Gabriel Epstein

Gabriel Epstein was born on 25 October 1918 in Duisburg (Germany), an industrial city in the lower Rhine, a region where his ancestors lived for centuries.

When World War II broke out, Epstein happened to be in Jerusalem, and for several months he worked for Heinz Heinrich Rau, whom he always thought of as his master.

Epstein's master plan for the University of Lancaster[5] was made up of buildings of a modest scale that were arranged around a central walkway known as "The Spine",[6] which ran from north to south and was covered for most of its length.

[7] The campus design was described by Sir Charles Frederick Carter, the founding vice-chairman, as "one of the major achievements of British architecture",[8] which "set new standards and precepts for all University and Urban Plans".

[10] Sensuousness is a theme he often stressed when discussing his work: "I care for materials that age gracefully, for rhythm, proportion, roofs and a lively contrast between light and dark surfaces, especially in the English climate.

"[11] Epstein encouraged his students and planners to be more attentive to the men and women who use their buildings and towns, or in his own words, to "get on their wavelength so as to know what people would need and love if they knew how to ask".

In this regard we do not deal with short-lived tendencies: the sensual and functional relation of people to public space is unchanging and practically independent of climate and culture.

"[13] National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C467/89) with Gabriel Epstein in 2009 for its Architects Lives' collection held by the British Library.