Mies & Stirling: Contemporary Reflections

Mies van der Rohe, one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century, designed his proposal for Mansion House Square at the very end of his career in the early 1960s. The classic Miesian glass tower would have been Mies’ first and only project in the UK, after a protracted planning process provoked by comments made by Prince Charles, drawing in some of the most prominent voices in architecture of the time – Berthold Lubetkin, Denys Lasdun and Richard Rogers - the scheme was finally rejected in 1985. Lord Palumbo then approached James Stirling to conceive an alternative vision for the site and James Stirling, Michael Wilford & Associates’ No. 1 Poultry was completed in 1997, two years after Stirling’s untimely death.

The stories of the Mansion House Square and No. 1 Poultry are so rich and compelling; they feature some of the most prolific architects of the 20th century over three decades of design history. This panel discussion will give the key figures involved the opportunity to recount events of the time from their perspective and hear from those who were practicing alongside Mies van der Rohe and James Stirling.

Hear from Lord Peter Palumbo, architectural patron and commissioner of the Mansion House Square and No. 1 Poultry; Laurence Bain, project architect of No.1 Poultry; Adrian Gale, liaison architect for Mansion House Square scheme; Gavin Stamp, architectural historian; and MJ Long, past-employee of James Stirling. The panel discussion will be chaired by writer and academic Shumi Bose.