Christopher Wilkinson

Christopher John Wilkinson (1 July 1945 – 14 December 2021) was a British architect and co-founder of the architecture firm WilkinsonEyre. He was known for his techno-centric designs and execution of projects ranging from office spaces, factory floors, skyscrapers to botanical gardens. Some of his projects included the Magna Science Adventure Centre, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Guangzhou International Finance Center, and the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

Wilkinson was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2006, and was awarded an OBE in the Millennium Honours List for his contributions to architecture. His firm, WilkinsonEyre, was the first to win back to back RIBA Stirling Prizes in 2001 and 2002.

Early life Wilkinson was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 1 July 1945. His mother Norma (née Treleaven Beer) had participated in World War II, while his father was a surveyor with the British multinational consumer goods company Unilever. The work was documented in his book Supersheds (1991) and revived interest in the concept of an "universal space" which included steel space-frames that held suspended canopies and would be the foundation for many structures including railway stations, supermarkets, and even airports. Both of these projects won RIBA's Lubetkin international prize in 2012 and 2013.

Some of his other projects included the Mary Rose Museum, Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre, Waterfront Museum Swansea, Forum Project at University of Exeter, the new Earth Sciences building at Oxford University, and the Crown Sydney Hotel. In 2018, his firm was commissioned by the Marylebone Cricket Club to redesign the Compton and Edrich stands at Lord's Cricket Ground, which was completed in 2021. Earlier, in 2015, Wilkinson was commissioned to redevelop Victorian-era industrial gasholders in King's Cross, London into modern residential apartments and office spaces, in what was then one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe. Wilkinson said that the project built on an idea of a watch, with the gasholders' interlocking cylinders resembling the watch's movement mechanism with cogs and gears.

Wilkinson was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 2006, granted an Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architecture in 2007, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Millennium Honours List for his contribution to architecture. He became a Commissioner of English Heritage in 2007 having previously been a member of the English Heritage/ Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment Urban Panel.

In addition to his practice work, Wilkinson won awards for his work with art and design. In 1996, he was named designer of the year by both the Design Council and FX. His publications include Supersheds, an exploration of the history and evolution of large-volume universal spaces. His sketchbooks that documented his thinking and design process were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 2015. Wilkinson painted, working with acrylic paints.

Personal life Wilkinson married his wife Diana (née Edmunds) in 1976. She was a supermodel in the 1970s and later went on to be an artist.

Published works

Audio book.