Maurice K. Smith
Encyclopedia
Maurice Smith is a New Zealand born architect and architectural educator. Smith's work and teaching builds upon the idea of creating "habitable three-dimensional fields" as a working method for his projects. His 'field theory' has parallels to the work of Charles Olson
, William Carlos Williams
, and Francis Ponge
in poetry, and of György Kepes
and Paul Klee
in the visual arts. Smith's published works include the offices of Firth Concrete, Hastings, New Zealand
, 1958, and Indian Hill House
, (aka the Blackman House), in Groton, Massachusetts
(1962–63). He left New Zealand to study at MIT in the USA on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1952. During this time Smith studied under, and worked for, various MIT faculty and visiting faculty, including Carl Koch, Serge Chermayeff
, Richard Buckminster Fuller, and György Kepes
.
Back in New Zealand in the mid-1950s, Smith designed a number of small buildings, including individual houses in Auckland and the Firth Offices in Hastings, before returning to the US in 1958. There he taught from 1958 to 1996 at the School of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He returned to New Zealand to teach at the Auckland University School of Architecture for one term in 1968.
Smith is currently Emeritus Professor of Architecture at MIT and lives in Harvard, Massachusetts.
Charles Olson
Charles Olson , was a second generation American modernist poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance...
, William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
, and Francis Ponge
Francis Ponge
Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge was a French essayist and poet. In many ways, he combined the two — essay and poem — into a single art form.-Life:...
in poetry, and of György Kepes
György Kepes
György Kepes was a Hungarian-born painter, designer, educator and art theorist. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1937, he taught design at the New Bauhaus in Chicago...
and Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
in the visual arts. Smith's published works include the offices of Firth Concrete, Hastings, New Zealand
Hastings, New Zealand
The city of Hastings is a major urban settlement in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, and it is the largest settlement by population in Hawke's Bay. Hastings city is the administrative centre of the Hastings District...
, 1958, and Indian Hill House
Indian Hill House
Indian Hill House is a private residence designed in 1962-63 by Maurice K. Smith and built by Ralph S. Osmond & Sons. The influence of Mid-Century modern architecture is readily discernible here although Smith moves beyond this with an elaboration of his own "Form Language" - an approach to design...
, (aka the Blackman House), in Groton, Massachusetts
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
(1962–63). He left New Zealand to study at MIT in the USA on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1952. During this time Smith studied under, and worked for, various MIT faculty and visiting faculty, including Carl Koch, Serge Chermayeff
Serge Chermayeff
Serge Ivan Chermayeff was a Russian born, British architect, industrial designer, writer, and co-founder of several architectural societies, including the American Society of Planners and Architects....
, Richard Buckminster Fuller, and György Kepes
György Kepes
György Kepes was a Hungarian-born painter, designer, educator and art theorist. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1937, he taught design at the New Bauhaus in Chicago...
.
Back in New Zealand in the mid-1950s, Smith designed a number of small buildings, including individual houses in Auckland and the Firth Offices in Hastings, before returning to the US in 1958. There he taught from 1958 to 1996 at the School of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He returned to New Zealand to teach at the Auckland University School of Architecture for one term in 1968.
Smith is currently Emeritus Professor of Architecture at MIT and lives in Harvard, Massachusetts.