Sir Owen Williams designed his buildings as functional structures sheathed with decorative facades. Appointed chief consulting civil engineer to the British Empire Exhibition in 1923, he received a knighthood for his services. Blurring the roles of engineer and architect, Williams produced a sense of innovative, and aesthetically sensitive reinforced-concrete buildings during the period between the wars. After World War II he worked on developing the first plan for Britains motorway system.
In this addition to the ECCA series, the work of Sir Owen Williams is discussed with focus given to the way that his relationships with others on projects informed the evolution of his designs. In particular, the authors highlight the significant contribution that Williams made to the development of modern architecture through the innovations that he explored in both exposed concrete and glass surfaces.
