Ryder and Yates Book Launch
23.04.09 Topic: Ryder &
Yates
The long awaited Ryder and Yates book was finally launched at the RIBA HQ in London last night. A second launch tonight at the newly renovated Tyneside Cinema in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne was enjoyed by perhaps 150 people.
The first ever comprehensive account of the outstanding work of Ryder and Yates has been chronicled in this new book by Tyneside architect Rutter Carroll. Formed by Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates and heavily influenced by Le Corbusier and Berthold Lubetkin, the practice dominated the development of modern architecture in the North East of England from the early 1950s, where their visually astounding modernism put them in stark contrast to their contemporaries.
Twentieth Century Architects: Ryder and
Yates
Rutter Carroll
The
first ever comprehensive account of the
outstanding work of Ryder and Yates has been
chronicled in this new book by Tyneside
architect Rutter Carroll. Formed by Gordon Ryder
and Peter Yates and heavily influenced by Le
Corbusier and Berthold Lubetkin, the practice
dominated the development of modern architecture
in the North East of England from the early
1950s, where their visually astounding modernism
put them in stark contrast to their
contemporaries. Structured
by building type, the book attempts to reveal
the principles of design particular to the
practice of Ryder and Yates. It tells how, from
its formation in Newcastle in 1953, it quickly
established a reputation for innovative and
highly individual buildings situated almost
exclusively on Tyneside. Discussing key works in
the Ryder and Yates portfolio such as Norgas
House and the Engineering Research Station in
Killingworth through to MEA House and the
Salvation Army hostel, it reveals the level of
influence this practice had over the
region. Lavishly
illustrated by images and plans from the Ryder
& Yates private archive, this book is an
essential read for architects, students,
architectural historians and modernist
enthusiasts interested in learning more about
one of the 20th century's most intriguing
British practices. This
book has been commissioned as part of a series
of books on 20th Century Architects by RIBA
Publishing, English Heritage and The Twentieth
Century Society.
Review by Professor David Greenwood, School of the Built Environment,Northumbria University, UK
This book offers a retrospective on two important twentieth century architectural designers, Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates, whose work – ranging from domestic commissions through social housing, to larger public and private sector buildings – has had a major impact on the built environment, particularly in their northern heartland.
An intelligent and informative offering, it can be read at a number of levels: it is a beautifully illustrated commentary on the work of the Ryder & Yates practice; it is a professional biography of the two, charting their careers, influences and professional beliefs; and it is a valuable resource of architectural (and indeed social) modern history.
As an architect and an academic himself, Carroll is clearly impressed by the tenacious and largely uncompromising design philosophies of his subjects, and yet he manages to maintain a measured, unbiased and scholarly ‘distance’ throughout, making this a truly valuable text for students, practitioners and devotees of architecture and architectural history. Taken individually, each project study presents an informative resource for the reader, with the added bonus of a contextualising narrative that reveals their chronological progression.
This is an important contribution to the series and moreover, an enjoyable reading experience.
Rutter Carroll
Review by Professor David Greenwood, School of the Built Environment,Northumbria University, UK
This book offers a retrospective on two important twentieth century architectural designers, Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates, whose work – ranging from domestic commissions through social housing, to larger public and private sector buildings – has had a major impact on the built environment, particularly in their northern heartland.
An intelligent and informative offering, it can be read at a number of levels: it is a beautifully illustrated commentary on the work of the Ryder & Yates practice; it is a professional biography of the two, charting their careers, influences and professional beliefs; and it is a valuable resource of architectural (and indeed social) modern history.
As an architect and an academic himself, Carroll is clearly impressed by the tenacious and largely uncompromising design philosophies of his subjects, and yet he manages to maintain a measured, unbiased and scholarly ‘distance’ throughout, making this a truly valuable text for students, practitioners and devotees of architecture and architectural history. Taken individually, each project study presents an informative resource for the reader, with the added bonus of a contextualising narrative that reveals their chronological progression.
This is an important contribution to the series and moreover, an enjoyable reading experience.