Stephanie Macdonald

Last updated
Stephanie Macdonald

OBE
Born (1966-10-15) 15 October 1966 (age 56)
Lewisham, England
Education Croydon College of Art, Portsmouth School of Art, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Royal College of Art, University of North London
Occupation architect
Years active2001–present
Known for6a architects
Notable work Raven Row, South London Gallery, Studio for Juergen Teller, Cowan Court Churchill College Cambridge
Partner Tom Emerson
Awards RIBA Awards (2011,14, 17), Schelling Medal 2012
Website www.6a.co.uk

Stephanie Macdonald OBE (born 15 October 1966 in Lewisham, London) is a British architect. She co-founded architecture firm 6a architects with Tom Emerson in 2001. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to architecture. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

The eldest of twelve children, Stephanie Macdonald was born in Lewisham, in the outskirts of London. She attended schools in Purley until leaving at a young age to work as a clerk in banking and insurance in the City of London. [3] She completed her Art Foundation through night school at Croydon College of Art, while working nightshifts at a supermarket. [3] Afterwards, she studied environmental art at Portsmouth School of Art, where she began to develop an interest in architecture. Following her interest in art, she enrolled at Glasgow School of Art, but changed to architecture in the second year moving to the Mackintosh School of Architecture. [4]

In 1994, Macdonald embarked on postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art, where she met her life and business partner Tom Emerson. [5] [4] It was there that they met artist Richard Wentworth, who would become a fundamental influence on their architecture practices. [6] She obtained her diploma at the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University) in 1997 where she was taught by Caruso St John. [5] [4]

Architecture career

In 2001, Macdonald and Emerson founded 6a architects. Their work was brought to prominence with the renovation of the grade-I listed Raven Row gallery in East London and the fire station at the South London Gallery. [7] [8] Subsequent projects have included the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, Juergen Teller's Studio and international commissions such as two mixed-use towers in Hamburg, Germany. [3] 6a architects projects often involve collaborations with art galleries, cultural institutions and artists, which Macdonald explains results from their connections with artists, writers and designers whilst at art and architecture school. [6]

Macdonald has spoken about her experiences as a woman in architecture, stating that ‘the profession is not made in women's image' but notes that a lot is being done to counteract this. [9] She was shortlisted in shortlisted in the Architect of the Year category for her work on Cowan Court in the 2018 Women in Architecture Awards. [9] She was also listed as one of the Evening Standard London's most influential people 2018 in the category of architecture [10] and was featured in a 2021 article on women architects in the Daily Telegraph. [3]

Personal life

Stephanie Macdonald lives in London with her partner Tom Emerson and their son Laurie, born in 1999. [3]  

Projects

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Rennie Mackintosh</span> Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist (1868–1928)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdonald, was influential on European design movements such as Art Nouveau and Secessionism and praised by great modernists such as Josef Hoffmann. Mackintosh was born in Glasgow and died in London. He is among the most important figures of Modern Style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow School of Art</span> Fine arts school in Glasgow, Scotland

The Glasgow School of Art is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards, and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juergen Teller</span> German fine-art and fashion photographer (born 1964)

Juergen Teller is a German fine-art and fashion photographer. He was awarded the Citibank Prize for Photography in 2003 and received the Special Presentation International Center of Photography Infinity Award in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances MacDonald</span> Painter from the UK (1873–1921)

Frances Macdonald MacNair was a Scottish artist whose design work was a prominent feature of the Modern Style during the 1890s.

Sadie Judith Coles is a British art dealer. She is the owner of Sadie Coles HQ, a contemporary art gallery in London, that has been at the forefront of the Young British Artists movement.

