SpeakerJan Kaplický was born in Prague in 1937. Together with Amanda Levete, he founded the architectural practice Future Systems in 1979. A combination of concern for environmental issues with technologically imaginative solutions (including research proposals for NASA), Future Systems is responsible for projects such as the Media Centre at Lord's Cricket Ground (Stirling Prize in 1999) and the bridge linking West India Quay and Canary Wharf. Their classic 1996 book, For Inspiration Only is a collection of visual references gathered over the past 30 years and is one of several books penned by Kaplicky.
The couple worked from their offices in central London until 2007, when Levete established her own company. The longstanding core team of Future Systems's architects was closely knit and highly experienced.
Kaplický presented lectured in over 25 countries, wrote nine books, taught all over Europe and received numerous awards for his work. He passed away in January 2009.