Nigel Coates was born in 1949, and trained at the University of Nottingham and the Architectural Association. Coates is one of Britain’s most consistently original thinkers in architecture, interior and product design, having led a parallel career in teaching, design practice and artistically-driven, internationally-recognised work. Nigel Coates taught at the Architectural Association from 1976-86 and has been Professor of Architecture at the Royal College of Art since 1995.

“I go for architecture that overlays and enhances. By blending observation and wit with reason, I want my work to generate a sense of the unexpected, and the seemingly spontaneous.” - Nigel Coates