Prof. Adrian Forty

Bartlett, University College London

As head of the MSc in Architectural History at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, Professor Adrian Forty was instrumental in establishing architectural history both as an important academic discipline in its own right, and as an integral element of the architecture and design curriculum in higher education.
 
When Forty co-founded this course in 1981 it was the first of its kind in Britain, and went on to hold an international reputation for study in the history of architecture. Such is the prestige of the course that it has continued to attract students from more than twenty countries, with graduates going on to teach in many of the major architectural schools around the world.
 
Forty’s own research, most notably his two major books Objects of Desire (1986) and Words and Buildings (2000), provided him with an unparalleled reputation amongst contemporary architectural historians, and continue to influence and inspire both students and teachers of architecture and design.
 
In particular, his work demonstrated the necessity of broadening the study of design and architecture to encompass ideas and methodologies derived from many other disciplines.
 
Through such research, Forty tirelessly sought to provide designers and students of design with the broadest possible cultural understanding of their own discipline.

Sir Misha Black Award

2003