Peter Hugh Girard Chamberlin (31 March 1919, London – 23 May 1978,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

), most commonly known as Joe Chamberlin, was a post-War English

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

most famous for his work on the

Barbican Estate The Barbican Estate, or Barbican, is a residential complex of around 2,000 flats, Apartment#Maisonette, maisonettes and houses in central London, England, within the City of London. It is in an area once devastated by World War II bombings an ...

in London.

Biography

Chamberlin was born on 31 March 1919. He attended

Bedford School Bedford School is a 7–18 Single-sex education, boys Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the county town of Bedford in England. Founded in 1552, it is the oldest of four independent schools in Bedford run by the Harpur Trust. Bed ...

and

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

, where he read

Politics, Philosophy and Economics Philosophy, politics and economics, or politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), is an interdisciplinary undergraduate or postgraduate degree which combines study from three disciplines. The first institution to offer degrees in PPE was the Unive ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was a conscientious objector. After the War, he attended Kingston School of Art's School of Architecture, qualifying as an architect in 1948. He married Jean Bingham in 1940. He became the dominant force in the architectural partnership of Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, responsible for designing the

in London. In 1963, he was awarded the

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

Distinction in Town Planning; in 1974, he was made a

CBE 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 ...

. In 1975, he was elected an Associate of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, becoming a full RA in 1978, two weeks before his death. Chamberlin died on 23 May 1978 before the

was completed.

References

*Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, Elain Harwood (foreword by Piers Gough), RIBA Publishing /

Twentieth Century Society The Twentieth Century Society (abbreviated to C20), founded in 1979 as The Thirties Society, is a British charity that campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. It is formally recognised as one of the National ...

, London 2011,

External links

Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlin, Peter Joe 1919 births 1978 deaths 20th-century English architects Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford People educated at Bedford School Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Academicians Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire