Welcome to Corringham

Kenneth Frampton

Kenneth Frampton (1930) studied at the Guildford School of Art and, from 1950 to 1956, at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. He became an affiliate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1957.

After two years' service with the British Army, he spent a year in Israel, where he was inspired by a more straightforward form of architecture. Israel's relatively clement climate and limited wealth led to simpler designs and technology, often based on an elementary concrete frame with rendered surfaces. This focused Frampton's mind and provided a basis of confidence and understanding for his future architectural work.

On his return to London, Frampton became an associate of Douglas Stephen & Partners, a small but dynamic architects' firm in the City Centre and one of the most progressive practices in London at the time. In the early 1960s, he was also a tutor at the Royal College of Art and the Architectural Association.

As associate architect with Douglas Stephen & Partners, Frampton designed Corringham in 1960-62. The minimalist and functional exterior of the building reflects his interest in the architectural style of the "Neue Sachlichkeit". It contrasts with the highly modelled service tower that is almost Brutalist in style and refers to James Stirling's architecture. The interior structure, with its interlocking maisonettes, is influenced by Le Corbusier but uses the "scissor section" developed by the London County Council. When the apartment block was Grade II listed in 1998, the listing authority hailed it as "Douglas Stephen & Partners' most coherent design of the sixties and their most interesting". Apart from the Marcus Garvey Park Village housing scheme in New York, Corringham remains Frampton's only substantial architectural work.

From 1962 to 1965, Frampton also worked as the technical editor for the progressive and critical magazine "Architectural Design" (AD). One of his contributions was the production of a series of brightly coloured monthly covers with abstracted architectural themes. The September 1964 edition includes an article about Corringham by Douglas Stephen & Partners and has a bright red and purple cover that references the building's split-level "scissor section".

Frampton moved to the United States in 1965. He taught at the School of Architecture at Princeton University until 1972. In that year he became a fellow of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York. He took on a post at Columbia University with which he has been affiliated ever since. He was Chairman of the Division of Architecture from 1986 to 1989 and was appointed director of the PhD programme History and Theory of Architecture in 1993. In that same year he became an associate of the American Institute of Architects and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In these years, Frampton gained international recognition for his architectural research. The Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Technology (1991), and he received Honorary Doctorates in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo (1995) and from the California College of Arts and Crafts (1999).

Apart from his work at Columbia University, Frampton was a visiting professor at schools of architecture worldwide. He revisited London to teach at the Royal College of Art and at the Bartlett School of Architecture. In 1990, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture awarded him the Topaz Medal for excellence in architectural education. Frampton's teaching was the subject of the 2017 exhibition "Educating Architects: Four Courses by Kenneth Frampton" at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, where his archive is held. He is currently Ware Professor Emeritus at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP).

Frampton has written extensively and contributed to numerous international journals. His books include:

• "Modern Architecture: A Critical History" (1980)
• "Studies in Tectonic Culture" (1995)
• "American Masterworks: The 20th-Century House" (1995)
• "Labour, Work & Architecture" (2005)
• "The Evolution of 20th-Century Architecture" (2006)
• "American Masterworks: Houses of the 20th & 21st Centuries" (2008)
• "Five North American Architects" (2012)
• "A Genealogy of Modern Architecture: Comparative Critical Analysis of Built Form" (2014)
• "L’Altro Movimento Moderno" (2015), published in English as "The Other Modern Movement" (2022)

In addition to these architectural "overviews" he published works about Álvaro Siza (2000), Le Corbusier (2001), and Georges Baines (2006). The expanded fifth edition of "Modern Architecture: A Critical History" was published in 2020.

Among his many awards are:

• American Institute of Architects National Honours Award (1985) and New York Chapter Award of Merit (1988)
• Médaille d'Or of the Parisian Académie d'Architecture (1987)
• Phi Beta Kappa Award (1987)
• Membership of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences (1995)
• Architectural League of New York President's Medal (2005)
• Schelling Architecture Theory Prize (2012)
• Lisbon Triennale Millennium BCP Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
• Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale of Architecture (2018)
• Soane Medal from London's Sir John Soane's Museum (2019)
• Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture (2022)

Frampton was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to architecture.

Corringham (re)visited

Kenneth Frampton moved to the United States in 1965, shortly after Corringham's completion. He had seen the finished building only in an uninhabited state. Thanks to his colleague Carsten Krohn, this changed in July 2026. Krohn arranged a visit to the building, including a walk-around and an interview in one of the flats and in the garden.

With great enthusiasm Frampton discussed the overarching architectural concepts – the scissor section and Corringham's "Neue Sachlichkeit" style – but he also vividly remembered detailed design decisions. He pointed out the carefully chosen font of the flat numbers on the letter boxes (Microgramma D Medium Extended) and still remembered the triangular pipe support brackets in the garage that neatly follow the line of the concrete support columns. The interview clearly showed how Frampton had a loving hand in all aspects of the building's design and how much attention he paid to every detail of Corringham's architecture.

Douglas Stephen
& Partners

Douglas Stephen studied at the University of Liverpool at the same time as Robert Maxwell, Colin Rowe, Thomas Stephens, and James Stirling. In 1950, he joined forces with his colleague and future wife, Margaret Dent, to found Douglas Stephen & Partners. Their first commission was to design stands for the Exhibition of Industrial Power in Glasgow that was part of the 1951 Festival of Britain. For a period, the practice focused on exhibition stands while Margaret Dent also worked at the London County Council Housing Division. Then, commissions for apartment blocks and office developments started to come in.

During the mid-1950s and 60s, Douglas Stephen & Partners became a dynamic centre for "thinking-practising" architects in London. These included Alan Forest, Kenneth Frampton (from 1961 to 1966), Adrian Gale, Birkin Haward, Edward Jones, Panos Koulermos, Robert Maxwell, David Wild, and Elia Zenghelis. The variable personnel resulted in a considerable body of work, mainly in private sector housing, with styles ranging from Le Corbusier to Aalto, often incorporating high-tech design elements. Another main influence was Douglas Stephen’s interest in the work of the Italian Rationalists, and particularly Giuseppe Terragni.

In 1984, the practice was commissioned to incorporate a ramp in the original stone steps of the headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Their design was hailed for its thoughtful approach to conservation architecture – and firmly placed Douglas Stephen & Partners at the front door of British architecture.

In 1993, the practice regrouped as DSP Architecture (DSP). Directors Simon Colebrook, Barnaby Milburn, and Geraldine Walder continue to focus on a rational approach to design. Their diverse portfolio of buildings and projects shows a prevalent concern for context. Sensitive adaptation of existing buildings and conservation of protected buildings play an important role in their work – and a detailed maquette of Corringham has a prominent place in their office. Thanks to DSP for sharing their architectural archives – some of which are available on the DSP website and showcase Douglas Stephen & Partners' exciting projects.

 

Corringham, London W2 3EH