Roche & Dinkeloo

Roche & Dinkeloo. American architectural firm founded by the Irish-born Eamonn Kevin Roche (1922– ) and US-born John Gerard Dinkeloo (1918–81). Roche and Dinkeloo worked with Eero Saarinen in the 1950s before establishing their partnership after Saarinen's death in 1961. Their first work was the Oakland Museum, CA (1961–8), a huge building covering four city blocks and constructed of sandblasted concrete both inside and out, with a series of gardens (1965–9) by Kiley contained within the complex. The Cummins Engine Plant, Darlington, Co. Durham, England (1963–5), constructed of steel with the H-sections exposed externally, was a paradigm for its day, and exposed steelwork was again used at the Ford Foundation Headquarters, 42nd Street, NYC (1963–8), with a 12-storey indoor garden or office atrium that became immensely influential. In 1967–85 came the extensions to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, including the Pavilion for the Ancient Egyptian temple of Dendur. After Dinkeloo's death Roche followed the reaction against the Modern Movement, designing the E. F. Hutton Building, NYC (1980—with a stone colonnade and mansard roofs), and other works with Classical references. More recently the firm has built the enormous World Headquarters of Merck & Company, Whitehouse Station, NJ(1993).

Bibliography

Dal Co (ed.) (1985);
Kalman (1994);
Futagawa (ed.) (1975a);
Stern (1977)