Sarah Wigglesworth

Sarah Wigglesworth MBE RDI is a British award-winning architect and Professor of Architecture at Sheffield University.
Together with her partner, Jeremy Till, Wigglesworth was (in 1991) the first architect to be awarded the Fulbright Arts Fellowship. In 1998 the Sunday Times named her as one of three architects in their "Hot 100" poll. She was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2004.

Wigglesworth founded Sarah Wigglesworth Architects (SWA) in 1994. Her practice developed a reputation for ecological buildings and a particular fascination for the use of alternative materials, including straw, in architecture. One of the practice's best known buildings is the Straw Bale House (and Quilted Office) in Islington, London, which features widely in architectural periodicals. The building was designed as a house and office for Wigglesworth and Till, using straw bales, cement-filled sandbags, silicon-faced fibreglass cloth and gabions filled with recycled concrete. "This doesn't look like a traditional green building," said Wigglesworth. 'We want to bring green architecture into the mainstream by making it more urban and urbane."

She has been Professor of Architecture at Sheffield University since 1999 and founded the PhD by Design in 2002. Her academic work often blends with her 'live' projects and she describes her research focus as "revealing the workings of practice".

Wigglesworth has been Chair of the Judging Panel for a number of years, for the Jane Drew Prize, which celebrates inclusiveness and diversity in architecture. In 2012 she was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry, the first ever woman to be awarded this prestigious title for architecture.

• Clearwater Garden, Chelsea Flower Show (2000)
• Straw Bale House and office, London (2001) - RIBA Award and RIBA Sustainability Prize
• Classroom of the Future, Sheffield (2005) - RIBA Award
• Siobhan Davies Dance Studios, London (2006) - RIBA Award
• Sandal Magna Community Primary School, Wakefield (2010) - RIBA Award

• Olga Popovic Larsen, Andy Tyas, "Conceptual structural design: bridging the gap between architects and engineers", Thomas Telford Publishing (2003), pp. 77-84. ISBN 0-7277-3235-8
• ^ Jonathan Glancey RIBA awards offer a bird's eye view of British architecture, The Guardian, 19 May 2011. Online article retrieved 2012-03-15.

• Grand Designs, Series 1, Episode 7 on Channel 4 (1999)
• The Castleford Project (TV series) on Channel 4 (2004)

Wigglesworth grew up in north London, attending Camden School for Girls. from 1968 to 1976. She studied architecture at the University of Cambridge from 1976 to 1983, graduating with distinction.

Her long-term partner Jeremy Till is Head of Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design and Pro Vice-Chancellor of University of the Arts London, and was previously the Dean of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Westminster.

Despite being a strong advocate for collaborating with the media to promote architecture, Wigglesworth claims not to own a TV or watch television, saying "Ninety-nine percent of what's on television is an absolute disgrace".