Richard Grierson, who has died aged 78, was a gifted architect, potter and artist. In 1958 he joined the renowned architectural practice RMJM, where he remained until his retirement in 1999. His first job was for New Zealand House, on Haymarket, central London, where he had responsibility for the joinery and for the huge chandelier suspended in the well of a spiral staircase. This created a cascade of light admired by the many who attended diplomatic functions in the building. Among Richard's many later projects were the two huge coal-fired power stations, Castle Peak A and B, set in landscaped terraces and natural features, in the New Territories in Hong Kong.
Richard was born in Hampstead Garden Suburb, north London. Both his parents were artists. His brother, Martin, started furniture-making in the attic and Richard took up pottery. The two boys went to Keswick school in the Lake District, where the music teacher organised concerts by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. On finishing school, Richard enrolled at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster) in London to study architecture. His final project was assessed by Sir Basil Spence.
Both Richard's first wife, Gill, whom he married in 1960, and his second wife, Marian, whom he married in 1991, died of cancer. In 2003 he married Wendy, like him a resident of Blackheath, south-east London. His final architectural triumph was to create a spacious home for them from an existing 1960s shell. Its chief feature is a striking gallery in the large main room giving fine views over Blackheath.
On entering the house, one is struck by its warmth, generated by the adroit use of wood and glass. Richard added a pottery where he continued his lifelong hobby. The house has featured in architectural journals and has been a venue for architectural open days attracting hundreds of visitors. His friends will remember the wonderful concerts held there, some given by the Wihan Quartet.
For nearly 20 years, Richard was the chairman of the architecture group of the Friends of Blackheath Halls, organising visits to new and renovated buildings in London and beyond, the substantial proceeds of which went to the Halls. He recently lent his expertise to the erection of a much-needed lift in the 19th-century Halls building.
Richard was a quiet, contemplative man; hard-working and immensely kind. He is survived by Wendy; two daughters, Sarah and Charlotte, from his first marriage; and two stepdaughters, Kate and Rachel, from his third marriage.