Where does Stirling’s Olivetti sit?

A talk by Robin Nicholson

Recorded by Docomomo UK in London at The Gallery on 21st May 2019

In 1969 James Stirling designed a new UK training school for Olivetti.  At that time, Olivetti had made the first commercially produced personal computer and were the largest manufacturer of office machines in Europe.

After Stirling and Gowan had split in 1963, following the Leicester University  Engineering building, Stirling produced two other red buildings and two large concrete projects at St Andrews and Runcorn.

Within this context, Robin Nicholson will explore whether the total design of Olivetti represents a one-off interim project, before Stirling’s then pivotal St Andrews Arts Centre.

Robin Nicholson was the job architect for the Olivetti project within Stirling’s office, before he became a long-standing partner at the Cullinan Studio cooperative.