Amanda Levete facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amanda Levete
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| Born |
Bridgend, Wales
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Architectural Association |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for services to architecture. Jane Drew Prize, Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Royal Academician, The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize |
| Practice | AL_A |
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Amanda Jane Levete is a famous British architect. She won the Stirling Prize, which is a big award for architects. She is also the leader of her own architecture company, AL_A.
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Becoming an Architect
Amanda Jane Levete was born in Bridgend, a town in South Wales. She went to St Paul's Girls' School in London. Later, she studied architecture at the Hammersmith School of Art. After that, she went to the Architectural Association, a well-known school for architects.
Amanda started her career working as a trainee at a company called Alsop & Lyall. She also worked at the Richard Rogers Partnership. In 1985, she helped start her own company, Powis & Levete. A few years later, in 1989, she became a partner at Future Systems with Jan Kaplický.
Amanda has also helped arts groups. She was a trustee for Artangel for many years. Now, she is a trustee for the Young Foundation.
Amazing Buildings and Projects
In 2009, Amanda Levete started her own architecture company, called AL_A. This company became very well known.
One of their big projects was designing a new main entrance for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This happened after they won a big international competition in 2011. They also designed a special courtyard and gallery for the museum. This courtyard has beautiful handmade ceramic tiles. It was the biggest project the museum had done in over 100 years!
AL_A has worked on many other cool buildings around the world:
- The MAAT in Lisbon, Portugal. This building is right by the water and looks very modern.
- The Central Embassy building in Bangkok, Thailand.
- A pop-up restaurant called Tincan.
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In 2018, Amanda Levete and her team were chosen to help redesign the area around the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They are working with the City of Paris to make it better for visitors. This is especially important as Paris gets ready for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Amanda Levete also designs furniture. She has made special pieces for a company called Established and Sons.
Her company has worked on smaller projects too. They designed parts of Wadham College at the University of Oxford. This includes the Dr. Lee Shau Kee Building.
After their success with the Victoria and Albert Museum, AL_A suggested a plan to update the Paisley Museum in Scotland. The goal is to make it a welcoming place for everyone. It will show how important the town's history is.
Amanda Levete has also designed a building for Maggie's Centres, a charity that helps people with cancer, in Southampton. Her work also includes projects in other countries, like hospitals in Cyprus. She is also designing hotels and malls in Bangkok.
Awards and Recognition
Amanda Levete has received many important awards for her work:
- In 2017, she was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was for her great contributions to architecture.
- In 2018, she won the Jane Drew Prize. This award celebrates people who help women in architecture. It recognizes their amazing design work.
- In 2019, she became an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
- In 2021, she was chosen as a Royal Academician. This is a special honor for artists and architects in the UK.
Her Family Life
Amanda Levete met the architect Jan Kaplický in the 1980s. They got married in 1991 and had a son named Josef in 1995. They later divorced in 2006. Amanda and Jan also worked together professionally for many years.
Since 2007, Amanda has been married to Ben Evans. He is the director of the London Design Festival.
In 2017, Amanda Levete was a guest on a famous radio show called Desert Island Discs.
See also
In Spanish: Amanda Levete para niños
