Seattle. Her Master of Architecture (History) was in part by thesis entitled, ''An Inquiry into Some Aspects of Recent Unorthodox Trends in Architecture''.

Professional career

Taylor spent much of her working life in Europe, America and Asia, and taught in architectural schools throughout the world. She was appointed as an academic to the Architecture department of the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

from 1970 to 1998, and later taught at the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

, Brisbane. She was awarded the inaugural

Royal Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

(RAIA) National Education Prize in 2000. Taylor was a founding member of

International Council on Monuments and Sites The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS; french: links=no, Conseil international des monuments et des sites) is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the worl ...

Australia, DOCOMOMO (Australian Working Party for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement) Australia, and the Australian Architectural Association. Taylor credited the Japanese modernist architect,

Fumihiko Maki is a Japanese architect who teaches at Keio University SFC. In 1993, he received the Pritzker Prize for his work, which often explores pioneering uses of new materials and fuses the cultures of east and west. Early life Maki was born in Tokyo. ...

—whom she first met during a

Japan Foundation The was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an Independent Administrative Institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministry ...

Professional Fellowship in 1975—as playing a major role in her career. Maki was appointed Taylor’s mentor and after initially looking at contemporary Japanese gardens, she realised, "I became very interested in contemporary architecture in Japan. I loved it. I just kept going back. I started writing on Japan. I have been influenced, unquestionably, by Japanese work." Taylor was also the first Australian architect to establish a contemporary architectural dialogue with Asia—bringing leading Japanese and Chinese figures to lecture at

, and travelling to the region and lecturing there herself. Taylor contributed extensively to international publications, conferences, architectural criticism, and also sat on numerous architectural juries and competitions. She was awarded the inaugural

(RAIA) Marion Mahony Griffin Prize in 1998—a prize established by the NSW Chapter of the Institute of Architects to "a knowledge a female architect for a distinctive body of architectural work." In 2010, Taylor was awarded the inaugural Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) National President’s Prize for her "lifetime commitment to architecture as a thinker, writer, critic and historian."

Selected publications

*''An Australian Identity: Houses for Sydney 1953–63'' (1972) *''John Andrews: Architecture a Performing Art'' (with John Andrews, 1982) *''Australian Architecture Since 1960'' (1986) *"Oceania" (ed.), ''World Architecture 1900–2000: A Critical Mosaic, Volume 1''0 (1999) *''Tall Buildings 1945–1970: Australian Business Going Up'' (2001) *''Fumihiko Maki: Space/City/Order/Making'' (2003) *''Architecture in the South Pacific: The Ocean of Islands'' (with James Conner, 2014)

Personal life

Taylor's father, James Bogle, was a practicing doctor who also had an early career as a cricketer for Australia. She had two children. Her partner, architect and planner James Conner, survives her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Jennifer 1935 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Australian architects Australian women academics Australian women architects Australian architecture writers Architectural historians Architecture educators University of Sydney faculty Queensland University of Technology faculty Alumni of Oxford Brookes University University of Washington College of Built Environments alumni Australian architectural historians