Luxembourgish architect and theorist Léon Krier, who was a key driver of New Urbanism and well-known critic of modernism, has passed away aged 79.
Krier, who is best known for his masterplan of King Charles III‘s Poundbury development in Dorset, died earlier this week on 17 June in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
One of the 20th and 21st centuries’ leading architectural theorists, he taught at the Architectural Association (AA) and Royal College of Art (RCA) in the UK, as well as Princeton, Yale and Cornell in USA.
Krier’s criticism of modernist cities laid the basis for the development of ideals of New Urbanism, some of which was incorporated into his plans for Poundbury and Ciudad Cayalá in Guatamala.
Born and raised in Luxembourg, Krier began his architecture education at the University of Stuttgart in Germany before abandoning his studies to work in the studio of British architect James Stirling in 1969.
After moving to the UK, Krier established his own studio and developed his urbanist theories while teaching at the AA and RCA. In 1978 he published his first book, titled Rational Architecture.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Krier’s theories on redesigning European cities and his faith in the value of classical architecture were refined, although he designed little.
One realised work was a temporary facade as part of the entrance to the first Venice Architecture Biennale in 1980 titled The Presence of the Past.
Many of Krier’s theories aligned with the views of King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, which led to the architect being given the chance to realise his vision at the Poundbury development.
Designed in the early 1990s, Poundbury was masterplanned by Krier, with a central square designed by Quinlan Terry, as an extension to the town of Dorchester.
Now complete, the town has a classical aesthetic, which has been disparagingly described as a Disney-esque model village.
However, the development has proved popular with residents and in a 2016 piece Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright wrote “it’s getting a lot of things right”.
Krier’s theories were more widely spread in 2009 with the release of his book The Architecture of Community, which refined his thinking on city planning.
Among the buildings designed by Krier are the Village Hall in Windsor, Florida and Krier House in the resort village of Seaside, Florida.
The main photo is by Rggv.
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