World-leading architect Norman Foster, Lord Foster of Thames Bank, leads a stellar line-up of speakers at an event on 5 November 2014 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the official opening of Sir Denys Lasdun’s Royal College of Physicians. The event will also see the RCP honour Sir Denys and commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth by renaming the Marble Hall the Lasdun Hall.
The Grade I listed building is recognised as one of the finest examples of 1960s architecture, and was awarded the Trustees Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1992.
The event, which will be held in the Wolfson Theatre of the Royal College of Physicians, will take place from 5.30 pm on 5 November, exactly 50 years since Her Majesty the Queen opened the building in 1964.
Lord Foster will speak about his perspective on Lasdun, placing his work in the context of some of the leading architects of the day. His talk will touch on his own experience consulting the architect during the evolution of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the campus Lasdun designed for the University of East Anglia.
Joining Lord Foster to lead the tributes to Sir Denys will be leading Lasdun scholar Dr Barnabas Calder, who will talk specifically about Lasdun’s Royal College of Physicians, and Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, who will give a historical perspective on the homes of the RCP throughout its 500-year history.
The event will be followed by the official renaming of the Marble Hall as the Lasdun Hall.
Professor Linda Luxon, RCP Treasurer, said:
We are delighted that Lord Foster is able to join us in our tribute to Sir Denys Lasdun, and celebrate the 50th anniversary of our iconic building. For the past 50 years, the RCP has worked hard to preserve and maintain our architectural masterpiece in tribute to its creator, Sir Denys Lasdun. The building has been flexible enough to meet our needs across the decades and stand the test of time – it works just as well today as it did in 1964.
Places at this event are extremely limited, if you would like to attend, please contact Linda Cuthbertson, head of PR, on 0203 075 1254 / 0774 877 7919, or email Linda.Cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk
- Guests will also be able to see the RCP’s exhibition The anatomy of a building: Denys Lasdun and the Royal College of Physicians, which is free and open to the public from 10-5 on weekdays. The exhibition runs until 13 February, and includes rarely-seen original models of Lasdun’s best-known buildings, including the National Theatre and Keeling House, alongside contemporary drawings, photographs and letters from private collections, the Royal Academy, and the Royal Institute of British Architects.