Piers Gough
b"
Piers Gough co-founded his own architectural practice while he was still at college, at the age of only twenty-two. He made his name during the redevelopment of London\\u2019s Docklands, though you can also see his work in Liverpool (the golden \\u201cbling bling\\u201d building), in Nottingham, where he built a centre for Maggie\\u2019s cancer charity, and in Glasgow, where he designed the masterplan for the redevelopment of the Gorbals. He\\u2019s won numerous awards for his buildings, not least for his bright-green triangular public lavatory in London\\u2019s Westbourne Grove. And six of his buildings have been listed by English Heritage, protected for posterity. He\\u2019s been president of the Architectural Association, he\\u2019s a Royal Academician... which all sounds steady enough, but trying to sum up his style, the Architects Journal said: \\u201cOne\\u2019s never certain whether one is in a town house, a country house, a castle, or a gigantic piece of sculpture.\\u201d
In conversation with Michael Berkeley, Piers Gough reflects on the challenges of designing for the modern city, and on the influence of the accident that broke his spine and which at one point made him doubtful that he would ever walk again. He shares, too, the surprise and fun of becoming a father in his sixties.
Music choices include William Walton\\u2019s \\u201cBelshazzar\\u2019s Feast\\u201d; Monteverdi\\u2019s haunting love duet \\u201cPur ti miro\\u201d; Handel\\u2019s \\u201cSemele\\u201d; and Piers's favourite country-music track, \\u201cTruckstop Honeymoon\\u201d.
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 3\\nProduced by Elizabeth Burke.
"