Richard Rogers Quotes

Powerful Richard Rogers for Daily Growth

About Richard Rogers

Richard Rogers (born July 23, 1933) is an influential British architect known for his pioneering work in high-tech architecture. Born in Florence, Italy, to a Jewish family that escaped Nazi Germany, Rogers was exposed to a rich cultural heritage at an early age. He studied architecture at the Royal Academy Schools in London and the Yale School of Architecture, where he was greatly influenced by modernist architects like Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. Rogers co-founded the architectural firm Rogers, Stirk, Harbour, and Partners (RSHP) in 1977, after leaving another prominent firm, Team 4, which he had co-founded with Norman Foster and others. RSHP is renowned for its innovative use of technology and materials, as well as its commitment to sustainability. One of Rogers' most famous works is the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (1971-1977), a landmark building that puts many of its services, such as plumbing and ventilation, on the exterior. This design choice, which has since become known as "inside out" architecture, was controversial at the time but is now widely admired. Other notable projects by Rogers include the British Library (1997), the Lloyd's Building in London (1986), and the Millennium Dome (1999). He has been honored with numerous awards for his contributions to architecture, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2000. Rogers is also a strong advocate for social and environmental issues. In 1986, he founded the Royal Society of Arts' Urban Task Force, which aimed to address urban regeneration and sustainability. He continues to work and lecture around the world, inspiring a new generation of architects with his visionary ideas.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"There are three things architects should be: good, fast, and cheap. Choose any two."

Richard Rogers' quote "There are three things architects should be: good, fast, and cheap. Choose any two" emphasizes the inherent tension in architecture between quality (good), efficiency (fast), and cost-effectiveness (cheap). This quote suggests that it is unrealistic to expect excellence in all three aspects simultaneously due to constraints of time, budget, and resources. Architects must prioritize these factors when designing a project, making thoughtful decisions about what can be sacrificed or optimized to deliver the best possible outcome within given limitations.

"I believe that everyone is an architect of their own life. Write your own blueprint for happiness."

The quote suggests that every individual has the power to shape their own destiny, or in other words, construct the design of their own lives. This means taking responsibility for one's actions, decisions, and overall well-being. To achieve happiness, it's essential to craft a personal blueprint that aligns with your values, aspirations, and goals. In essence, Richard Rogers is inspiring us all to proactively design our lives for happiness rather than passively accepting whatever comes our way.

"Creativity is the fundamental necessity of architecture. Creativity is not a secondary concern or an added extra. It is the primary, vital activity."

This quote by Richard Rogers underscores the essential role of creativity in architecture. He views creativity as not just an optional bonus but rather the core essence of architectural practice. The primary function of an architect, according to Rogers, is not merely to build structures, but to imagine, innovate, and create spaces that are more than mere shelters - they should be living entities that enrich our lives and communities. In essence, creativity in architecture is the lifeblood that brings form, function, and meaning to our built environment.

"An agreed and understandable design process is a critical element in the success of any building project."

This quote by Richard Rogers highlights the importance of having a clear, mutually-agreed, and comprehensible design process as a key factor for the successful completion of any architectural or building project. In other words, it emphasizes that a collaborative and transparent process leads to better understanding and outcomes among all parties involved (architects, builders, clients, etc.), ultimately resulting in a successful construction project.

"I think that the architect's job is to create an environment where life can be more enjoyable."

This quote by Richard Rogers emphasizes the role of an architect as a designer not just of buildings, but of spaces and environments that enhance human experiences and make everyday life more pleasant. By creating thoughtfully designed spaces that cater to people's needs and desires, architects can significantly contribute to improving overall quality of life.

The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.

- Richard Rogers

Environment, Everybody, Environmental

Architects design buildings; that's what we do, so we have to go with the flow; and, even though I'm still an old Leftie, global capitalism does have its good side. It's broken down barriers - the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union - it's raised a lot of people up economically, and for architects, it has meant that we can work around the world.

- Richard Rogers

Good, Soviet Union, Global, Architects

Cities depend on a healthy mix of uses and people for their vitality. As a pre-eminent world city, London is a magnet to people from across the globe.

- Richard Rogers

London, Depend, Cities, Magnet

Suburban sprawl leads to social atomisation and fragmentation and is environmentally disastrous, as carbon-intensive car journeys displace local shops and replace public transport.

- Richard Rogers

Social, Replace, Journeys, Displace

My architecture tends to be legible, light and flexible. You can read it. You look at a building, and you can see how it is constructed. I put the structure outside.

