Max Fordham

Fordham was born in Highgate, North London on 17 June 1933 to Molly Swabey, a journalist, and Michael Fordham,{{cite web|url=http://www.thesap.org.uk/michael-fordham |title=The Society of Analytical Psychology (SAP) - Michael Fordham |publisher=SAP |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}} a house physician at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, who was becoming interested in Jungian psychoanalysis. His parents’ marriage dissolved in 1940.{{cite web|author=Published: 28 April 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/28/obituaries/michael-fordham-child-psychiatrist-89.html?pagewanted=2 |title=Michael Fordham, Child Psychiatrist, 89 - Page 2 - New York Times |work=The New York Times |date=1995-04-28 |accessdate=2012-05-25}} Michael remarried another analytical psychotherapist Frieda Hoyle the same year.{{cite web|url=http://archives.wellcome.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqSearch=RefNo=='PPFOR'&dsqCmd=Show.tcl |title=Wellcome Library Western Manuscripts and Archives catalogue |publisher=Archives.wellcome.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}}

During World War Two, in the summer of 1940, Fordham went with his mother to stay with his uncle, Christopher Swabey, in Jamaica, to avoid the bombing of London. Fordham settled in well there and Molly decided to return to England. However, while crossing the Atlantic in 1942, her boat sank and she drowned.{{cite book|isbn=0-415-09348-1|author1=James Astor|author2=Michael Fordham|title=Innovations in Analytical Psychology|publisher=Routledge|date=1995|location=London, England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Ta__MhX-CoC&dq=Molly+Swabey&pg=PA13}}

Upon returning to England, Fordham attended the progressive Dartington Hall School,{{cite web|url=http://www.dartingtonhallschool.co.uk/reunions/past_reunions/1996/whowasthere/whowasthere.html |title=Who Was There |publisher=Dartingtonhallschool.co.uk |accessdate=2012-05-25}} which intended to change social attitudes{{cite web|url=http://www.dartingtonhallschool.co.uk/index.html |title=Dartington Hall School 1926 – 1987 |publisher=Dartingtonhallschool.co.uk |accessdate=2012-05-25}} in the world.

After school (1952–54), Fordham did National Service as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm.[http://www.debretts.co.uk/people/biographies/browse/f/16520/(Sigurd)%20Max+FORDHAM.aspx]{{dead link|date=May 2012}} When he returned, he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, completing an MA in Natural Science (1954–1957).{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} He chose to specialise in chemistry, physics, maths and mineralogy.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} This gave him a deeper education in chemistry and physics than he would have done if he had studied engineering.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Fordham found university disappointing and began to have doubts about becoming a scientist.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} He enjoyed the company of people studying the humanities and had shared rooms with Simon Hepworth-Nicholson, a school friend and artist.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} The professor of architecture, Sir Leslie Martin (designer of the Royal Festival Hall), suggested he consider heating engineering, a new field where he could be free to be inventive and design things using his physics degree.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Sir Leslie Martin arranged a job for Fordham as a development engineer at Weatherfoil Heating Systems{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/microsites/S/stirling_prize/judges.html |title=The RIBA Stirling Prize 2005 |publisher=Channel4.com |accessdate=2012-05-25}} Ltd in 1958, where he worked until 1961. There he completed a wide variety of design and research work. He designed the metered fan convection heating for Harvey Court, Cambridge, and was named as the inventor when this was patented.{{cite web|url=http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=1&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_gb&FT=D&date=19630612&CC=GB&NR=928395A&KC=A |title=Espacenet – Bibliographic data |publisher=Worldwide.espacenet.com |accessdate=2012-05-25}} While Weatherfoil gave him a generous introduction to the building industry, they wanted to promote him away from design and into representing the firm. By this time, he realised this direction included all of the building services: water supply, drainage, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, as well as electrical engineering and he wanted more time to develop his detailing skills.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

After meeting Sir Philip Dowson through his future wife, Thalia Dyson, in 1961 he joined the Building Group (now Arup Associates),{{cite web |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/ace/index.php?page=AcePerson&person=fordham-max |title=ACE-University of Bath – ACE Person |publisher=Bath.ac.uk |accessdate=2012-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113144033/http://www.bath.ac.uk/ace/index.php?page=AcePerson&person=fordham-max |archive-date=13 January 2008 |url-status=dead }} a group that included architects and structural engineers from Ove Arup & Partners. Here Fordham had to get to grips with drawing the services in complete detail. It provided an integrated team, where discussions about services could be argued over the lunch table. Eventually, Fordham took on the public health and electrical services as well, so the services disciplines could be represented by just one person at meetings.

After moonlighting while at Arup Associates, Fordham realised he had the opportunity to start his own practice. In September 1966 he left Arup, and started working from his bedroom.{{cite web |url=http://www.maxfordham.com/history |title=History |publisher=Max Fordham |accessdate=2012-05-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915113807/http://www.maxfordham.com/history |archivedate=15 September 2013 }} Here he pursued a new approach to engineering based on his own curiosity about how buildings work. He resisted being pigeonholed into the conventional boxes of engineering.{{cite web|url=http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/speakers/profile/18/max-fordham.html |title=speakers |publisher=Ecobuild |date=2012-03-22 |accessdate=2012-05-25}} He was always interested in the whole building, taking a creative but essentially practical approach to building services design, starting "with the edge of the universe as its boundary and then quickly narrowing down to the specific problem".{{cite web |url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/businessschool/events_summary/event_19-2-2009-16-9-56 |title=Design London STIR Lecture Series: CROSS OVER: How a new approach to architecture is inspiring a new architecture for business |accessdate=2012-05-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230101/http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/businessschool/events_summary/event_19-2-2009-16-9-56 |archivedate=3 March 2016 }}

