Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) marked a historic milestone as it celebrated the 10th anniversary of its world-renowned Drawing Studio, with the building’s architect, the legendary Professor Sir Peter Cook, returning to campus as the guest of honour.
Sir Peter is an alumnus and Honorary Fellow of AUB, and one of the most influential figures in contemporary architectural culture, best-known for the Kunsthaus Art Museum in Graz, known affectionately as the Friendly Alien thanks to its biomorphic, blue, glassy facade.
The festivities began mid-afternoon on Wednesday 18 March with live drawing from students and a string quartet from University Music, a joint AUB and Bournemouth University department, entertaining dignitaries and esteemed guests from the worlds of architecture, design, and academia.
Speeches followed by Lisa Mann, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer at AUB, and Sir Peter, who said, “The Drawing Studio was always meant to be a place of light and contemplation. Seeing it 10 years later, still inspiring the next generation of artists, is a testament to AUB’s commitment to the fundamental craft of drawing.”
In a highlight that blurred the lines between architecture and art, the afternoon event culminated in the cutting of a spectacular ‘illusion cake’ created by celebrated AUB alumna and viral sensation Tash Diamond.
Bournemouth-based Tash, who's gained millions of views online for her hyper-realistic cake creations, was commissioned to recreate Sir Peter’s original architectural model of the Drawing Studio in edible form.
The cake sat side-by-side with the actual model, leaving guests stunned by the precision of the blue, sculptural curves and the seamless finish that matched the building’s iconic steel skin.
“Coming back to AUB to celebrate a building that defines the campus was an honour," Tash says. “Recreating Sir Peter’s vision in cake was a unique challenge, matching that specific 'AUB Blue' and the fluid geometry of the studio required the same precision I learned during my time here as a modelmaking student.”
The anniversary celebrations transitioned into the official opening of a major new exhibition, Moves On from the Beach to City and Landscape, at TheGallery at AUB.
Tracing Sir Peter's career, the exhibition highlights the intersections of imagination, experimentation, and architectural making across more than seven decades and passing through the years of the Drawing Studio and the Innovation Studio, also built at AUB.
The story begins at the ‘beach kiosk corner’ in 1954, where Sir Peter worked from a small mobile cabin at Durley Chine, Bournemouth, selling fruit while he was studying architecture at AUB, then known as the Bournemouth College of Art, from 1953 to 1958. He continued his education at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, graduating in 1960.
“It’s truly an honour to welcome Sir Peter Cook back to the University," says Vice-Chancellor and CEO Lisa Mann, "to the place where he first studied architecture, and to where his first UK building, the magnificent Drawing Studio is.
“When AUB commissioned the build over a decade ago, it had been over 100 years since a purpose-built drawing studio had been constructed in the UK. The Drawing Studio has become a symbol of AUB’s dedication to creative excellence, winning numerous architectural awards and becoming a landmark of the South Coast.
“We’re incredibly proud of this magnificent building and to call Sir Peter Cook an alumnus and Honorary Fellow.”
The exhibition, Peter Cook: Moves On from the Beach to City and Landscape, is now open to the public and students alike until 21 May, showcasing a lifetime of sketches, models, and digital renderings that continue to challenge the boundaries of what architecture can be.
