The classical architect claims to delight in the ordinary but his work, on show at the Royal Institute of British Architects, is anything but

Ben Pentreath says he really likes the boring. What he means, we suspect, is that he has an architect’s eye for detail, one which makes the boring very good for business.

Pentreath may delight in the ordinary but his own work speaks of the pleasure he also gains from the pursuit of excellence in architecture and design. This is what will be on show this month at the Royal Institute of British Architects. He is one of a group of young architects whose exhibition, Three Classicists, marks the end of RIBA’s exhibition space in its elegant building on Portland Place in central London—this is the last show there.

Pentreath’s fellow classicists are George Saumarez Smith and Francis Terry. All three have strong architectural pedigrees and were long-time friends and collaborators before they decided to embark on the exhibition. Pentreath has very clear views on what constitutes good architecture but he is not dogmatic. ‘Some people hate each other,’ he says, referring to the frequent and often public clashes between modernist and classicist schools,’ but we don’t want to be hated. We make it completely clear that there’s room for both sides.’ It is clear from the exhibition that all three are well on their way to asserting their own places in the modern classical firmament.

This is a busy time for Pentreath and Working Group, the practice he founded in 2004. ‘For us there has been no downturn in the past 18 months, we’re really busy and have added new members to our team,’ he says.

Pentreath recently started a separate company to take on private residential commissions as well as furniture and interior decoration. And at the end of 2008 he opened a shop close to his office in west central London selling beautiful interior objects that reflect Pentreath’s tastes and passions. Strongly represented is plasterwork, something with which he has become very familiar since being commissioned by Norwich company Stevensons to create a range of cornices licensed by the National Trust. Pentreath was dispatched up ladders in many NT properties to closely examine and reproduce some of the most striking examples of period plasterwork. Pentreath is also working on furniture designs which may develop into a collection in the near future.

Despite his workload, Pentreath’s focus on each project is unswerving. He knows his passions but also his limits, ensuring that everything he takes on receives the requisite amount of attention. He may be many things but boring is not one of them. www.working-group.co.uk
www.threeclassicists.com

Hooked on classics

Pentreath’s shop on Rugby Street in Bloomsbury is managed by Bridie Hall and sells an eclectic range of interiors products.

Sense of tradition

Woodlands Crescent in Poundbury is one of several commissions that Pentreath’s Working Group has undertaken for the Duchy of Cornwall.

This article was first published in IDFX Magazine.