Wells Coates

About

Modernist who designed the Isokon building in Hampstead, London, Brighton's Embassy Court, and Kensington's 10 Palace Gate. He spent the majority of his life as a Canadian ex-patriate.

Before Fame

He was a gunner and a pilot with the Royal Air Force in World War I, after which he studied at the University of British Columbia and East London College. He initially worked as a journalist, followed by a stint with design firm Adams and Thompson in 1924. He founded his own firm in 1928.

Trivia

He and Maxwell Fry were instrumental in founding the British wing of CIAM, the Modern Architectural Research Group (MARS).

Family Life

He was inspired by his mother, who was a Methodist missionary and architect and planned one of the first missionary schools in Japan; he was the oldest of six children. His mother had studied with the famed Louis Sullivan.

Associated With

He was inspired by the ideas of Le Corbusier.