The house in Soho at 46 Colville Place is one of the many houses they designed for themselves (writings, invitations, cards, and all the so-called ephemera provide evidence of their frequent moves). The building, which came after the 1950 Hunstanton School in Norfolk (considered as the manifesto of the "Brutalist" movement) is recalled by Peter as the project for which the term "neo-Brutalism" was used for the first time, in the sense of the only cultural outlet possible for the modern movement. […] Their architectural experimentation dealt intentionally with private necessities. It is no coincidence that the first of a long series of exhibitions curated by the Smithsons (which exerted a significant influence on Pop Art in England) was entitled Parallel of Life and Art (1953), nor that Alison and Peter stated in the early 1950s, "We believe that architecture is the direct result of a conception of life." Alison recalled in an article she wrote about herself in 1987, "I think the most difficult thing after the birth of Simon and Samantha [another daughter, Soraya, was born later] was leaving the house. I never went out except to participate in a meeting or a conference on the subject of architecture… Architecture took up all our time. It is not only our work, but the driving force of all our emotions." An indirect attention for the "house" which is, after all, a place to work and on which to work. […] (from Roberto Franco, in "Le case degli architetti, edited by Adriano Cornoldi, Venice 2001, pp. 375-376.)    < BACK Alessandro Eduard Floris