A sense of independence

With Commissions in Sheffield and the City of London, Pringle Richards Sharratt is establishing an enviable reputation

'Nobody recognises that you even exist until you've finished a building,' says John Pringle, but we feel that we've done rather well so far.' Nine months into independent practice, after 18 years with Michael Hopkins, Pringle is quietly confident about the future. He made the break last May, forming Pringle Richards Sharratt (PRS) with his wife, Penny Richards, and another Hopkins partner, Ian Sharratt.

'It was a hard decision,' he continues. 'Life was comfortable. We'd both been with Michael a long time ‑ lan went there in 1976. It felt like leaving home'. Both men were key players in the rise of the Hopkins practice, but they saw its character change. 'It got big,' says Sharratt. 'And the hardcore engineering base became obscured in some of the later projects because of the heritage context’ For me, Lord's was a high point.' (The Mound Stand at Lord's cricket ground was one of John Pringle's jobs, along with the Schlumberger research laboratories and the two buildings for David Mellor.)

'Michael pushed us forward,' adds Sharratt, who trained at the RCA, never qualified as an architect but ran major jobs like Bedfont Lakes and Inland Revenue, Nottingham. 'He is still a good friend to us.' But he changed direction. 'At one time, you'd set out, not quite knowing where you'd end up, says Pringle. 'Life became rather more predictable, because of client expectations.' Then there was the knighthood, and the Royal Gold Medal awarded jointly to Michael and Patty Hopkins. The practice increasingly focused on the two principals, inevitably, perhaps, leading to the other partners being perceived as marginalised.

'We're proud of what we achieved with Michael,' says John Pringle, anxious to dismiss any idea of a rift. (Pringle and Sharratt remain as consultants to Hopkins for the New Parliamentary Building and the Saga holiday group's HQ.) 'It was simply that we had to pursue our own ideas.' Do Pringle and Sharratt regret not going it alone some years ago, like former Hopkins alumni Chris Williamson and Chris Wilkinson? 'Not really,' Pringle responds. 'After all, we can point to all the really big jobs we've done ‑ and we can build on them.'

John Pringle was, in fact, a nominal partner from 1982 onwards in his wife's practice. The couple met at the AA, and Richards went on to work for Rick Mather before going solo. She has been particularly successful in the museums field, with a number of commissions from the V&A including the striking new Glass Gallery. The V&A connection has been a springboard for the new firm. If Lottery funding materialises, its first major building will be the Millennium Gallery and Winter Garden in Sheffield, replacing the dismal 1970s town hall extension, and intended to house a changing display from the museum's huge store of objects. It forms an element in the Terry Farrell masterplan for the city centre, which suffered badly from wartime bombing and crass post‑war planning. The 24m‑high glasshouse will feature a sophisticated mix of timber and metallic construction, because of Sheffield's steel connotations, and is designed for low energy operation. The engineer for the project is Buro Happold, but PRS is also enjoying working with Battle McCarthy, Whitby & Bird, Dewhurst Macfarlane and others.

Ecological concerns feature high on the PRS agenda. 'Green architecture has a terrible tweedy, dull image,' says Pringle. 'We believe that it can be dynamic and innovative.' The practice's entry for the Hungerford Bridge competition, designed with engineer Mark Lovell, reflects this belief, proposing a self-sustaining bridge lit and powered by the energy of the river below. 'I think it was just more than the client wanted,' says Pringle, simply too challenging' '

The latest job to come into the PRS office is an in-depth appraisal of Bastion House on London Wall for the City. The building, squatting above the Museum of London which looks set to remain on the site, was designed by Powell & Moya and is the best of the London Wall office slabs. But it must have been a relief for the practice to learn of Sir Philip Powell's lack of enthusiasm for it, since complete demolition and redevelopment is perhaps the most obvious option.

The practice is not too grand to take on relatively small jobs (like the refurbishment of some houses on Ladbroke Grove). There are 'nine and a half' people in the office to be paid and the Hopkins consultancy will not last forever. 'Expensive Hopkins habits,' Richards suggests, are ruled out but the coffee is good and flows plentifully, like the ideas. 'Maybe there was too much Kahn at Hopkins,' says one partner. 'I'm more inspired by Aalto than by Eames,' adds another, 'though the ancient Romans are my greatest inspiration of all.'

The partners see themselves as 'the new kids on the block, out to prove themselves, but are, of course, old hands. Hopkins, Rogers and Foster have all moved on, in their various ways, from High-Tech. The members of PRS are part of a younger generation, building on its achievements, grateful for what they learned but determined to do things their way.

In the news

Pringle Richards Sharratt's most ambitious scheme to date, now being finalised following a successful Lottery application, is the 'Heart of the City' project in Sheffield. Masterplanned by Terry Farrell, the civic elements are now being designed by PRS (engineer Buro Happold) and the council's design and building services department. There are two elements to the PRS contribution. First is the Millennium Gallery being developed in conjunction with the Victoria & Albert Museum, which will show art, craft and design. Second, connected at the end of the gallery, is a Wintergarden, a 21st-century interpretation of a Victorian building type. The Wintergarden acts as a galleria link to Hallam Square, Tudor Square and the Peace Gardens; below ground, support spaces for the gallery and gardens operate from one level: the scheme has been designed as a unified whole. That is the theme of the entire development, which should help knit together a city unravelled by inconsiderate post-war development. 

© Architects Journal 1997