Building Design PartnershipA partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business. Partnerships are often favored over corporations for taxation purposes, as the partnership structure does not generally incur a tax on profits before it is distributed to the...
(BDP) is a firm of
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
s and
engineerEngineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints. The term is derived from the Latin root "ingenium," meaning "cleverness"...
s employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.
The firm was founded in 1961 by
George Grenfell BainesProfessor Sir George Grenfell-Baines OBE DL was an English architect and town planner. Born in Preston, as George Baines, his family’s humble circumstances forced him to start work at the age of fourteen. Both George and his younger brother, Richard , were prodigiously gifted mathematicians and...
with
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
s Bill White and John Wilkinson,
quantity surveyorA quantity surveyor is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with building costs.It is a profession akin to that of a doctor or lawyer in that it links to a qualification gained following formal education, specific training and experience that provides a general set of...
Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:
BrianBrian Cobb is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Cobb currently fights for Gladiator Challenge promotion and recently lost to Terry Etim @ UFC 95 via tko.-Mixed Martial Arts:...
& Derek Cobb,
Keith InghamKeith Ingham is an English jazz pianist, mainly active in swing and Dixieland revival.Ingham's first professional gigs occurred in 1964. He played with Sandy Brown, Bruce Turner, and Wally Fawkes that decade. He played with Bob Wilber and Bud Freeman in 1974, and moved to New York City in 1978...
, Peter Renninson,
David RockDavid Rock, born 1929, is an English architect and graphic designer, twice RIBA vice-president and RIBA president ....
, Lorrie Rossant, Keith N Scott and Sid Tasker. The associates were made full equity partners in 1964.
Building Design PartnershipA partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business. Partnerships are often favored over corporations for taxation purposes, as the partnership structure does not generally incur a tax on profits before it is distributed to the...
(BDP) is a firm of
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
s and
engineerEngineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints. The term is derived from the Latin root "ingenium," meaning "cleverness"...
s employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.
Foundation
The firm was founded in 1961 by
George Grenfell BainesProfessor Sir George Grenfell-Baines OBE DL was an English architect and town planner. Born in Preston, as George Baines, his family’s humble circumstances forced him to start work at the age of fourteen. Both George and his younger brother, Richard , were prodigiously gifted mathematicians and...
with
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
s Bill White and John Wilkinson,
quantity surveyorA quantity surveyor is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with building costs.It is a profession akin to that of a doctor or lawyer in that it links to a qualification gained following formal education, specific training and experience that provides a general set of...
Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:
BrianBrian Cobb is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Cobb currently fights for Gladiator Challenge promotion and recently lost to Terry Etim @ UFC 95 via tko.-Mixed Martial Arts:...
& Derek Cobb,
Keith InghamKeith Ingham is an English jazz pianist, mainly active in swing and Dixieland revival.Ingham's first professional gigs occurred in 1964. He played with Sandy Brown, Bruce Turner, and Wally Fawkes that decade. He played with Bob Wilber and Bud Freeman in 1974, and moved to New York City in 1978...
, Peter Renninson,
David RockDavid Rock, born 1929, is an English architect and graphic designer, twice RIBA vice-president and RIBA president ....
, Lorrie Rossant, Keith N Scott and Sid Tasker. The associates were made full equity partners in 1964. Grenfell Baines was the first chairman. BDP was end the result of a series of experiments in profit sharing and multidisciplinary working begun by Grenfell Baines in 1941 with the
Grenfell Baines Group. A 1962 policy statement committed BDP to “the principle of equal status for all professions”. The firm expanded rapidly over the following decades and had thirty partners and 700 staff by the time of Grenfell Baines’s retirement in 1974.
BDP’s principal offices, inherited from
Grenfell Baines & Hargreaves, were in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
and
PrestonPreston is a city and non-metropolitan district of Lancashire, in North West England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...
. By 1970, there were branch offices in
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and
GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
plus international offices in
MemphisMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
and
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
.
Professions represented in BDP offices in 1968
- Architect
An architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
s
- Town Planners
- Cost Consultants
- Civil Engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering, one of the many professions of engineering. Originally a civil engineer worked on public works projects and was contrasted with the military engineer, who worked on armaments and defenses...
s
- Building Services Engineers
Building services engineering is the engineering of the internal environment and environmental impact of a building. It essentially brings buildings and structures to life....
- Structural Engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
s
- Electrical Engineers
- Heating Engineers
Heating may refer to:*HVAC: Heating, ventilation and air-conditioningHeating devices, or systems:*Block heater, or headbolt heater, an electric heater that heats the engine of a car to ease starting in cold weather*Boiler...
- Ventilating Engineers
Ventilation is movement of air in and out of an enclosed space, including a body. It is used in the following contexts:* Ventilation * Ventilation * Ventilation * Ventilation * Ventilation...