- Richard Rogers

Look, Read, Constructed, Flexible

It is quite interesting that whilst there are tremendous theories, in the 1960s when IT was born, everybody was supposedly going to their cottage in the countryside to work in a virtual way.

- Richard Rogers

Going, Everybody, Supposedly, Whilst

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges facing our cities or to the housing crisis, but the two issues need to be considered together. From an urban design and planning point of view, the well-connected open city is a powerful paradigm and an engine for integration and inclusivity.

- Richard Rogers

Challenges, City, Housing, Engine

I'm just saying that there are high quality materials, and when we change them then there should be a way of changing them so that you can celebrate that change - rather than just 'mix it up'.

- Richard Rogers

Change, Celebrate, Rather, High Quality

Form follows profit is the aesthetic principle of our times.

- Richard Rogers

Architecture, Aesthetic, Profit

I think we did a pretty good role, linking, being a sounding board really and a driving force, especially from the bottom up. I think that part of this is bottom up as well as top down.

- Richard Rogers

Role, I Think, Part, Linking

I remember my mother taking me to see the Picasso show in the 1940s, and I was impressed by the life and vibrancy of it all. It was a bit too avant-garde for most Londoners at the time, but since then, the city has become a centre for modern culture.

- Richard Rogers

City, I Remember, 1940s, Avant-Garde

I had lots of trouble in school as a child, and I lost confidence. Teachers thought I was stupid. I learned to read very late, when I was 11. Dyslexia wasn't recognized then, and the assumption was you were incapable of thinking.

- Richard Rogers

Stupid, Thought, Very, Incapable

Watching TV on your own is not very inspiring. But meeting people is where you get new ideas and get things done.

- Richard Rogers

New, Very, TV, New Ideas

Everyone has the right to walk from one end of the city to the other in secure and beautiful spaces. Everybody has the right to go by public transport. Everybody has the right to an unhampered view down their street, not full of railings, signs and rubbish.

- Richard Rogers

Other, Everyone, Everybody, Spaces

A greater focus on design in all new homes would make the best use of land, create homes and public spaces, and reinforce the structures of urban life.

- Richard Rogers

New, Use, Structures, Spaces

So I think that, yes, anything that makes it more palatable and easier to understand, such as a Virtual Centre, has to be seen as a primary activity within the educational and information global state.

- Richard Rogers

Think, I Think, Virtual, Primary

'Be passionate about your work and your life' was instilled in me by my mother Dada, who was a potter. She also introduced me to the arts and encouraged me to embrace the new.

- Richard Rogers

Passionate, New, Embrace, Potter

The one advantage of being dyslexic is that you are never tempted to look back and idealise your childhood.

- Richard Rogers

Childhood, Back, Advantage, Tempted

In Florence, classical buildings sit against medieval buildings. It's that contrast we like.

- Richard Rogers

Buildings, Against, Like, Florence

Cities are about juxtaposition. In Florence, classical buildings sit against medieval buildings. It's that contrast we like. In Bordeaux, we built law courts right next door to what is effectively a listed historic building, and that makes it exciting.

- Richard Rogers

Door, Next, Against, Florence

Clearly, private developers can have different aims, and architects can only play a certain role. You can have some pretty big battles on public commissions, too. The key is to have a good client.

- Richard Rogers

Play, Big, Some, Battles

Architecture is a slow business, and city planning even slower.

- Richard Rogers

Business, Planning, Slow, Slower

I have a very big family, and that is my number one thing, and we go away for a month to see my cousins in Italy every year, but I need to work.

- Richard Rogers

Big, Away, Very, My Number One

One of the things you see in New York is that offices keep their lights on at night. They're proud of their building. Great. But they must find another way to be proud without draining energy.

- Richard Rogers

One Of The Things, Offices, Lights

I love cities, I spend most of my life talking about cities. And the design of cities does have an effect on your life. You're lucky if you can see trees out of your window and you have a square nearby, or a bar, a cornershop, a surgery. Then you're living well.

- Richard Rogers

Love, My Life, Lucky, Surgery

I love my job. What would I retire to?

- Richard Rogers

Love, I Love, Would, Retire

The Athenians had an oath for someone who was about to become a citizen. They had to swear that 'I shall leave the city not less but more beautiful than I found it.'

- Richard Rogers

City, More, Citizen, Swear

Education in British schools isn't good enough. It's not remotely imaginative enough. It lets down too many children, excluding them from society, and, as I've often said, people who are excluded from society tend to express themselves in ways not acceptable to society.

- Richard Rogers

Education, Acceptable, Lets, Excluding

I like the idea of trying to influence society by taking a brief, then maybe subtly changing it or looking at it in a new way to see what interesting things can emerge.

