Image copyright American Buildings Foundation Image caption Lapidus made his name as an architect working abroad
Alan Edward Lapidus, who built cities around the world, including in Cambodia, Laos and Spain, has died aged 85.
Lapidus worked as a British and American architectural consultant and created hotels and casinos in Mexico, China, Vietnam, Japan and the UK.
He also received an Order of the British Empire and a knighthood.
Designer Norman Foster, a friend of Lapidus, paid tribute to him and said he was “the first public architect”.
‘Great Britain’
He worked in the field of early modern architecture and was known for his use of glass and metal that was the “epitome of modernism”, designer Charles Jencks said.
Lapidus also received a RIBA gold medal and an honorary doctorate from the Royal Scottish Academy of Arts.
Inspired by oriental and East Asian countries, Lapidus built a number of hotels, including La Panne in Cambodia, where the city sits in the shadow of the Andaman Sea.
Pruning, slashing and redecorating the interior of the suites made it almost appear like La Panne had fallen apart, designer Carole Bleakley said.
Image copyright American Buildings Foundation Image caption Lapidus designed Casa Cerralve in the new city of Nusatenggvi in Thailand
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Lapidus won an Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Queen for services to architecture in 1967.
Image copyright Taisho Partners Image caption Lapidus won a Royal Gold Medal for Architecture
He has been largely absent from the cultural landscape since the 2000s when he lived in London, London South Bank University said.
Another British interior designer, Adrian Gogan, who called Lapidus “the first public architect”, said the impact of his work was never felt back home.
A fund has been set up in Lapidus’ name.
There will be a funeral to honour his “intellectual legacy” and a photographic exhibition will go on display later.
Alan Edward Lapidus, Britain’s first architect
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