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Charles Knevitt (born of British parents in Dayton, Ohio, USA, on 10 August 1952) is an award-winning British journalist, author, broadcaster, curator and playwright, and former Architecture Correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph (1980-84) and The Times (1984-91).

In 1975 he coined the term ‘community architecture’ in an article in Building Design, and later wrote the definitive book on the subject for Penguin, with co-author Nick Wates (1987). Community Architecture was also published in Chinese and Japanese editions, and re-issued in the Routledge Revivals series in 2013.

In the mid-1980s he popularised coverage of contemporary architecture on television with the ‘Our London’ viewers’ poll of modern buildings for Thames Television (1984), to coincide with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Institute of British Architects and its Festival of Architecture. The following year (1985) he was consultant on the six-part Anglia Television series for Channel 4, ‘Space on Earth’ and wrote the accompanying book. In 1987 he was the writer and presenter of an award-winning Granada Television programme in its ‘New North’ series.

He is the author/editor of 12 books. Among them is the Top 20 bestseller, One’s Life (1988); Perspectives, an anthology of 1001 architectural quotations (1986); and Shelter: Human Habitats from around the World (1994; US edition 1996). The last of these raised more than £100,000 for Shelter – The National Campaign for Homeless People.

Between 2004 and 2011 he was Director of the RIBA Trust, managing the cultural assets and delivering the public outreach programme of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The Trust included the British Architectural Library, more than four million items based at the RIBA and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A); the permanent Architecture Gallery at the V&A; the annual RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture, broadcast live on Channel 4 and later BBC2, with Kevin McCloud; the Royal Gold Medal and Honorary Fellowships; exhibitions; talks; and development. He was UK Director of the Vitra Design Museum travelling exhibition, ‘Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture’ and season in Venice (Biennale), Liverpool (European Capital of Culture) and London (Barbican Art Gallery, RIBA and the Architectural Association), 2008-09. There were also two travelling Palladio exhibitions, based on original work in the RIBA Drawings Collection, in Europe (with the Royal Academy) and the USA.

He has curated several exhibitions in London, including ‘Lifelines’ at the European Commission’s 12 Star Gallery (2012), with Emma Flynn and Cassandra Tsolakis; and one in Malta, ‘Richard England – Architect and Artist’ for the Bank of Valletta (2013). The catalogue introduction was written by Renzo Piano. In 2012 he wrote and performed his one-man show, ‘Le Corbusier’s Women’, which premiered at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, and subsequently performed it at Chelsea Arts Club, London, and Bowery Poetry Club, New York (2013). It is currently in development as a musical with Peter Manning, Concertmaster at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and will be premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe (2014).

He has been Chairman of the Swiss Cultural Fund in Britain since 2007 ; and in 2008 was named by Design Week as one of the ‘Hot 50’ people making a difference in design.