One of our most illustrious Alumni, Inette Austin-Smith, co-founder of the international practice Austin-Smith Lord, very sadly passed away 11 January 2017.
Inge Lotte Edith Austin-Smith (nee Griessmann) was born in Germany on 23 January 1924. She attended Downhurst School, Hendon, prior to studying Fine Arts at the University of Reading for one year. She subsequently joined the AA School of Architecture, where she trained from 1942-47. At the time she joined the AA, the school was evacuated to Mount House in Barnet, London. By 1944, while Griessmann was in her second year at the AA, the school recorded a demographic of more female students than male for the first time in its history, she being part of the 50 strong female population. Whilst at the AA, she received Mentions for her boathouse and library designs in 1943, and further Mentions for her landscape, texture and heating studies in 1944. Her fifth year project 'Flats, West Norwood', with S.E. Mullins, was awarded a Pass with Distinction. She joined the Forces whilst in her third year at the AA, and returned to join the 4th year in 1945 (see AAJ, December 1945-January 1946, p. 41). Following graduation she became naturalised on 22 February 1947 and changed her name to Inette Grierson by deed poll on 31 October 1947. After leaving the AA she worked for Middlesex County Council on schools and then for Norman & Dawbarn, in charge of the housing estate for paraplegics at Watford. In January 1948 she married John Michael Austin-Smith (1918-1999) who she had met in the fifth year at the AA, and changed her name to Inette Austin-Smith. In 1950, they set up in private practice – the practice was known as J.M. Austin-Smith and Partner, renamed Austin-Smith/Salmon/Lord in 1963 when Peter Lord and Geoffrey Salmon were made partners and then Austin-Smith/Lord in 1969 when Salmon left. Inette and Michael retired from practice in 1981. She remained a Members of the AA and a trustee at the Cornwall Architectural Trust for the rest of her life.
Inette donated her entire 5 years of AA work (1942-48) and that of her husband (AA 1936-47, AA President 1961-2) to the AA Archives in 2011 and she recorded an extensive set of oral histories for the AAXX100 project, which she was a patron of.