James Gowan

• Name — James Gowan • Born — 18 October 1923 • Birthplace — Pollokshields, Glasgow, Scotland • Died — 15 June 2015 • Place of death — London, England • Education — Glasgow School of Art, Kingston School of Architecture • Practice — Associated architectural firm[s] • Significant Buildings — Langham House Close • Significant Projects — Skylon • Significant Design — Leicester Engineering Building, Schrieber house, Hampstead

Gowan was born in Pollokshields, Glasgow in 1923. He was brought up by his grandparents in Partick after his parents' separation, but went to live with his mother aged 12 and attended Hyndland Secondary School. He studied architecture at the Glasgow School of Art before joining the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was stationed in Palestine as a radar operator. After the war, he moved to London and completed his studies at Kingston School of Architecture. He married Margaret Barry in October 1944, having two daughters.

After graduating Gowan was employed by Philip Powell who had been his tutor at Kingston. His projects included working on the Skylon design for the 1951 Festival of Britain, then Stevenage New Town. Then later while working at Lyons Israel Ellis he met James Stirling with whom he formed a practice in 1956.

• Illustration — University of Leicester Engineering Building Gowan and Stirling's initial project was to design Langham House Close on Ham Common, West London, which according to the Guardian "quickly established the pair as one of the most radical practices of their generation". Gowan said of his work that "We were reacting against the older generation, setting up a critique of what might be done – a reaction against boredom, plainness and the mechanical nature of contemporary rationalism, of social rationalism and dainty well-produced things." Their most well-known work was on the Le Corbusier-influenced University of Leicester Engineering Building. This building was noted for its technological and geometric character, with glazed towers clad in red tiles evocative of the local Victorian era industrial aesthetic and a crystalline workshop roof consisting of 2,500 diamond-shaped glass panels. The pair split acrimoniously due to fundamental differences of opinion as to the correct approach for their next commission which was the University of Cambridge History Faculty Library, with Gowan believing strongly that reusing aspects of their earlier design did not fit the purposes of the Library building.