Alice Rawsthorn OBE is a British design critic and author. Her books include Design as an Attitude (2018) and Hello World: Where Design Meets Life (2013). She is chair of the board of trustees at the Chisenhale Gallery in London and at The Hepworth Wakefield gallery in Yorkshire. Rawsthorn is a founding member of Writers at Liberty, a group of writers who are committed to supporting the work of the human rights charity Liberty. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to design and the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Syjuco</span> Filipino-American conceptual artist and educator (born 1974)

Stephanie Syjuco, is a Filipino-American conceptual artist and educator. Born in the Philippines, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1977. Syjuco received her MFA from Stanford University in 2005, and BFA in Sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1995. She currently lives and works in Oakland, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Philo</span> British fashion designer

Phoebe Philo OBE is a British fashion designer. She was the creative director of fashion brands Céline from 2008 to 2018 and Chloé from 2001 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Drew</span> English modernist architect and town planner

Dame Jane Drew, was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the Architectural Association School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Modern Movement in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Photographers' Gallery</span>

The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography.

Gillian Mary Wise was a British artist devoted to the application of concepts of rationality and aesthetic order to abstract paintings and reliefs. Between 1972 and 1990 she was known as Gillian Wise Ciobotaru.

Jessica Voorsanger is an American artist and academic, living and working in London. She has worked on the "Mystery Train" project for the Institute of Contemporary Arts to make contemporary art more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Her work has been exhibited more than two dozen times with her husband, fellow artist Patrick Brill, best known as Bob and Roberta Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annabelle Selldorf</span> German-born architect

Annabelle Selldorf is a German-born architect and founding principal of Selldorf Architects, a New York City-based architecture practice. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and the recipient of the 2016 AIANY Medal of Honor. Her projects include the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility, Neue Galerie New York, The Rubell Museum, a renovation of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, David Zwirner's 20th Street Gallery, The Mwabwindo School, 21 East 12th Street, 200 11th Avenue, 10 Bond Street, and several buildings for the LUMA Foundation's contemporary art center in Arles, France.

Kiang Malingue is a commercial art gallery with premises in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. It was founded by Edouard Malingue and Lorraine Kiang Malingue as the Edouard Malingue Gallery in 2010. The establishment combines different disciplines, ranging from video and installation to painting and sound, and also actively works with international institutions and curators to present off-site artistic projects and exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Kasten</span>

Barbara Kasten is an American artist from Chicago Illinois. Her work involves the use of abstract video and photograph projections.

Thomas Vincent Emerson is a British architect based in London and Zürich. His practice, 6a architects, founded with Stephanie Macdonald in 2001 is best known for designing buildings for the arts and education for which it has won several RIBA Awards, the Schelling Medal for architecture. and the Tessenow Medal 2023. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to architecture and education.. In 2023 Emerson and Macdonald were elected Royal Academicians by the Royal Academy in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Phillipson</span> British artist

Heather Phillipson is a British artist working in a variety of media including video, sculpture, music, large-scale installations, online works, text and drawing. She is also an acclaimed poet whose writing has appeared widely online, in print and broadcast. Her work has been presented at major venues internationally and she has received multiple awards for her artwork, videos and poetry. She is nominated for the Turner Prize 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Cousin</span> British artist

Emma Cousin is a British artist.

Ursula Ulalia Edgcumbe was a British sculptor and painter. As a sculptor she worked in stone, wood and bronze while, after switching to painting, many of her works depicted birds and groups of figures.

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

References

  1. "The full list of everyone recognised in the New Year's Honours list". inews.co.uk. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  2. "David Chipperfield and Yinka Ilori recognised in Queen's New Year Honours list". Dezeen. 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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 2021-07-13.
  4. 1 2 3 "Interview: Tom Emerson & Stephanie Macdonald, 6a architects". Something Curated. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  5. 1 2 "6a". www.port-magazine.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. 1 2 "6a architects on Designing for Galleries and Artists". ELEPHANT. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  7. Kucharek, Jan-Carlos. "6a". www.ribaj.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  8. "The Radical Cosiness of South London Gallery's New Fire Station Annexe | Frieze". Frieze. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  9. 1 2 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 2021-07-13.
  10. "The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2018 - Visualisers: Architecture". www.standard.co.uk. 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2021-07-13.