John Elliott (architect)
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John Elliott, RIBA, (26 October 1936 – 13 September 2010) was a British architect, who planned and designed luxury hotels and resorts. Born in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, England, he was known principally for his contribution in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and designing 7 star hotel
Emirates Palace The Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi (Arabic: قصر الإمارات) is a luxury five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It has been operated by Mandarin Oriental as of 1 January 2020. The hotel project was launched ...
in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
.


Biography


Education

John Elliott (Richard John Anthony Elliott), was born in Portsmouth, England. After leaving home at the age of 15, he travelled around Europe before winning a scholarship at the
Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. The AA hosts exhibitions, lectures, academic conference, symposia and publications. Histo ...
in London. Upon graduating, he took a short course in product design at the Central School of Art,Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design before winning a prestigious Finnish government scholarship and finishing his post graduate studies at the Institute of Technology in
Helsinki, Finland Helsinki () is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipality, with  million in the capital region and ...
.


Early career

After Finland he moved to Sweden where he spent three years in the office of Ralph Erskine. His years in Sweden and Finland had a profound influence on his design approach to the practice of architecture, and it was this practical experience that started a lifetime of wide angle focus on design. In 1967, John became the first official town planner of
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, where his specialisation in the Arabian peninsula began. Initially involved with the first developments of Abu Dhabi, John had a close working relationship with
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became ...
(1918–2004), ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
(1971–2004). His work later took him to
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
designing projects such as the
King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) () is a public research university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1967 as a private university by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Bakhashab and including author Hamza Bogary, it was named after ...
in Jeddah and consulting for the town planning of Jeddah and Riyadh for the royal family.


Sultan of Brunei

In addition to architecture, John also worked in interior design, as managing partner of Dale Keller & Associates' London Office. Here, he designed a 3 million square meter stately palace, commissioned by the
Sultan of Brunei The Sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...
.


Hong Kong

He moved to Dale Keller & Associate's Hong Kong office, and was involved in several new hotels in China and other parts of the Far East. John stayed in Hong Kong for 13 years and began working with Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo's founder, George J. "Pete" Wimberly.


WATG

In 1991, John moved back to the UK as founder member and managing director of Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo's (WATG) London office. He became a member of the board of directors and senior vice-president, specialising in Middle East projects.


Personal life

John Elliott had four children, two from his first marriage to Lisbet Frolich, Timo and Maja, and two children from his marriage to Erika Grohmann, Kelsey and Yolande. John and Erika raised Kelsey and Yolande in Hong Kong before moving back to the UK, where they lived in
Sandbanks Sandbanks is an affluent neighbourhood of Poole, Dorset, on the south coast of England, situated on a narrow spit of around 1 km2 or 0.39 sq mi extending into the mouth of Poole Harbour. It is known for its high property prices and for it ...
, Dorset. Two years later they moved to their 1930s
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
home in London, which John spent several years remodelling.


Completed projects


Architecture

*
Emirates Palace The Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi (Arabic: قصر الإمارات) is a luxury five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It has been operated by Mandarin Oriental as of 1 January 2020. The hotel project was launched ...
, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai, United Arab Emirates * Hilton 2000, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates *The World Resort, Dubai, United Arab Emirates *Virgin safari resort, Masai Mara, Kenya *
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (; ) is a Swiss Hotel, hotel management company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, Baar, Switzerland. It is fully owned by Accor since the September 2018 acquisition from former shareholders Mövenpick Holding (66.7%) ...
Dead Sea Resort & Spa, Jordan *
Jumeirah Beach Residence Jumeirah Beach Residence (also known as JBR) is a long, gross floor area waterfront community located on the coast of the Persian Gulf in Dubai Marina in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is a residential development and contains 40 towers (35 ar ...
, Dubai, United Arab Emirates *Private Palaces, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates *
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts () is a multinational hospitality company, founded in 1971 by tycoon Robert Kuok and bearing the name of a Far Eastern mythical land of contentment depicted in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon''. It is a subsidiar ...
Resort, Oman, Muscat *
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an American international hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Cent ...
Abu Soma, Soma Bay, Egypt *
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (; ) is a Swiss Hotel, hotel management company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, Baar, Switzerland. It is fully owned by Accor since the September 2018 acquisition from former shareholders Mövenpick Holding (66.7%) ...
El Gouna, Egypt *
InterContinental InterContinental Hotels & Resorts by IHG is a British-American luxury hotel brand created in 1946 by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. It has been part of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group since 1998. As of January 2023, there were 208 InterC ...
Hotel Amman, Amman, Jordan *Grand
Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...
Amman, Amman, Jordan *Aqaba Beach Resort, Aqaba, Jordan *Marina Village Ayla Oasis Resort, Aqaba, Jordan *
Legoland Legoland (, trademarked in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family amusement parks focusing on the Lego building toy brand. They are owned and operated by the British theme park company Merlin Entertainments, which shares a common owner ...
, Windsor, United Kingdom *Denia Marriott La Sella Golf Resort & Spa, Denia, Spain *
Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...
Regency La Manga Golf Resort, Spain * Hilton International Resort, Mauritius *St. Gallen, Switzerland *Military Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *Three National Clinics, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *
King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) () is a public research university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1967 as a private university by a group of businessmen led by Muhammad Bakhashab and including author Hamza Bogary, it was named after ...
, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia *
University of Calabar The University of Calabar is a federal university situated in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It is one of Nigeria's second-generation federal universities. The University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria until 1975. ...
, Nigeria *Vilamoura, Algave, Portugal *Villa Gardelius, Stockholm, Sweden *Svapavaara Housing Kiruna HSB Housing, Tibro, Sweden *HSB Housing, Gyttorp, Sweden *Birmingham University Arts Tower, Birmingham, United Kingdom *Coutts & Co Bank, London, United Kingdom *Villa Complex, St.Tropez, France *Phillps Petroleum Villa, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *Phillips Petroleum Offices, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates


Interior design

*
Claridge's Claridge's is a 5-star hotels, 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street, London, Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. The hotel is owned and managed by the Maybourne Hotel Group. History Founding Claridge's traces its origins to ...
, London, United Kingdom (hotel refurbishment) *New Istana Palace, Brunei *Harbour Grand Hotel, North Point, Hong Kong *City Plaza Shopping Centre, Hong Kong


Master planning

*Town Plan, Trebo, Sweden *Town Plan, Gytorp, Sweden *Town Plan, Svapavaara Kiruna, Sweden *Redevelopment of Norwich Station, Norwich, United Kingdom *Town Plan, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *Town Plan, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates *Town Plan, Um Al Qwain, United Arab Emirates *Shangri La Resort Master Plan, Muscat, Oman *Aftelqaat Resort Master Plan, Muscat, Oman *Bahwan Resort Master Plan, Muscat, Oman *Ayla Oasis Marina Village Urban Plan, Aqaba, Jordan *Excelsior Hotel, Nanjing, China *Mandarin Hotel, Guilin, China *Swiss Hotel, Beijing, China *Sharm Al Ibli Master Plan, Red Sea, Egypt *National Elephant Park Master Plan, Muputo, Mozambique


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, John 1936 births 2010 deaths 20th-century English architects Architects from Portsmouth Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design