The Sir John Soane’s Museum has just opened a major retrospective exhibition, Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings, celebrating one of the most influential architects of the 20th and 21st centuries. Running from 18 June to 21 September 2025, this is the UK’s first survey of Richard Rogers’ work since his passing in 2021 and promises a vivid exploration of his visionary career.
Renowned for reshaping skylines with a bold, inside-out architectural style, Rogers left an indelible mark through landmarks like the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Lloyd’s of London and the Millennium Dome. His designs, often radical and unapologetically colourful, were guided by a powerful belief: that architecture should serve people, communities and cities.
Curated and designed by his son, Ab Rogers, the exhibition brings together eight of Richard’s favourite projects, spanning 1967 to 2020. It features original drawings, films and his iconic Perspex models, creating a dynamic and immersive portrait of an architect who never separated form from social function.
Among the highlights is the Zip-Up House, an unrealised but influential 1960s prototype co-designed with Su Rogers. Imagined as an affordable, prefabricated “kit of parts”, it reimagined the concept of domestic living. As Rogers explained, “Buying clothes off the rack is the norm. We wanted to do the same for the house.”
The exhibition also revisits the bold vision behind the Centre Pompidou, where colour-coded pipes became part of the façade — a visual language that combined playfulness with transparency. Though initially controversial, the building quickly became a cultural beacon and tourist magnet.
From his early Rogers House, designed for his parents, to his final work, the Drawing Gallery in Aix-en-Provence, the exhibition charts the arc of a career devoted to using design as a tool for social change.
A special installation by RSHP (formerly Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners) and commissioned films by Marina Willer offer deeper insight into Rogers’ lasting legacy and collaborative ethos. These elements underscore his commitment to sustainability, ethics and creating spaces that encourage interaction and inclusivity.
Talking Buildings is more than a tribute — it’s a call to see architecture not just as structure but as a conversation about who we are and how we live together.
