Nigel Coates (b.1949) English architect and designer

Nigel Coates (b.1949 ) is an architect from the United Kingdom. 

Education

He was born and raised in Malvern, Worcestershire, and attended Hanley Castle Grammar School before attending the University of Nottingham (1968–71) and the Architectural Association (1972–74)

Biography

He co-founded Branson Coates Architecture with Doug Branson in 1985 before opening his architecture and design studio in 2006. He was a partner in the Branson Coates architecture and design studio and the founder of the radical NATO (Narrative Architecture Today, established in London in 1983) design group (established in 1985).

Coates was instrumental in bringing a perspective that merged a sophisticated understanding of innovative architectural possibilities with a keen sense of the visual language of contemporary street culture. Through various projects for clubs, bars, restaurants, and retail stores, the organisations with whom he has been professionally affiliated have influenced the urban landscape.

Narrative Architecture Today (NATO)

Following his research, the theoretically educated Coates established NATO with colleagues and students and then the Branson Coates studio. The seismic changes in British architecture that had dramatically disrupted the status quo in previous decades, such as Pop and Punk, influenced an architectural and design perspective that recognised the visual richness of street culture and the possibilities of avant-garde innovations in the fine arts and new media.

The group’s work was influenced by the power of drawing and the ability of installations to create an atmosphere, resulting in dramatic creations such as the Café Bongo in Tokyo in 1986. In 1988, Branson Coates designed an interior for Katherine Hamnett’s shop on Sloane Street in London. Giant fish tanks adorned the interior walls, complemented by a replica of Surrealist artist Salvador Dali’s famous lip sofa and baroque furnishings. Other retail outlet designs include Jasper Conran in Tokyo (1989) and another in London for Jigsaw clothes (1991). The Metropole in Tokyo (1985), the Noah’s Ark restaurant in Sapporo, and the Bargo Bar in Glasgow are only a few of the company’s restaurant and bar designs (1996).

The Jazz and Metropole furniture collections debuted in 1987, followed by the Noah’s Ark series in 1988, named after Branson Coates’ cafés. The Erotic Fashion show at the Design Museum in London (1997), the state-sponsored Powerhouse: UK exhibition promoting contemporary British design in Horseguards Parade, London, and The Body Zone in the Millennium Dome, Greenwich, are among the company’s exhibition projects (2000).

The striking stainless steel forms of the National Centre for Popular Music (1999, now closed) in Sheffield and the British Pavilion for Expo ’98 in Seville are two other prominent commissions. Through his teaching at the Architectural Association in London and the Royal College of Art, where he became Professor of Architecture and Interior Design in the mid-1990s, Coates has had a significant impact on architectural design education.

Capriol Chair a Case Study

The Capriol chair by Coates is loosely based on the Tuscan rustic chair. It has “naturalistic lines” make it look like a roe deer is standing tall. The chair’s base is 45cm x 38cm, and the backrest is 83cm tall. You can choose a walnut, black, or white frame colour and a black, white, or walnut material for the upholstery. The walnut finish option has natural, grainy textures, and the chair’s frame is made of carved wood, which gives the piece an earthy feel. Coates remembered fondly that the idea for the chair came from when he went to Vietnam and experienced a different way of life (Stir World, 2021).

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The Design Encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

Downey, C. (1992). Neo-furniture. Rizzoli.

Papadakēs A., Broadbent, G., & Toy, M. (1992). Free spirit in architecture. Academy Editions.

Stir World. (2021, July 24). Nigel Coates Capriol dining chair is charged with the animalistic energy of a roe deer. Nigel Coates Capriol Dining Chair Is Charged With the Animalistic Energy of a Roe Deer. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-nigel-coates-capriol-dining-chair-is-charged-with-the-animalistic-energy-of-a-roe-deer

Thackara, J. (1986). New British design. Thames and Hudson.

Wikipedia contributors. (2020, December 24). Nigel Coates (architect). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:32, May 18, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nigel_Coates_(architect)&oldid=996136362

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