RIBA President, Simon Allford pays tribute to acclaimed architect Sir Michael Hopkins CBE, who passed away in June 2023.
RIBA President Simon Allford said:
“Michael was one of the great architects of our time. His honours and accolades – including the 1994 RIBA Royal Gold Medal presented to him and Patty Hopkins - are testament to his talent and the strength of their equal partnership in work and life.
Hopkins Architects as a practice was, and importantly still is, held in global esteem by architects and critics around the world, and across many generations. Michael himself was an inspiration to the many who followed Patty and him in their practice and beyond. He encouraged them to push the envelope in every sense, and to think differently about how architecture should engage with the world.
Michael’s work referenced history whilst challenging conventions. He himself had a very clear take on his own work. He once confided in me that he had learned all he needed to know of architecture from working with Patty on the project to repurpose their Cruck Barn as a family home. I was struck then, as I am now, by how much this revealed of their practice of architecture. Whether they were working with the materials associated now with ‘High-Tech’ (the vernacular of the latter part of the twentieth century), or later, with the more ancient materials of brick, timber and concrete, Hopkins Architects were always, regardless of material palette, pursuing an architecture of clarity and legibility. An architecture of structure and infill - solid and void, light and heavy, and people and machinery. An architecture that was always generous and open to an unknown future.
Their early adoption of energy efficient design demonstrated a progressive outlook that was ahead of its time. Their many important projects still stand as both markers of a moment and pointers to the future. Their office was a place of extraordinary talent and creative energy, but this energy was always channelled towards a clear expression of both architectural idea and ideal.
The list of outstanding projects is long. My personal favourites include their own home, which I admired as a schoolboy. I visited the Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre as a student forty years ago - to witness it in construction - and returned a few years ago with Michael and Patty. The Mound Stand at Lord’s references both, whilst moving things on, in a brilliant essay in reinvention and re-use. And Portcullis House in Westminster – built to last 120 years. Importantly, these projects span a creative journey of inquiry into architecture’s potential. Together, they represent a committed, pioneering and prescient story, signifying innovation through iteration.
Michael was an engaging and inspirational figure to the many who followed him, both in his practice and outside. He encouraged them to think differently about how architecture can engage with place and people to help shape a better constructed world. His inventive spirit will long endure through the legacy of his and Patty’s buildings, their practice, their extended and connected family, and their wide circle of friends and colleagues.”
