WORKING WITH Nick Grimshaw

In the mid-1980s, when I joined Nick Grimshaw’s practice, the office was only 12 architects. It was a small but ambitious team navigating the harsh realities of an economic downturn. The practice was sustained by a portfolio of sports facilities, industrial commissions, and one particularly important project: a Sainsbury’s Superstore in Camden, London.

The Camden store was emblematic of the practice’s architectural language. It was a highly articulated steel structure with a long-span arched roof suspended from cantilevering steel gerberettes. It spoke of clarity, invention, and the expressive potential of industrial technology – exactly the kind of architecture that had captivated me during my student days.

At the time, however, London’s building regulations made it almost impossible to expose structural steel. What made the Camden project possible was Firec – a new fire-protection coating developed by ICI for oil rigs and nuclear facilities. This single technological innovation suddenly enabled architects to reimagine the role of structure in architecture.

I still remember studying the model and its beautiful skeletal form while waiting in the reception area, hoping for an interview. Just beyond reception sat Nick in his glass box, supported by a Meccano-like aluminium structure. He was wearing round translucent-rim glasses, giving him the air of the boffin inventor. It turned out there was no vacancy, but I was asked to leave my portfolio. As luck would have it, Nick later reviewed it, decided to find a place for me, and invited me back.

That invitation began a working relationship – and friendship – that has lasted four decades.

Andrew Whalley
Chairman, Grimshaw

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