In 2002, Grimshaw stood for the presidency of the august Royal Academy, an institution he has subsequently liberated from the financial doldrums to its rightful position of admiration and respect. Sir Grimshaw recently sat down with RECORD editor in chief Robert Ivy for a leisurely conversation on architecture, energy-conscious design, and the relationship of architecture and the arts. His remarks are summarized below.

On Green Architecture
He has been talking and writing about the subject since 1979, when he wrote an article for the RIBA Journal entitled “Energetic Architecture—A Belief.” If everybody took the fuel used to drive to work and walked instead, he argues, it would pay to heat the office building. “Modern Industry isn’t antisocial and polluting. Light industry sits comfortably in residential areas,” he observes. “If more people lived within 2 miles of work, they could easily walk. However, most people won’t accept it as concept. But working from home, going in twice a week, would help. It would save huge amounts of time.”