Chris Wilkinson: Thinking through drawing, Royal Academy

Offering a rare insight into the architectural creative process, the Royal Academy is flinging open the personal sketchbooks of Academician, Chris Wilkinson.
Chris Wilkinson: architect & artist
With a stellar reputation based on his long span, lightweight structures which reflect his roots in the high tech movement, Wilkinson worked alongside such greats as Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Michael Hopkins before establishing ‘Chris Wilkinson Architects’ in 1983. Working on striking yet sensitive designs for the Jubilee Line extension at Stratford and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Stirling Prizes followed swiftly.
In an age increasingly dominated by digital media, Wilkinson remains a strong advocate for the importance of drawing by hand. On display at the RA are the fruits of 30 years of labour – sketchbooks, watercolours and drawings revealing early design concepts, glimpses of development and scenes of construction.
Though the sketchbooks of artists and architects long gone are often seen on display, it is unusual to be gifted such an intimate glimpse into one still practicing - an opportunity that should be seized wholeheartedly.