Amanda Levete

CBE RA
Born (1955-11-17) 17 November 1955
Bridgend, Wales
NationalityBritish
Alma materArchitectural Association
OccupationArchitect
Spouses
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for services to architecture. Jane Drew Prize, Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Royal Academician, RIBA Stirling Prize
PracticeAL_A
Buildings

Amanda Jane Levete, CBE, RA (born 17 November 1955) is a Stirling Prize-winning Welsh architect and the principal of AL_A.[2]

Training

Amanda Jane Levete was born in Bridgend, south Wales. She attended St Paul's Girls' School in London and the Hammersmith School of Art, where she studied architecture before enrolling at the Architectural Association.[3] Levete began her career as a trainee at Alsop & Lyall and later worked as an architect at the Richard Rogers Partnership.[4] In 1985, as a co-founder of Powis & Levete, she was nominated for the RIBA's '40 under 40' exhibition.[5] Levete became a partner at Future Systems alongside Jan Kaplický in 1989.[6] She has also served as a trustee of the arts organisation Artangel from 2000 to 2013 and currently serves as a trustee of the Young Foundation.

Career

In 2009, Levete established AL_A (formerly known as Amanda Levete Architecture). The practise gained recognition when it won an international competition in 2011 to design a new main entrance on Exhibition Road. Levete also contributed to the design of the courtyard and gallery at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, which featured a porcelain courtyard adorned with handmade ceramic tiles.[7] This project marked the museum's most significant undertaking in over a century. AL_A has been involved in various notable projects, including the MAAT project in Lisbon for the EDP Foundation, the Central Embassy project in Bangkok, 10 Hill's Place in London, and the pop-up restaurant Tincan.[8]

In 2018, Levete and three other teams were shortlisted out of 42 to redesign the visitor experience for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Their collaborative efforts with the City of Paris government aim to enhance how people interact with the tower in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[9]

Levete is also known for creating furniture pieces. She has created acclaimed works for Established and Sons, such as the Drift Bench and Around the Corner pieces. These designs combine advanced software techniques with hand craftsmanship.[10]

Levete and her firm have also undertaken smaller-scale projects, including the design of Wadham College at the University of Oxford. Their work can be found specifically on the Dr. Lee Shau Kee Building and William Doo Undergraduate Centre.[11]

Following the success of the Victoria and Albert Museum project, Levete and her firm unveiled a proposal to revamp the Paisley Museum in Scotland. The aim is to create an inclusive space for visitors from Scotland, the UK, and beyond, showcasing the town's significant global influence through restoration and revitalization.[12]

Levete's work includes the design of a building for Maggie's cancer care charity in Southampton and the media campus for News Corporation in East London.[13] She has also worked on design projects worldwide, including three hospital buildings in Cyprus, the reimagination of the D'Ieteren Headquarters in Brussels, and the design of a prototype fusion plant for clean energy firm General Fusion at Culham.[14] Levete has been entrusted with the development of hotels and malls for the Central Retail Corporation in Bangkok.

Exterior Perspective of The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
MAAT - The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (2016)

Awards

In the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours, Amanda Levete was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her contributions to architecture.[15]

In 2018, Levete received the Jane Drew Prize from the Architects' Journal and Architectural Review. The prize acknowledges individuals who promote the visibility of women in architecture through their dedication to design excellence.[16]

In 2019, Levete was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.[17]

In 2021, Levete was elected a Royal Academician.[18]

Personal life

Levete and the Czech architect Jan Kaplický became acquainted in the 1980s.[19] They married in 1991, had a son named Josef in 1995, and divorced in 2006. From 1989 to 2009, Levete and Kaplický collaborated professionally.[20] Since 2007, Levete has been married to Ben Evans, the director of the London Design Festival.[21]

On 19 March 2017, Amanda Levete was featured as a castaway on the Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Absent friends", Building, 12 October 2007
  2. ↑ "Amanda Levete | Tag | ArchDaily". www.archdaily.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Phillips, Christine (2015). "Amanda Levete: organic forms and material complexity". Architecture Australia. 104 (1): 108–110. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Amanda Levete: the social networker", Architects' Journal, 25 September 2014, retrieved 15 October 2015
  5. ↑ "Out of time: Amanda Levete", Building Design, 1 April 2011, retrieved 15 October 2015
  6. ↑ Booth, Robert (17 October 2008), "From a shining future to a bitter end as 'blob' architecture pioneers part company", The Guardian, retrieved 15 October 2015
  7. ↑ "London | Inexhibit". Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "AL_A". AL_A. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Shortlist Announced for Competition to Redesign the Eiffel Tower Visitor Experience". ArchDaily. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Established and Sons Drift Bench by Amanda Levete". 1stDibs.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  11. ↑ designboom, kat barandy I. (13 April 2021). "oxford's wadham college sees a major expansion by amanda levete architects / AL_A". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Keane, Katharine. "AL_A Selected to "Transform" Paisley Museum in Scotland". www.architectmagazine.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "Amanda Levete | Artist | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Amanda Levete - designer profile". Stylepark. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Braidwood, Ella (20 June 2017). "Amanda Levete and Asif Khan recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours list". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  16. ↑ Keane, Katharine. "Amanda Levete wins the 2018 Jane Drew Prize". www.architectmagazine.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  17. ↑ "AIA elevates 115 members and nine international architects to the College of Fellows - AIA". www.aia.org. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "AL_A". AL_A. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "Kaplicky, Jan, (18 April 1937–14 Jan. 2009), Founder and Partner, Future Systems, since 1979", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2007, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u22607, retrieved 1 December 2022
  20. ↑ Grice, Elizabeth (11 March 2009), "'My greatest regret is that I didn't make peace with him in life'", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 24 October 2011
  21. ↑ Jeffries, Stuart (9 April 2011), "The Saturday interview: architect Amanda Levete", The Guardian, retrieved 15 October 2015
  22. ↑ "Amanda Levete, Desert Island Discs – BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
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