Thomas Heatherwick

**Thomas Heatherwick** (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and artist. He is known for innovative use of engineering and materials in public monuments and sculptures. He heads the Heatherwick Studio, which he founded in 1994.

## Biography

Born in London, he studied three dimensional design at Manchester Polytechnic and at the Royal College of Art, winning several prizes. Shortly after graduating from the Royal College of Art after a two-year furniture MA course in 1994, he was commissioned by Harvey Nichols department store in Knightsbridge to design a temporary structure for the shop's facade. His design was a ribbon of laminated wood that wound through the storefront windows. The design was widely acclaimed and won him a D&AD yellow pencil (the gold award) in 1997.

He founded Thomas Heatherwick Studio (now called just Heatherwick Studio) in 1994. His aim was "to bring architecture, design and sculpture together within a single practice". Originally based at Camden Mews, the studio moved to larger premises in Kings Cross in 2000. It presently comprises a thirty-strong team which includes architects, landscape architects, designers and engineers. Work is carried out from a combined studio and workshop where concept development, detailing, prototyping and small scale fabrication take place. The studio's work spans commercial and residential building projects, masterplanning and infrastructure schemes as well as high profile works of public art.

Heatherwick is a Senior Fellow and external examiner at the Royal College of Art. He is a fellow of the Royal Academy and was recently chosen to become a Royal Designer for Industry. He has served on numerous judging and advisory panels and has given talks at various institutions including the RIBA, Bartlett School of Architecture, the South Africa Design Indaba conference and the Royal Academy.

In 2004 he curated an exhibition at the Design Museum consisting of 1,000 'every day' design objects that he had collected.

## Key works

The _B of the Bang_ was a £1.42 million 56m-high sculpture of 180 giant spikes, erected outside the City of Manchester Stadium to celebrate the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Safety problems happened soon after it was completed in 2004 when one spike came apart. Eventually 22 more were removed as a safety measure. The object was rewelded and fenced off. It continued to cause concern and debate over its future. Finally Manchester City Council took legal action against Heatherwick studio and their subcontractors, who in November 2008 agreed to pay £1.7 million in damages. The installation was removed in 2009.

The 'East Beach Café' is a building on Littlehampton Sea Front, West Sussex, UK created by Heatherwick. Commissioned in 2005, the large steel structure houses a Café by daytime and restaurant in the evening. The concept allowed the steel to rust and the colours to develop over time before being fixed in a transparent oil. It won the 2008 RIBA Award in the South East region.

## Notable works

- Sculpted forms in laminated wood, Guastavino Restaurant, New York City
- B of the Bang, Manchester
- _Bleigiessen_, Wellcome Trust, London
- Blue Carpet, Newcastle upon Tyne
- The Rolling Bridge (also known as "the curling bridge"), Paddington Basin, London
- Longchamp store in the SoHo district of New York City
- Interior, Konstam Restaurant, Kings Cross, London WC1
- Southorn Playground, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
- "Zip Bag" handbag for Longchamp
- East Beach Cafe, Littlehampton
- Boiler Suit, Guy's Approaches, Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital, London
- Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth University
- _Sitooterie II_, Barnards Farm, West Horndon, Essex.

## Awards

Thomas Heatherwick was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts by Manchester Metropolitan University - his alma mater - on July 21, 2007. It is in recognition of his design work across a broad spectrum of architecture, engineering and public art, achieving national and international acclaim for his innovative use of materials, his eclectic range of projects, and the resolution of them in new and exciting ways.

## Other websites

- Heatherwick Studio Official website
- Profile in _Icon_ magazine
- Heatherwick and the Conran Collection in _Icon_ magazine
- Profile in _Art & Architecture_ - PDF
- Thomas Heatherwick  at Sculpture.org.uk
- Profile in _The Observer_ 26 September 2004
- East Beach Cafe
- Manchester Metropolitan University's Honorands
- Artist in plea on 'bang' future - BBC News story
- Rolling Bridge in _Frame and Form_ magazine
- Glass Bridge in _Frame and Form_ magazine

## Infobox (architect)

- **image**: Thomas Heatherwick at Strelka Institute.jpg
- **image size**: 250px
- **name**: Thomas Heatherwick
- **birth date**: 17th February, 1970
- **birth place**: London
- **significant buildings**: Longchamp store in SoHo
- **significant projects**: B of the Bang, The Rolling Bridge