Ralph Erskine

Education During the 1930s, Erskine studied architecture for five years at the Regent Street Polytechnic, London under the direction of Thornton White. At the time, White's curriculum required the study of classical architecture before students were free to follow their own ideas. One of his fellow students was Gordon Cullen who would become a well-known architectural illustrator, urban designer, and theorist. Cullen advocated the improvement of urban settlements through an understanding and analysis of their picturesque qualities. This approach was profoundly influential on Erskine, who insisted in his work that the context and landscaping of his buildings be carefully integrated.

Career

After qualifying as an architect, Erskine began work with the design team for Welwyn Garden City under the leadership of Louis de Soissons. He studied town planning and this interest broadened his approach to architecture, in particular, about how buildings related physically and socially to their setting. In 1936, he became an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was attracted by his admiration for the work of the Functionalist Swedish architects Gunnar Asplund, Sven Markelius, and Sigurd Lewerentz and by the country's adoption of the social welfare model. In Sweden, the political will was reflected in the national architecture, and these two factors coincided with his own humanist beliefs. He would go on to make an important contribution to the architectural landscape of both his adopted country and to that of England.

In Sweden, England, and Canada, he was responsible for the design of numerous innovative buildings reflecting his particular ideology. They include: Gyttorp, Nora Municipality, Sweden, 1945 to 1955, housing project for a factory town. Ski hotel at Borgafjäll (1948–50)

In 1984, along with his wife, he established the Ruth and Ralph Erskine Nordic Foundation, endowed by proceeds from the Wolf Prize in Arts, which he was awarded that year. Beginning in 1988, the foundation has awarded a bi-annual prize of US$10,000 and a medal designed by Ralph Erskine, for any person, group, or organisation that "has contributed to the construction of buildings or community structures of innovative social, ecological and aesthetic character. The contribution must respect functional and economical aspects, and be to the advantage of the less privileged". In 2010, the award was given to Urban-Think Tank (Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner).

Erskine wrote the preface to the English translation of Jan Gehl's influential book Life Between Buildings, published in 1986. In 1987, he was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal.

Personal life Ralph and Ruth Erskine in 1958He met his wife Ruth at a Quaker school in Saffron Walden in the early 1930s. They were married in Stockholm in 1939 and had four children. Ruth died in 1988. He is survived by his children: Jane Kristina, Karin Elizabeth, Patrick Jon, and Suzanne.