'Stansfield Smith redefined school design and changed a culture of public service'

摘要

Arriving at Hampshire County Council in 1974, Colin Stansfield Smith inherited educational buildings, fire stations, old people's homes, libraries and schools. In his 18 years as county architect, Stansfield Smith redefined school design in the UK and changed a culture of public service. Faced with bureaucratic systems, he reorganised the office structure by creating multi-disciplinary groups, with each handling a geographical area and all the buildings and projects regardless of type. He invested in talent and grew a team who worked 'for Stansfield Smith', not for the Council. Stansfield Smith's belief that the local authority mindset of efficient building production had to be replaced with a commitment to the environment, from buildings to graphics. This was shared by the leader of the council Freddie Emery-Wallace, whose maxim was always to be 'roughly right than precisely wrong'. This suited Stansfield Smith's approach to the 'approximate' art of architecture.