Cecil Balmond OBE - Amazon Web Services

Cecil Balmond OBE
Cecil Balmond OBE is widely considered to be one of the most
significant creators of his generation. An internationally renowned
artist, architect and engineer, Balmond is known for making
the impossible possible on some of the world’s most stunning
design projects pioneering the crossover between advanced art,
architecture and science.
His approach is one of investigation and draws on over 40
years
of research into emergent form, space and structure.
Inspired by nature and the underlying pattern residing within it,
Balmond’s works range from architectural icons to masterplans
and massive public art.
Cecil Balmond
©ArcelorMittal
Ongoing architecture projects include a $700m mixed-use
development in Colombo - the largest and most ambitious
scheme the country has ever seen - a $60m tower in Asia and a masterplan scheme for Myanmar. Balmond’s art sculpture
Snow Words, commissioned by the State of Alaska Arts Council, was named one of the best public artworks of 2012 by
the Americans for the Arts, Public Art Network Year in Review. New public art projects include commissions for the Chicago
Transit Authority and landmark sculptures for Toronto, Canada, Iowa City, USA, the Mesa Art Center in Arizona and the
Common Centre Plaza in Syracuse, New York, USA.
A leader in architectural and design theory, Cecil Balmond currently holds the Paul Philippe Cret Chair at Penn Design as
Professor of Architecture where he founded the Non- Linear Systems Organization (NSO), a material and structural research
unit at University of Pennsylvania.
Qualifications
Doctor of Science, University of Southampton, 2012
Fellow Institution of Engineering Designers, 2009
Doctor of Science, University of London, 2009
Fellow Royal Academy of Engineers, 2008
Fellow Royal Institute of British Architects, 1998
MSc, Imperial College, London, 1970
DIC, Imperial College, London, 1970
BSc, University of Southampton, 1965
Professional Associations
Honorary Fellow of the Institution of
Engineering Designers, 2009
Honorary Fellow of the RIBA, 1998
Honorary Architectural Association Diploma, 1992
Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers, 1970
Teaching
Director, NSO, Penn Design, from 2005
Paul Phillipe Cret Professor of Architecture, Penn Design,
2004
Visiting Saarinen Professor, Yale University School of
Architecture, 1997-2002
Professor, LSE - Urban Cities Programme, 2002-2004
Visiting Kenzo Tange critic, Harvard Graduate School of
Architecture, 2000
Awards
Officer of the Order of the British Empire, 2015
GG2 Hammer Award, 2012
Prince Philip Designers Prize shortlist, 2011
IED Gerald Frewer Memorial Trophy, 2011
Sir Banister Fletcher Prize, 2005
Riba Charles Jencks, 2003
Gengo Matsui Prize, 2002
Publications
Crossover, Prestel 2012
A+U: Cecil Balmond, 2008, Special Edition Monograph
Element, Prestel 2007
informal, Prestel 2002, 4 languages
No. 9: The Search for the Sigma Code, Prestel 1998, 7
languages
Exhibitions
Equilibrium, Salvatore Ferragamo, Florence, 2015
UnBounded, Allen & Overy, London, 2014
Element, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo Japan, 2010
Forum 64, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh USA, 2009
Solid Void, Graham Foundation, Chicago USA, 2009
Frontiers of Architecture, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art,
Denmark, 2008
H_edge, Artists Space, New York USA, 2007
Informal, Arc en Reve, Bordeaux France, 2006
Balmond Studio
Balmond Studio is an international research-led practice
of
architects, designers, artists and theoreticians run by the
world’s leading thinker on form and structure - Cecil Balmond.
With a presence in London, UK, Colombo, Sri Lanka and
Singapore, Balmond Studio has a global reach and fast growing
influence in the fields of architecture, art, design and theory.
In addition to full architectural and consulting services
including
project management and cost consultancy,
the studio is
committed to offering multi-faceted experiences through interior
design, installations, exhibitions and publications.
The studio is the independent evolution of Cecil Balmond’s work
at Arup, where he was Deputy Chairman. He was also Chairman
of Arup’s European Building Division, and ran the critically
acclaimed design group, AGU (Advanced Geometry Unit).
CCTV, Beijing
© OMA
Balmond’s award-winning work includes: the ArcelorMittal Orbit for London’s Olympics 2012, CCTV tower in Beijing,
Weave bridge in Pennsylvania, Pedro e Ines bridge in Portugal, Battersea masterplan for Parkview International and the 2002
Serpentine pavilion, based on an algorithm designed by Balmond.
“My practice has the aim of traversing boundaries between mathematics, art, architecture and engineering; exploring new
opportunities of complexity. An emphasis upon ‘diverse forms’ is at the heart of this investigation. It is an artistic approach
embracing the history and memory of an area to evoke a ‘sense of place’, while enhancing a site’s unique characteristics in
dynamic ways to spark imaginations.” Cecil Balmond
Selected Works
John Keels Holding Waterfront / Mixed-use development, Colombo, ongoing
Galle Tower/Commercial/Asia, ongoing
Chicago Transit Authority / Public Art, ongoing
QXQ/ Revolutionary prefabricated modular housing unit, ongoing
H_Edge Spitalfields/Installation, London, 2014
Equilibrium/Sculpture for Salvatore Ferragamo, 2014
ArcelorMittal Orbit /Sculpture with Anish Kapoor, London, UK, 2012
Snow Words /Light Installation, Alaska, USA, 2012
CCTV/Offices with Rem Koolhaas, Beijing, China, 2012
Milan Viaduct /Expo 2015 Competition, 2011
Gateway Galaxy /Installation, Casper College Wyoming,2011
Danzer/ Installation Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan, 2010
Ranchi Cricket Ground/India, 2009
Institute of the Pen/Museum, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2009
Taichung Pearl Convention Centre/Taichung 2009
Weave Bridge/Pedestrian Footbridge/Pennsylvania, USA, 2007
Pedro e Ines Footbridge/Pedestrian Footbridge Coimbra, Portugal, 2006
Taichung Metropolitan Opera House/2009
Battersea Masterplan/Parkview International/London, 2005
Seattle Public Library/Seattle 2004
Chavasse Park/Liverpool, 2000
Portugeuese National Pavilion Expo, 1998
V&A Spiral/Museum with Studio Libeskind, 1996
Congrexpo/Lille, France 1994