Widely considered to be one of Britain’s greatest Modern architects, Denys Lasdun (1914-2001) is best known for his Brutalist icons, including London’s National Theatre and the Royal College of Physicians.

Having studied at the Architectural Association in London, Lasdun went on to work with Wells Coates and Berthold Lubetkin before becoming a partner with Jane Drew, Maxwell Fry and Lindsay Drake at Fry, Drew, Drake and Lasdun in the 1950s. At this time Lasdun developed his distinctive ‘cluster blocks’ – flats grouped around a central tower – designing a number of developments in east London, including Keeling House.

During the 1960s and ’70s Lasdun also worked on a number of educational buildings, developing his recognisable vernacular of cubic towers, bare concrete and jutting foyers. As well as completing designs for Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the Royal College of Physicians in Regent’s Park, Lasdun developed an acclaimed design for ziggurat-shaped halls at the University of East Anglia.

A true pioneer of modern British architecture, Lasdun’s designs were sometimes controversial. The now Grade II* listed Royal National Theatre, designed between 1967-76, was the most disputed of his projects, with its Brutal aesthetic polarising opinion amongst traditionalists.

Read more in our Directory of Architects and Designers.