Fordham did not like imposing his will on people, and developed a philosophical justification for reconstituting the practice as a democracy.{{cite web |url=http://www.maxfordham.com/practice-structure |title=Practice structure |publisher=Max Fordham |accessdate=2012-05-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915113849/http://www.maxfordham.com/practice-structure |archivedate=15 September 2013 }}

Fordham died on 4 January 2022, at the age of 88.{{cite web |url=https://www.maxfordham.com/news/max-fordham-1933-2022 |title=Max Fordham: 1933–2022|accessdate=2022-01-05}}

Fordham was a visiting professor in building and design at the University of Bath from 1990 until his death. He was also an external examiner at the Architectural Association from 1991 to 1997 and from 2007 to 2011.

Fordham also lectured to designers and architects at:

• University of Edinburgh, 1992–1994{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Cambridge School of Architecture 1996–1999{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Mackintosh School of Architecture{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Reading{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Yale University{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Plymouth{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Hong Kong University {{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Bristol{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Cardiff{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Cambridge IDBE{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• The Bartlett{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Canterbury{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Singapore{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Birmingham{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Nottingham{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• University of Loughborough, RCA.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Max was the Chairman of the Working Group for Communications for Building IT in 2000{{cite web|url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/societygov/policy/current_issues/engineering_it/default.htm?print=true |title=Engineering Policy – Current Issues: Engineering in IT |publisher=Raeng.org.uk |accessdate=2012-05-25}} and the Chairman of the Res Sub-Committee for Intelligent Façades for the Centre for Window & Cladding Technology in 1993.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Max Fordham's practice has designed the building services for very many projects since 1966. Some notable ones where he had a major personal involvement are

• Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk (while at Arup Associates){{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Newport High School, Newport, South Wales{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Hulme 5, Manchester, high rise development, since demolished{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Raychem building, Swindon{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Alexandra Road Estate, Swiss Cottage, London, modern iconic dense terraced housing, first post-war housing estate to be listed (Grade II*){{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Queen's Building at De Montfort University{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Contact Theatre, Manchester{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Lighthouse Arts Centre, Poole{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Olivier Theatre, Bedales School, Hampshire{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Environmental Building, Building Research Establishment, Watford{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• RMC International Headquarters, Egham, Surrey{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
• Indoor cricket school at Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood, London{{cite web |url=http://www.designingbusinessexcellence.org.uk/Design-Council/2/Press/Prince-Philip-Designers-Prize-goes-to-zero-hero-Max-Fordham/ |title=Prince Philip Designers Prize goes to 'zero hero' Max Fordham |publisher=Designingbusinessexcellence.org.uk |date=12 November 2008 |accessdate=2012-05-25 }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Heelis, the National Trust headquarters, Swindon{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

The house designed for himself in north London by his practice (including himself) in collaboration with bere:architects and Price & Myers was soon after his death verified as the UK's first net zero carbon house.{{cite web|title=Max Fordham's home named UK's first net zero carbon house|work=Architecture Today|url=https://architecturetoday.co.uk/introducing-the-uks-first-net-zero-carbon-home/|accessdate=2022-04-08}}

Max Fordham became a Fellow of the RSA in 1984.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} He received an OBE in 1994.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} He was elected a Fellow{{cite web|title=List of Fellows|url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/people-council-committees/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows}} of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1992 and an honorary fellow of the RIBA in 1996.{{cite web |url=http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBATrust/Awards/RIBAHonoraryFellowship/2007/RIBAHonoraryFellows.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-05-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020001651/http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBATrust/Awards/RIBAHonoraryFellowship/2007/RIBAHonoraryFellows.pdf |archivedate=20 October 2014 }}

CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) presented its Gold Medal to him in 1997{{cite web|url=http://www.cibse.org/index.cfm?go=page.view&item=450#2 |title=> About CIBSE > CIBSE Award Winners |publisher=CIBSE |accessdate=2012-05-25}} for his part in raising the perceived value of CIBSE and with a bronze medal for a research paper. He was President of the Institution in 2001,{{cite web|url=http://www.cibse.org/index.cfm?go=page.view&item=136 |title=> About CIBSE > CIBSE Presidents |publisher=CIBSE |accessdate=2012-05-25}} after being Vice President in 1999 and President-elect in 2000.

He was on the judging panel for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2005 and in 2006 was voted into the inaugural Building Hall of Fame, a list of 40 people who have had the most significant positive impact on the UK construction industry in the last 40 years.{{cite web|url=http://www.building.co.uk/building-hall-of-fame/12469.issue |title=Hall of Fame |publisher=Building |accessdate=2012-05-25}}

He won the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 2008.{{cite web |url=http://www.thersa.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/155455/RDI-2008-press-notice.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-05-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002013243/http://www.thersa.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/155455/RDI-2008-press-notice.pdf |archivedate=2 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }} The honour is significant because the engineering of services installations in buildings is not usually associated with design.{{cite web|author=Thu, 6 Nov 2008 |url=http://www.designweek.co.uk/news/max-fordham-wins-prince-philip-designers-prize/1140450.article |title=Max Fordham wins Prince Philip Designers Prize | News |publisher=Design Week |date=2008-11-06 |accessdate=2012-05-25}}

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Category:1933 births

Category:2022 deaths

Category:Academics of the University of Bath

Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge

Category:British industrial designers

Category:People educated at Dartington Hall School

Category:People from Highgate