John Pawson is a British architectural designer whose work is known for its minimalist aesthetic. He was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. Coming from a wealthy family, he was schooled at Eton. After a period in the family textile business Pawson left to Tokyo, where he visited the studio of Japanese architect and designer Shiro Kuramata. On his return to England he enrolled at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, leaving to establish his own practice in 1981. Pawson's work focuses on ways of approaching fundamental problems of space, proportion, light and materials.

Projects

The notable projects include London's Cannelle Cake Shop, several Calvin Klein stores; such as the ice palace on Madison Avenue, work for Jigsaw (clothing retailer), New Wardour Castle apartments (2001), the Novy Dvur Monastery, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sept-Fons in Czech Republic, Hotel Puerta America in Madrid (2005), Medina House in Tunis, and the Sackler Crossing, a walkway over the lake at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

The practice is currently involved in the creation of a new permanent home for the Design Museum in London. An exhibition of Pawson's work was held at the Design Museum in September 2010.