A true original in design, Nigel Coates

If you haven’t heard of Nigel Coates yet, you will. Arguably one of Britain’s most original thinkers when it comes to architecture, interior design and product design, his imprint on our world is unmistakable.

Trained at the University of Nottingham and the Architectural Association, the 60 year-old creative genius has brought his unique view of the world to buildings, furnishings, art, and urban planning.

The central thread of his work is always architectural, he says. “I go for architecture that overlays and enhances. By blending observation and wit with reason, I want my work to generate a sense of the unexpected, and the seemingly spontaneous.”

If this is the case, then he has succeeded many times over.

In fact, he urged architects worldwide to be the architects of their own lives and adapt the buildings around them. His manifesto in Narrative Architecture Today virtually guaranteed his place in architectural history.

Coates practices what he preaches, too. The notion of narrative can be found in all his designs. For him, narrative allows him to create two conditions that coexist

simultaneously in a single form. Each narrates the other.

This is particularly evident in his architecture, which explores it communicative and experiential potential in new ways. The organic level of a city blends seamlessly with the structures that house it. It is, in some respects, a living organism that has emotion, energy and life.

Of course, Coates is more than an architect. His furniture and lighting designs are legendary in the world of interior design. His innovative and influential furniture designs can be found in some of the great design houses in the world, including Fratelli, Boffi and Varaschin. Coates’ works have even been featured in the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cooper Hewitt and FRAC.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Coates shares his extraordinary vision and passion for architecture and design with students at the Royal College of Art in Britain. He has been a Professor of Architecture there since 1995, allowing a new generation of designers and architects to expand on his revolutionary visions of the world around us.