- Landscape Architects
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes oversight of an exterior landscape or space. Their professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
- Traffic Engineers
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
- Graphic Designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
s
- Industrial Designers
- Sociologists
Building Design Partnership Ltd., UK
- Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
- Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
- Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
- Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
- Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
- Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- London
[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
- Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
- Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
- Winchester
Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
Selected Projects
- Rebuilding of Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
Military Town (1961-69)
- University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
(1965-68)
- University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a university in Bradford, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Formed from a technical college in 1966, there are three campuses: the main campus, located on Richmond Road, the School of Health, on Trinity Road, and the School of Management, at Emm Lane...
(1965-71)
- Preston bus station
Preston Bus Station is the central bus terminus in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England.- Design :Built in 1968 and 1969 with a capacity for 80 double-decker buses and designed by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership with E H Stazicker, some claim that it is the...
(1968-69)
- Blackburn
Blackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
Central Area Redevelopment (Blackburn Shopping CentreThe Mall Blackburn is a Shopping Centre that serves the town of Blackburn, Lancashire England and is owned by the The Mall Company.-Centre Information:...
) (1965-77)
- Halifax HQ, Halifax
Halifax is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece Hall...
(1973 & refurbisment 2002)
- Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
Terminal, FolkestoneFolkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site lay in a stream valley in the cliffs here; and its subsequent development was through fishing and its proximity to the Continent as a landing place and trading port...
(1973-5, revived 1987-93)
- Brent Cross
Brent Cross is an area of north London along both sides of the A406 North Circular Road, between the A5 Edgware Road in the west and the A41 Brent Cross Flyover in the east...
, London (1976)
- Ealing
Ealing is a town in the borough of Ealing, London. It is a suburban development situated 7.7 miles west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan and is often referred to as the "Queen of the Suburbs".-Etymology:The Saxon name for Ealing was...
Broadway Centre (1979-85)
- Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
Crown Court (1988-90)
- All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a suburb in south west London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located from Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
(1992-2000)
- Reconstruction of Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal...
, Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden...
, London (1996-2000) with Dixon Jones
- Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway is a road just north of Bristol, England, which has given its name to a large out-of-town shopping centre. Cribbs Causeway is situated in Patchway, South Gloucestershire. The primary access routes are the A4018 from Bristol, the M5 junction 17 and the Patchway bypass road...
, BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
(1998)
- Scottish Widows
Scottish Widows is an investment company located in Edinburgh, Scotland, now a subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group.Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society opened in 1815 in what is now Chambers Street, as Scotland's first mutual life office...
, EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
(1998) Number 93 of Prospect 100 best modern Scottish buildingsIn 2005, the Scottish architecture magazine Prospect published a list of the 100 best modern Scottish buildings, as voted for by its readers.-The list:...
- Adam Opel
Adam Opel was the founder of the German car-maker Opel.Born in the town of Rüsselsheim near Frankfurt, he began his career in a locksmith apprenticeship. He traveled across Europe as a teenager, and became fascinated by sewing machines...
Campus, Ruesselsheim, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
(1998)
- Niketown, London
[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
(1999)
- Connolly Station, Dublin
Dublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
(1999)
- Vasco da Gama
Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
Centre, LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
(1999)
- Olympic Tennis Centre, Sydney
Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
(2000)
- Glasgow Science Centre
Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a purpose-built science centre composed of three principal buildings which are the Science Mall, an IMAX cinema and the Glasgow Tower...
, GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(2001)
- Manchester Piccadilly Station
Manchester Piccadilly station is the principal railway station of Manchester in England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales and the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central in Scotland, and routes throughout northern England...
concourse (2001-02)
- Sao Gabriel & Sao Rafael Towers, Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
(2001-04)
- iceSheffield
IceSheffield is an ice arena in the Lower Don Valley, Sheffield, England. It was completed in May 2003 at a cost of £15 million. It consists of two Olympic-size ice rinks with seating for 1,500 people...
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
(2002)
- TresAguas Centre, Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous city by urban area in the European Union after Paris and London.The city is located on the river...
(2002)
- Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, South Porch (2003)
- Nanoscience Centre, University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
(2003)
- BBC Mailbox
BBC Birmingham is one of the oldest regional arms of the BBC. It was the first region outside of London to start broadcasting both the corporation's radio and television transmissions, the latter from the Sutton Coldfield television transmitter...
, BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
(2004)
- Olympic Tennis Centre, Athens
Athens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
(2004)
- Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
City Waterfront (2006)
- Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s.- The course :...
, MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. Taking its name from the River Mersey, Merseyside came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974, after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, and the county consists of five metropolitan...
(2007)
People who have worked for BDP
- Leon Krier
Léon Krier is an architect, architectural theorist and urban planner. From the late 1970s onwards Krier has been one of the most influential neo-traditional architects and planners. He is best known for his development of Poundbury 'village' in Dorchester, UK for the Prince of Wales...
- Michael Webb (architect)
Michael Webb was born March 3, 1937 in Henley-on-Thames. He was a founding member of the 1960s Archigram Group, a collection of six young architects who were determined to shake up what they saw as a stodgy British architectural profession...
of ArchigramArchigram was an avant-garde architectural group formed in the 1960s - based at the Architectural Association, London - that was futurist, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, drawing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was solely expressed through hypothetical projects...
- Jennifer Ross Meiring, architect director
External links