"The Rise of the House of Adam" - Feature in Country Life Magazine

An article by David Watkin on the work of Robert Adam Architects has just been featured in Country Life magazine's special issue on 'Smaller country houses.' The piece features various projects specially chosen to illustrate the issue's theme, all designed by the five directors of the practice, which Professor Watkin describes as "one of the most remarkable and prolific architectural firms in Britain today."

The article demonstrates the range and quality of projects produced by the firm in a traditional or classical language, against the backdrop of the directors' ongoing academic interests and extensive writings. In particular, David Watkin recognises the potential power of classical architecture and traditional urban planning to heal "the wounds of modernism" in the UK, repairing the damage wrought by many architects in the 1960's and 70's. Robert Adam Architects' work in planning and speculative housing, most recently at the Leith Docks in Edinburgh, is undoubtedly helping to bring traditional urbanism into the mainstream British planning system and will hopefully aid the revival of classical forms in architecture more widely across the UK and beyond. The piece underlines the fact that traditional architecture can be modern, and as the illustrated projects show, in the words of Professor Watkin, can truly exemplify "variety and beauty."

Click here to download article in PDF format - 1.8 Mb