Ryder and Yates

Gordon Ryder and Peter Yates first met in 1948, working for Berthold Lubetkin at Peterlee. Ryder had graduated from Kings College, where he had studied alongside Peter and Alison Smithson. Yates, born in Essex, had worked as a commercial artist on Fleet Street after leaving school. During the war he was sent to France where he met and became acquainted with Le Corbusier.

In 1953 their partnership was established in Newcastle and through a series of commissions for private house they began to develop their architectural ideas and learn the building process. Their architecture was guided by a few simple but strong motifs and a dogged refusal to compromise their ideals.

The process of building was pursued as a collaborative process and during the 1960s they formed one of the first truly multi-disciplinary practices.

Patterson’s Garage marked the beginning of a series of major commissions throughout the 1960s; most notable was Northern Gas for whom Ryder and Yates designed some of their most significant buildings and were able to implement their most ambitious ideas.

Ryder and Yates commitment to the Modern movement is evident throughout their work. Their contribution is reflected not only in the regional significance of their work, but in the national and international scope of their ideas.