About this talk

Running time: 45 minutes

Czech architect and designer Eva Jiricna is best known for her striking steel and glass staircases. Born in Zlin in Czechoslovakia in 1939, she moved to London in the 1960s, working first at the Greater London Council, and then with Louis de Soissons, before forming her practice in the 1980s.

Though a highly-trained and experienced architect, it is as an interior designer that she acquired international fame, particularly for the beautiful shops, restaurants and flats she completed in London for Joseph Ettedgui; she notes, however, that this was a completely unexpected development in her career.

In this talk she discusses two staircases: the first is a spiral staircase at Somerset House in London, constructed from a transparent steel mesh and Ductal concrete, with a curved glass balustrade (2015); the second is a glass staircase incorporating dramatic lighting for an exhibition of Tiffany lamps at the New-York Historical Society (2017).

She was the 2013 winner of the Jane Drew Prize for innovation, diversity and inclusiveness in architecture.

This is the second of Jiricna's talks for Pidgeon Digital. Her first can be found here: Forms Follow Function.

Please note that a transcript of this talk is available - please contact us for further details.