Basic Biographical Details

Name: Albert Dick Cordiner
Designation:  
Born: 24 April 1905
Died: 28 August 1976
Bio Notes: Albert Dick Cordiner was born on 24 April 1905, the son of Aubrey Cordiner, restaurateur and his wife Elizabeth Allan; he was the brother of Thomas Smith Cordiner, who also became an architect. He was articled to Watson Salmond & Gray in Glasgow from 15 August 1922 until 6 September 1926, taking evening classes at Glasgow School of Architecture. Shortly after the end of his articles he moved to Burnet Son & Dick on 29 November 1926, where he took over the North British and Mercantile Building from Walter J Knight to discover an extremely expensive error in the design of the steelwork at the staircase window.

In July 1928 he passed the qualifying exam in Edinburgh and he was admitted ARIBA in December, his proposers being John Watson, David Salmond and William Brown Whitie. By that date he was with H M Office of Works in Westminster, having joined that office in October.

Cordiner subsequently worked in various private offices and served as staff architect to Yorkshire Electric Power Company in Leeds and as a civil servant in Belfast. (His address is given in the RIBA Kalendar of 1939-40 as 26 Midlothian Drive, which was his brother's private address). He travelled in Europe, the United States and Canada. He returned to Glasgow in June 1947 to practise on his own account. He was a member of the Town Planning Institute by 1950. He was elected FRIBA on 10 April 1956, proposed by Professor William James Smith, William McCrea and John Watson.

He retired c.1965 but continued to provide occasional help in his brother's practice thereafter. At the time of his death in Ayrshire Central Hospital, Kilwinning, on 28 August 1976 he had been living in West Kilbride. He was not married.

FRIBA, AMTPI

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 1025, Glenside Grove, West Kilbride, Ayrshire, ScotlandPrivate 1976 
Item 2 of 1026, Midlothian Drive, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivateAfter 1905August 1928 
Item 3 of 10London, EnglandBusinessAfter 1926Before 1947 
Item 4 of 10Belfast, Northern IrelandBusinessAfter 1926Before 1947 
Item 5 of 10Leeds, Yorkshire, EnglandBusinessAfter 1926Before 1947 
Item 6 of 10Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness1947c. 1965 
Item 7 of 102, Woodlands Terrace, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness1950sAfter 1970 
Item 8 of 105, India Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate(?)1950 *  
Item 9 of 1010, Lynedoch Place, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivatec. 1955  
Item 10 of 10West Kilbride, Ayrshire, ScotlandPrivate1976 *  

* earliest date known from documented sources.


Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 4Ministry of Finance Architect's Department, (or Department of Works & Public Buildings) Government of Northern Ireland  ArchitectDate uncertain
Item 2 of 4Watson, Salmond & Gray15 August 19226 September 1926Apprentice 
Item 3 of 4Burnet, Son & Dick29 November 192630 July 1928Assistant 
Item 4 of 4H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)October 1928Before 1947AssistantIn Westminster (London) office

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 6William McCrea10 April 1956For Fellowship
Item 2 of 6David SalmondDecember 1928for Associateship
Item 3 of 6(Professor) William James Smith10 April 1956For Fellowship
Item 4 of 6John WatsonDecember 1928for Associateship
Item 5 of 6John Watson (junior)10 April 1956For Fellowship
Item 6 of 6William Brown WhitieDecember 1928for Associateship

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 61926North British and Mercantile Building  GlasgowScotlandAs assistant to Burnet Son & Dick
Item 2 of 61938Public SchoolTorry KincardineshireScotland 
Item 3 of 61950sCoventry CathedralCoventry WarwickshireEnglandHonourable mention in competition
Item 4 of 61956Royal College of Science and Technology, Residential Centre for Management StudiesBearsden GlasgowScotlandNomination Paper indicates Cordiner shared this job with another architect - perhaps his brother?
Item 5 of 6Before 1956Housing scheme 500 houses   ScotlandShared job with another architect - perhaps his brother?
Item 6 of 620 May 1960Midlothian County Council Buildings, Lawnmarket and Melbourne Place  Edinburgh, MidlothianScotlandplaced 3rd in competition per Builder p957

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Municipal Annual1964Scottish Municipal Annual1964-1965  
Item 2 of 3RIBA1939The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940 London: Royal Institute of British Architects 
Item 3 of 3RIBA1950The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 London: Royal Institute of British Architects 

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 3H M Register HouseDeath Register  
Item 2 of 3Professor David M Walker personal archiveProfessor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material Memo of conversation between Cordiner and Alfred Lochhead in the 1960s.
Item 3 of 3RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A no4233 (combined box 2); F no5163 (combined box 60)