Peter Rice is a name and a
reputation known well throughout the architectural world. His work is
legendary. So it is that a brief reminder of his life and work is all
that is required by way of introduction. Wikipedia presents it most
succinctly:
Rice (left) with Piano (standing centre)
Peter Rice (16 June 1935–25
October 1992) was an Irish structural engineer. Born in Dublin, he
grew up in 52 Castle Road, Dundalk, in County Louth, and spent his
childhood between the town of Dundalk, and the villages of Gyles’
Quay and Inniskeen. He was educated at the Queen’s University of
Belfast where he received his primary degree, and spent a year at
Imperial College, London. Rice acted as Structural Engineer on three
of the most important architectural works of the 20th century: the
Sydney Opera House (with Ove Arup), Pompidou Centre, and the Lloyd’s
Building and was renowned for his innate ability to act as both
engineer and designer.
He originally studied Aeronautical
Engineering but switched to Civil Engineering. Taken on by Ove Arup &
Partners, his first job was the roof of the Sydney Opera House. He
married Sylvia Watson in 1965 and they had one son and three
daughters. Jonathan Glancey in his obituary said "Rice was,
perhaps, the James Joyce of structural engineering. His poetic
invention, his ability to turn accepted ideas on their head and his
rigorous mathematical and philosophical logic made him one of the
most sought-after engineers of our times".
He believed the best buildings result
from the symbiotic relationship between the architect and the
engineer where the engineer is the objective inventor and the
architect the creative input. He found the Anglo Saxon understanding
of the work of an engineer restrictive and preferred the French and
Italian interpretation of the role.
Among the notable buildings on whose
design he worked are the Centre Pompidou, the Sydney Opera House,
Lloyd’s of London, the Louvre Pyramid, the Mound Stand at Lord’s
Cricket Ground, Kansai International Airport and Stansted Airport.
In 1992 he was the second engineer to be
awarded the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture by the Royal Institute
of British Architects, (the first was Ove Arup), and the second
Irishman after Michael Scott. The award is conferred by the Sovereign
annually for work which has "promoted, either directly or
indirectly, the advancement of architecture."
He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in
1991 and died the following year aged 57. A sign has been put up
outside his childhood home, 52 Castle Road, Dundalk, County Louth,
saying "Birthplace of Peter Rice, Engineer, 1935 – 1992".
The plaque was erected privately by the (then) Dundalk Town
Architect, Mr Paul Clancy.
No further detail, analysis, comment, or
review is required. One can recommend his autobiography: Peter Rice,
An Engineer Imagines, Artemis, London, Zurich, Munich, 1994.
Peter Rice tells his story with the same love and care that he gave
to everything. A few notes were taken during the read because of
their importance. These clarify his ideas precisely, and need to be
considered and reconsidered by all. They require no further remarks,
being subtle, sensitive, and to the point. One can understand how this engineer can be so admired by architects.
p. 26 Often it is
the expressiveness of the jointing which humanizes the structures and
gives them their friendly feel.
p. 27 We argued
that in a design like ours, (Beaubourg), it was all in the detailing.
p. 30 The scale
of the Centre Beaubourg would be the scale of the pieces rather than
the scale of the whole.
p. 44 . . . we
were shouting across an impenetrable wall, with each of us drawing
the conclusions we wanted from the discussion.
p. 67 . . . the
remoteness and detachment of age, the distillation of wisdom and
purpose which old people embody.
p. 77 A building
does not have to be made of brick or stone to achieve this (tactile
feeling), but rather it is the honesty and immediacy in the use of
its principal materials which determines its tactile quality.
p. 78 . . . I
believe that the primary quality that makes the built environment
tactile is evidence that people have participated in its
construction.
The search for
the authentic character of a material is at the heart of any approach
to engineering design. . . . one should not invent and innovate just
for its own sake. Innovation should have a real purpose and be
contributing to the project. . . . I do not believe that economy and
innovation are necessarily incompatible.
p. 85 Every bolt,
every joint counts.
p. 154 . . . we
invariably think too big today.
p. 127 - 132. The
Critic and the Photograph - (note: a very perceptive overview)
p. 129 At all
levels therefore the photograph has had a detrimental effect on the
development of architecture and its appreciation by the public. The
photograph is such a ubiquitous element of modern life that many
people presented with something, particularly something of a certain
size, instinctively compose the photograph in their minds rather than
examine its reality.
Renzo Piano & Peter Rice circa 1982
P.S.
A Postscript is
required:
There is a
problem with a photograph in this publication. The photograph, Riding
the tube at Lyon, in the collection of images on the strangely un-numbered
pages at the very end of the book, reproduces the image sideways! The
publisher's note on the last page records that the book was 'prepared
for publication after Peter Rice's death.' This little piece of
carelessness is a sad disappointment, because Peter Rice was always
careful with the details. The book could have been titled All About Details.
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