Roger Westman

Westman was born at Jarrow, County Durham in 1939, the eldest son of Kenneth Westman, a diplomat stationed in Madrid. Educated at Norland Place School, Colet Court, and Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, he studied architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture from 1957.{{Cite web|author=Guardian Staff|date=2020-05-07|title=Roger Westman obituary|url=http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/may/07/roger-westman-obituary|access-date=2020-12-18|website=The Guardian|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Roger Westman|url=https://www.archinform.net/arch/216724.htm|access-date=|website=ArchINFORM}} At the AA he received the RIBA Howard Colls Travelling Studentship Award in 1959, allowing him to study for a short time at the Polytechnic University of Milan.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rP1HAQAAIAAJ&q=roger+westman+architect|title=Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects|date=1959|publisher=The Institute|language=en}}

Westman began his career at Lambeth council's architecture planning department. He worked with Edward Hollamby and Rosemary Stjernstedt on Central Hill Estate, a social housing estate completed in 1974.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-03-23|title=Roger Westman: A life in architecture|url=https://www.architecturefoundation.org.uk/schools/research/roger-westman-a-life-in-architecture/|access-date=2020-12-18|website=The Architecture Schools Database}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023}} He designed a large number of homes in Hampstead, Hampstead Garden Suburb, and Highgate.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3OxUAAAAMAAJ&q=roger+westman+architect|title=Architectural Association Journal|date=1959|language=en}} Westman was an early proponent of sustainable architecture in large-scale building projects.{{Cite web|title=Roger Westman - Architect London / United Kingdom|url=https://www.archilovers.com/roger-westman/|access-date=2020-02-22|website=Archilovers|language=en}} He wrote an article on sustainable architecture in 1982 for the Architects' Journal.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kihNAAAAYAAJ&q=roger+westman|title=The Architects' Journal|date=1996|publisher=Architectural Press|language=en}} During his career, he won several prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects.{{Cite book|last=Architects|first=Royal Institute of British|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fbIyAQAAIAAJ&q=roger+westman+haward|title=RIBA Journal|date=1966|language=en}} In 1967 Westman was involved in a documentary about twentieth century British architecture, 'Faces of Architecture', directed by Hugh Grieves and produced by the British Film Institute (BFI). Westman gave guest lectures on architectural history at the AA, Cambridge, Oxford Brookes and Bath until 1999.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-03-23|title=Roger Westman|url=https://www.architecturefoundation.org.uk/schools/design/roger-westman/|access-date=2020-12-18|website=The Architecture Schools Database}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023}}

Between June and July 1981, Westman exhibited his scheme 'Walls: A Framework for Communal Anarchy' at the Institute of Contemporary Arts.{{Cite book|last1=Hardy|first1=Dennis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVtjAAAAMAAJ&q=roger+westman+architect|title=Arcadia for All: The Legacy of a Makeshift Landscape|last2=Ward|first2=Colin|date=2004-01-01|publisher=Five Leaves|isbn=978-0-907123-59-0|language=en}}{{Cite book|last=England)|first=Institute of Contemporary Arts (London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MdJIAQAAIAAJ&q=roger+westman|title=Future Communities|date=1981|publisher=Institute of Contemporary Arts|isbn=978-0-905263-14-4|language=en}} Westman's exhibition received positive reviews in The Times and the London Evening Standard.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SNpUAAAAMAAJ&q=roger+westman+architect|title=Town and Country Planning|date=1980|publisher=Garden Cities and Town Planning Association|language=en}}{{Cite book|last1=Hardy|first1=Dennis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tlztAAAAMAAJ&q=roger+westman|title=Arcadia for All: The Legacy of a Makeshift Landscape|last2=Ward|first2=Colin|date=1984|publisher=Mansell|isbn=978-0-7201-1679-3|language=en}} The RIBA and Architectural Association hold collections of drawings by Westman. Two of Westman's paintings of Oxfordshire churches were on display for a time at the Royal Academy of Arts.{{Cite web |title=Westman, Roger (1939 - 2020) - KulturNav |url=https://kulturnav.org/174d897a-2d6e-43c7-9fb1-1448a2bc816d |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=kulturnav.org}}

Westman used his hands-on artistic ability to great effect in designing and creating sets at opera houses and theatres including the Royal Opera House, London Coliseum, and the National Theatre.{{Cite journal |date=1989 |title=Architects in the theatre |journal=RIBA Journal |volume= |issue= |pages=19, 20}} Whilst still a student, he worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company as a set designer on productions of As You Like It, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and others.

• Pepys Estate (1966)
• Cheviot Gardens, Lambeth (1968)
• Tara Hotel, Kensington (1973)
• Central Hill Estate (1974)
• Cressingham Gardens (1978)
• Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis (1980)
• South Lambeth Estate (1982)
• Jerma Palace Hotel, Malta (1982)
• Myatt’s Fields South Estate (1984)

Westman married Jula, daughter of lawyer and diplomat Rudolf Rabl, in 1965.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Roger Westman|url=https://archinect.com/roger-westman|access-date=2020-02-15|website=Archinect|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023}} Together they had two children. He was a maternal cousin of Evelyn Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset and a great-great-grandson of soldier and poet Sir Edward Christopher Richard Ulick Branch KCMG CBE. Another distant relative was George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough.

A member of the Twentieth Century Society, he was instrumental in the preservation of several historically important 20th-century buildings.{{Cite web|title=Roger Westman|url=http://architectuul.com/architect/roger-westman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215120018/http://architectuul.com/architect/roger-westman|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2020|access-date=2020-02-15|website=architectuul.com}} He was a friend of his tutor John Summerson until Summerson's death in 1992. Westman died on 29 April 2020.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20200215120018/http://architectuul.com/architect/roger-westman Roger Westman] on Architectuul
• [https://www.archinform.net/arch/216724.htm Roger Westman] on International Architecture Database [or ArchINFORM]
• [http://d-nb.info/gnd/1222679027 Roger Westman] on German National Library
• [https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Roger_Westman Roger Westman] on Designing Buildings, the construction wiki.

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Category:1939 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:People from Jarrow

Category:People educated at Norland Place School

Category:People educated at Colet Court

Category:People educated at Latymer Upper School

Category:Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture

Category:British architects

Category:20th-century English architects

Category:British designers