- Richard Rogers

New, Like, Brief, Emerge

Cities are about juxtaposition.

- Richard Rogers

Cities, About, Juxtaposition

Society has to get a grip and put a tax on carbon. Of course, there is much that flows from that, and it is a complex situation. The small details of something such as climate change are political and social, and they are a lot about fairness and how we rebalance towards a fairer society.

- Richard Rogers

Small, Political, About, Fairer

If you had a carbon tax, you'd have less cars and more bicycles, more people getting around on foot and by public transport.

- Richard Rogers

More, Had, More People, Carbon

I cycle, which is a healthy thing for an 80-year-old to do. I rarely go further than five miles, but in those five miles I can get to 80 percent of the places I want to go.

- Richard Rogers

Want, Go, Which, Rarely

I believe very much in a dialogue between buildings - I believe it's always been there. I think buildings have different identities and live very well next to each other. We always have the shock of the new, and that's fine. The renaissance style is totally different from the medieval, and they have a dialogue across time.

- Richard Rogers

Next, Been, Very, Medieval

Family is everything, although I've been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the most amazing minds over the years, including Renzo Piano, John Young, Graham Stirk and Ivan Harbour.

- Richard Rogers

Some, Over, Harbour, Graham

My passion and great enjoyment for architecture, and the reason the older I get the more I enjoy it, is because I believe we - architects - can effect the quality of life of the people.

- Richard Rogers

Architecture, Reason, More, Older

I think greed is a critical problem - the gap between the poor and the rich. The gap between the top 10 percent and the bottom 10 percent.

- Richard Rogers

Think, Critical, I Think, Greed

I believe very strongly, and have fought since many years ago - at least over 30 years ago - to get architecture not just within schools, but architecture talked about under history, geography, science, technology, art.

- Richard Rogers

Very, Fought, Least, Years Ago

Most buildings, whether they're Gothic cathedrals or Romanesque ones, were high tech for their time.

- Richard Rogers

Tech, Most, Cathedrals, Gothic

Architecture is a living thing. If I want to leave something to the future, it has to be able to change - but retain something of the ethos that we built up over 50 years.

- Richard Rogers

Living, Over, Built, Ethos

I don't believe in the ownership of work.

- Richard Rogers

Work, Believe, Ownership

There is a Jewish tradition of family, too, but then not all Italian or Jewish families are close.

- Richard Rogers

Jewish, Italian, Too, Tradition

I think you could make a completely Virtual Centre, though I have a general feeling, and maybe because I am getting very old, that you still need face to face.

- Richard Rogers

Think, Virtual, Very, Centre

Dyslexia, though, made me realise that people who say 'but you can't do that' aren't actually very important. I don't take 'no' too seriously.

- Richard Rogers

Made, Very, Though, Seriously

You have to modernise; you have to change - you can't just be traditional for the fun of being traditional.

- Richard Rogers

Change, Just Be, Modernise, Traditional

I don't understand why everyone has to wear black, grey and white.

- Richard Rogers

White, Understand, Everyone, Grey

The Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea provide plenty of opportunities to walk, think and relax.

- Richard Rogers

Think, Chelsea, Gardens, Provide

Architects are not clients. We can't build without something to built.

- Richard Rogers

Build, Clients, Built, Architects

If I remember rightly Holland for instance has something like 45, and it's a much smaller country. In comparison we have very few and they are very badly financed.

- Richard Rogers

Country, Very, Badly, Rightly

The gap between the rich and poor is widening fast.

- Richard Rogers

Fast, Poor, Widening, Gap

I am much more passionate about cities than I am about nations. The competition between cities is more civilised than between nations. There is an understanding there.

- Richard Rogers

Passionate, More, Cities, Competition

When I started out, nearly every architect I knew was working in public practice; that's where the radical thinking was done. But, there's always a danger of looking back as our fathers did and saying, 'Things were better then.'

- Richard Rogers

Looking Back, Practice, Nearly

You know, the environment is fragmenting, and the environment is, in many places, absolutely hideous!

- Richard Rogers

Environment, Places, Know, Hideous

Architecture is about public space held by buildings.

- Richard Rogers

Public, About, Held, Buildings

Architecture is measured against the past; you build in the future, and you try to imagine the future.

- Richard Rogers

Build, Against, Imagine, Measured

Of course I know very little about architecture, and the older I get the less I know.

- Richard Rogers

Get, Very, About, Architecture

Architecture is always political.

- Richard Rogers

Political, Always, Architecture

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.