With Powell and Moya John worked on their famous Churchill Gardens housing scheme in Pimlico and after joining Eric Lyons he worked on a range of projects for Span Developments and he felt fortunate to have worked with such key exponents of the sector at such an early stage of his career. Hoping to raise the finances to marry his beloved Pauline Dawson, who he met in 1956, John answered an advert in the Architect’s Journal by a one man band in Weybridge who was looking for some ‘architectural’ help. That’s when he met Cyril Broadway. The first project they worked on together was the conversion of a wheelwright’s workshop and cottage into a new home – much of John’s work being done in the evenings and weekends – and then just before John’s wedding in 1958 Cyril first suggested the idea of forming a partnership and Broadway and Malyan was born.
In 1960 Broadway and Malyan opened a second studio in Surbiton before the practice consolidated in Weybridge and it was in the mid-1960s that the practice received its big break after coming second in RIBA/Ideal Home architectural competitions in Stockport and Harlow. Over the next 30 years until his retirement in 1996 John oversaw the steady growth of Broadway Malyan alongside partner Hugh Cole following Cyril’s retirement in 1968 with successful projects in the early years including the Homefields sheltered housing scheme in Hersham and the Alpha House office scheme in Reading.
In 1982 John was awarded the MBE for services to architecture and housing and throughout his career he sat on various Government committees, was Chairman of the Centre for Accessible Environments and sat on the board of the National House Building Council where he campaigned for better standards of design as well as better quality of construction. John was also elected as Chairman for the RIBA South East Region, sat on the RIBA Council and was awarded the RIBA South East Region’s medal for services to architecture in 1993.
Outside of architecture John was a huge vintage car enthusiast with a particular passion for Frazer Nash sports cars after acquiring his first in 1962, a 1929 short chassis Super Sports PK4481.
John is survived by his wife Pauline and daughters Louise and Fiona.
*John Leonard Malyan MBE FRIBA, Architect – born 1931; died April 29 2016