Amanda Levete

Amanda Jane Levete is a Stirling Prize-winning British architect and the principal of AL_A.

Training
Amanda Jane Levete was born in Bridgend, south Wales. She attended St Paul's Girls' School in London and the Hammersmith School of Art, where she studied architecture before enrolling at the Architectural Association. Levete began her career as a trainee at Alsop & Lyall and later worked as an architect at the Richard Rogers Partnership. In 1985, as a co-founder of Powis & Levete, she was nominated for the RIBA's '40 under 40' exhibition. Levete became a partner at Future Systems alongside Jan Kaplický in 1989. She has also served as a trustee of the arts organisation Artangel from 2000 to 2013 and currently serves as a trustee of the Young Foundation.

Career
In 2009, Levete established AL_A (formerly known as Amanda Levete Architecture). The practise gained recognition when it won an international competition in 2011 to design a new main entrance on Exhibition Road. Levete also contributed to the design of the courtyard and gallery at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, which featured a porcelain courtyard adorned with handmade ceramic tiles. This project marked the museum's most significant undertaking in over a century. AL_A has been involved in various notable projects, including the MAAT project in Lisbon for the EDP Foundation (completed 2017), the Central Embassy project in Bangkok (completed 2017), 10 Hill's Place in London (completed 2009) and the pop-up restaurant Tincan (completed 2014).

In 2018, Levete and three other teams were shortlisted out of 42 to redesign the visitor experience for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Their collaborative efforts with the City of Paris government aim to enhance how people interact with the tower in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Levete is also known for creating furniture pieces. She has created acclaimed works for Established and Sons.

Levete and her firm have also undertaken smaller-scale projects, including the design of Wadham College at the University of Oxford. Their work can be found specifically on the Dr. Lee Shau Kee Building and William Doo Undergraduate Centre.

Following the success of the Victoria and Albert Museum project, Levete and her firm unveiled a proposal to revamp the Paisley Museum in Scotland. The aim is to create an inclusive space for visitors from Scotland, the UK, and beyond, showcasing the town's significant global influence through restoration and revitalization.

Levete's work includes the design of a building for Maggie's cancer care charity in Southampton and the media campus for News Corporation in East London. She has also worked on design projects worldwide, including three hospital buildings in Cyprus, the reimagination of the D'Ieteren Headquarters in Brussels, and the design of a prototype fusion plant for clean energy firm General Fusion at Culham. Levete has been entrusted with the development of hotels and malls for the Central Retail Corporation in Bangkok.

Awards
In the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours, Amanda Levete was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her contributions to architecture.

In 2018, Levete received the Jane Drew Prize from the Architects' Journal and Architectural Review. The prize acknowledges individuals who promote the visibility of women in architecture through their dedication to design excellence.

In 2019, Levete was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

In 2021, Levete was elected a Royal Academician.

Personal life
Levete and the Czech architect Jan Kaplický became acquainted in the 1980s. They married in 1991, had a son named Josef in 1995, and divorced in 2006. From 1989 to 2009, Levete and Kaplický collaborated professionally. Since 2007, Levete has been married to Ben Evans, the director of the London Design Festival.

On 19 March 2017, Amanda Levete was featured as a castaway on the Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs.