Richard Rogers

Richard Rogers – Life, Career, and Architectural Vision


Learn about Richard Rogers (1933–2021), the British-Italian “high-tech” architect behind the Pompidou Centre, Lloyd’s Building, Millennium Dome, and more. Explore his philosophy, major works, influence, and enduring legacy.

Introduction

Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (born July 23, 1933 – died December 18, 2021) was one of the leading architects of the late 20th and early 21st century, known especially for his bold high-tech aesthetic and commitment to urban and civic issues.

Rogers’s approach often made visible what conventional architecture seeks to conceal: structural systems, services, circulation, and technology. His work is characterized by expressive structural elements, transparency, flexibility, and an interest in how buildings relate to cities and people.

Over his career, Rogers contributed a number of iconic and controversial buildings, served in advisory and urban planning roles, and championed sustainable, human-oriented architecture.

Early Life & Education

Richard Rogers was born in Florence, Italy, in 1933, into an Anglo-Italian Jewish family. Domus and Casabella.

As political tensions rose in Italy, the family moved to England before World War II, and Rogers attended schooling in England (St John’s School, Leatherhead).

He studied architecture at the Architectural Association (AA), London (1954–59).

At Yale, Rogers also encountered the ideas of flexibility, structure, and the architectural potential of systems—a foundation for his later work.

Professional Beginnings & High-Tech Roots

After Yale, Rogers worked briefly in New York (with firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) before returning to England to launch his practice.

In 1963, he co-founded Team 4 with Norman Foster, Su Brumwell (whom he later married), and Wendy Cheesman. Team 4 became one of the early crucibles of British high-tech/modernist design.

Though Team 4 dissolved by 1967, Rogers continued to evolve his thinking on structure, services, and expressive architecture.

A pivotal turning point came when Rogers partnered with Renzo Piano and Gianfranco Franchini to win the design competition for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (1971–1977). The Pompidou would become one of his signature works and a manifesto in exposed-structure, inside-out design.

Major Works & Achievements

Signature Projects

  • Centre Pompidou (Paris, 1971–1977) — Co-designed with Renzo Piano, this masterpiece made visible systems (ducts, escalators, structural elements) in bright colors on the exterior. It became a symbol of transparency, flexibility, and public engagement.

  • Lloyd’s Building, London (1978–1984) — Often called the “inside-out” tower, major services—elevators, pipes, staircases—are located on the exterior, freeing up internal floor space.

  • Millennium Dome (Greenwich, London, completed 1999) — A large pavilion structure for the millennium celebrations; it became a landmark despite controversies over cost and usage.

  • European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg), Senedd (Welsh Parliament), Madrid-Barajas Airport Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5, Three World Trade Center (NYC) among others

Firm & Evolution

In 1977, Rogers founded the Richard Rogers Partnership, which over time evolved into Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP).

Under his leadership, the firm built a global reputation, managing large civic, transport, and commercial projects.

Honors & Awards

Rogers received many prestigious honors:

  • Knighted in 1991, and in 1996 made Baron Rogers of Riverside (peerage).

  • RIBA Gold Medal in 1985.

  • Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2007.

  • Stirling Prize-winning projects under his firm (e.g. Barajas T4, Maggie’s Centre)

  • International honors: Legion of Honour (France), Praemium Imperiale, etc.

Philosophies & Design Principles

  • “Celebrating the components of the structure”
    Rogers believed that rather than hiding technical systems, they should be expressive, intelligible, and legible. He often placed mechanical, structural, and service elements on the exterior or otherwise made them visible.

  • Flexibility & adaptability
    He favored designs that could adapt over time, with open plans and modular elements rather than rigid, fixed interiors.

  • Transparency & public engagement
    Many of his buildings emphasize visual openness—glass facades, clear circulation, connection to city surroundings. He saw architecture as a public act, not just private display.

  • Urbanism & sustainability
    Later in his career, Rogers intensified his engagement with urban planning, sustainable infrastructure, and healthy cities. He founded and contributed to the Urban Task Force (Towards an Urban Renaissance) in the UK, and delivered the 1995 BBC Reith Lectures (“Sustainable City”).

  • “Architecture as social and civic responsibility”
    Rogers often asserted that architects have duty to the public sphere, not just to clients. He leveraged his role to influence city planning, public transport, housing policy, and architectural standards.

Legacy & Impact

Richard Rogers’s legacy is multifaceted:

  • High-tech architecture icon. He remains one of the foremost proponents of high-tech / structural expressionism in the late 20th century.

  • Influence on public architecture. His bold, visible systems and transparent approach influenced many architects and design movements.

  • Urban advocacy. His work with urban policy and planning helped push architecture beyond building to thinking about cities, infrastructure, and sustainability.

  • Controversial but thought-provoking. Some of his designs, like Lloyd’s, have attracted critique over long-term maintenance or functionality, but they remain influential case studies.

  • Institutional and cultural presence. His works continue to define skylines (London, Paris, Madrid) and his firm (RSHP) continues to operate and evolve.

Notable Quotes & Remarks

While not primarily a writer of aphorisms, several attributed statements reflect his thinking:

“Celebrating the components of the structure.” “Architecture is both public and personal.” (common paraphrase reflecting Rogers’s stance on civic duty)
“Flexibility is at the heart of good architecture.” (reflecting his view of adaptable design)
“The city is not a machine, but a living organism.” (echoing his urban philosophy)

Articles by the author

Of course I know very little about architecture, and the older I get the less I know.

Richard Rogers

I believe very strongly, and have fought since many years ago - at least over 30 years ago - to get architecture not just within schools, but architecture talked about under history, geography, science, technology, art.

Richard Rogers

Form follows profit is the aesthetic principle of our times.

Richard Rogers

Architecture is about public space held by buildings.

Richard Rogers

My architecture tends to be legible, light and flexible. You can read it. You look at a building, and you can see how it is constructed. I put the structure outside.

Richard Rogers

Architecture is always political.

Richard Rogers

Architecture is a living thing. If I want to leave something to the future, it has to be able to change - but retain something of the ethos that we built up over 50 years.

Richard Rogers

Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.

Richard Rogers

Architecture is measured against the past; you build in the future, and you try to imagine the future.

Richard Rogers

My passion and great enjoyment for architecture, and the reason the older I get the more I enjoy it, is because I believe we - architects - can effect the quality of life of the people.

Richard Rogers

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges facing our cities or to the housing crisis, but the two issues need to be considered together. From an urban design and planning point of view, the well-connected open city is a powerful paradigm and an engine for integration and inclusivity.

Richard Rogers

Architects design buildings; that's what we do, so we have to go with the flow; and, even though I'm still an old Leftie, global capitalism does have its good side. It's broken down barriers - the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union - it's raised a lot of people up economically, and for architects, it has meant that we can work around the world.

Richard Rogers

A greater focus on design in all new homes would make the best use of land, create homes and public spaces, and reinforce the structures of urban life.

Richard Rogers

I love cities, I spend most of my life talking about cities. And the design of cities does have an effect on your life. You're lucky if you can see trees out of your window and you have a square nearby, or a bar, a cornershop, a surgery. Then you're living well.

Richard Rogers

The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.

Richard Rogers

Education in British schools isn't good enough. It's not remotely imaginative enough. It lets down too many children, excluding them from society, and, as I've often said, people who are excluded from society tend to express themselves in ways not acceptable to society.

Richard Rogers