6a architects

6a architects is a British architectural practice, which was established in 2001 by Stephanie Macdonald and Tom Emerson. ^[1] It is based in London, United Kingdom. ^[2]

The practice won the RIBA National Award in 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and it was awarded the Erich Schelling Medal for Architecture in 2012. ^{[3] [4]}  

6a architects
Industry	Architecture
Founded	London, United Kingdom, 2001
Key people	Stephanie Macdonald (founder) Tom Emerson (founder)
Services	Architecture, Design, Cultural
Website	http://www.6a.co.uk

The practice

Established in 2001, 6a architects is associated with projects for cultural institutions such as art galleries, collaborations with artists and residential buildings. ^{[5] [2]} It was founded by life and business partners Stephanie Macdonald and Tom Emerson, who met at the Royal College of Art in 1994. ^[3] Speaking on why they decided to form the practice, Macdonald has said that it was as a way to balance the responsibilities of childcare and work, after their son was born in 1999. ^{[6] [7]}

The practice's first project was a showroom in Mayfair for the online fashion retailer Oki-ni. ^[8] This was followed by several projects involving art galleries including Raven Row gallery in East London in 2009 and the expansion of the South London Gallery in 2010. ^[9] The practice was enlisted to work on the South London Gallery Fire Station, completed in 2018. ^[10] Subsequently, the practice designed the new MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, which opened in 2019. ^{[1] [11] [12]} The gallery was listed in second place in The Guardian's top ten architecture 2019 list and at number one in Rowan Moore's 'top 5 buildings of 2019' in The Observer. ^{[12] [13]} International projects have included multi-use towers in the Hafen district of Hamburg, Germany, completed in 2020. ^[7]

MK gallery, Milton Keynes, designed by 6a architects

Awards and nominations

The practice has received several awards, nominations and been on various shortlists. ^{[14] [4]} For Juergen Teller's studio, the practice was awarded the RIBA London Building of the Year 2017, a RIBA National Award, a RIBA regional award and it was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling prize. ^{[15] [16]} It was awarded the Woods Award for Coastal House in Devon. ^[9] There have also been three nominations for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies Van der Rohe Award, in 2011, 2013 and 2015. ^[14] The Evening Standard listed Macdonald and Emerson on London's most influential people in 2018 in the category of architecture. ^[9] The practice was cited as one of Domus's best architecture firms in 2020. ^[17]

Founders Macdonald and Emerson were both appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Years Honours for their services to architecture. ^{[18] [19]}

Notable works

• Oki-ni, Savile Row, London, 2001
• Raven Row, Contemporary Art Exhibition Centre, Spitalfields, London, 2009
• South London Gallery, London, 2010
• Fashion Galleries, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2012
• Romney's House, Hampstead, London, 2012
• Tree House, London, London, 2013
• Façade for Paul Smith, Albemarle Street, London, 2013
• Studio for Juergen Teller, London, 2016
• Cowan Court, Churchill College Cambridge, 2015–16
• Black Stone Building, London, 2017
• Coastal House, Devon, 2017
• Blue Mountain School, London, 2018
• MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, 2019
• Housing, Hafen City, Hamburg, 2020
• A2-B2, Design District London, 2021
• Bedford House Community Centre, London 2021

Bibliography

• Never Modern by 6a architects and Irénée Scalbert, Park Books, Zurich, 2013, ISBN   978-3-906027-24-1
• 6a architects 2009–17, El Croquis, no. 192, 2017, ISBN   978-84-947754-0-6
• 6a architects 2001–22, A+U, no. 623, 2022, ISBN   978-4900212800

See also

• List of architecture firms
• List of architects

References

1. "6a architects on Designing for Galleries and Artists". ELEPHANT. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
2. "6a architects". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
3. "The Peter Dormer Lecture 2018: Scribes and Squares". Royal College of Art. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
4. "6a architects". www.maniera.be. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
5. "Interview: Tom Emerson & Stephanie Macdonald, 6a architects". Something Curated. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
6. Astbury, Jon (2018-02-07). "Stephanie Macdonald of 6a: 'I am so impressed by the generations of women coming after me'". The Architects' Journal. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
7. Roux, Caroline (2021-02-20). "'Zaha Hadid couldn't stand being called a woman architect - I've never given a damn'". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2021-07-16.
8. Lloyd, Joe (November 2018). "History in the Making". Icon: 106–112.
9. Kucharek, Jan-Carlos. "6a". www.ribaj.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
10. "The Radical Cosiness of South London Gallery's New Fire Station Annexe | Frieze". Frieze. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
11. "MK Gallery review – utterly, thrillingly Milton Keynesian". The Guardian. 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
12. "Top 10 architecture of 2019". The Guardian. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
13. "Rowan Moore's best architecture of 2019". The Guardian. 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
14. "6a architects". www.6a.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
15. "Juergen Teller's studio and five other buildings shortlisted for architecture's Stirling Prize". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
16. "Photography Studio for Juergen Teller". www.architectmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
17. "Best Architecture Firms 2020". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
18. "The full list of everyone recognised in the New Year's Honours list". inews.co.uk. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
19. "David Chipperfield and Yinka Ilori recognised in Queen's New Year Honours list". Dezeen. 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2021-07-16.

External links

• Practice website