Czech-born London architect to discuss her inspiration
Will give public lecture at National Gallery
Eva Jiricna is a renowned Czech-born, London-based architect whose high-profile work includes interiors at the iconic Lloyds of London headquarters and a contemporary Orangery at Prague Castle.
Now 73 and a CBE (Commander of the British Empire), she will give a free public lecture in Ottawa on Monday. It takes place at 6 p.m. at the National Gallery of Canada.
“It’s her impeccable detailing that really distinguishes the work,” says Carleton architecture professor Stephen Fai.
Jiricna will discuss her career from 1969 to date, focusing on projects in the Czech Republic since the Velvet Revolution in 1989. These include a university library and a cultural centre, both in Zlin. She was an architectural adviser to Vaclav Havel when he was president.
Her talk will be about inspiration, collaboration, and the importance of teamwork.
Jiricna was born in Zlin — a garden city that French architect Le Corbusier once called a “shining jewel” and the birthplace of Bata Shoes. Her father was an architect for Tomas Bata.
She studied engineering and architecture in Prague, but found few opportunities because she refused to join the Communist party, she told the Guardian newspaper in 2006. Instead, she went to London on a work placement in 1968. Return became impossible when the Soviet Union invaded to halt Prague Spring reforms.
In London, she hung out with the avant-garde Archigram group and met people like Richard Rogers, who went on to design the Lloyds headquarters, built from 1978 to 1986.
In 1982, Jiricna opened her own practice. Her chic interiors for clubs and boutiques, including at Harrod’s department store, created the setting for what the Guardian called “London’s moneyed party set.” Browns Nightclub is home to one of her dramatic glass staircases.
“Her hallmark was to transform often ordinary shop units into elegant displays for luxury goods and clothes,” says the Royal Academy of Arts.
“She pioneered the use of glass as a structural material, partly because it improved transparency and daylight in the shops, but she also exploited its potential to surprise and delight.”
Among the firm’s projects are the Canada Water bus station in London, and the Prague offices for Andersen Consulting in Frank Gehry’s “Fred and Ginger” building.
The talk is part of the Forum Lecture series organized by the Carleton University architecture school.