My friend Keith Smith, who has died aged 84, was an architect whose professional career took him through local authority work, new towns, private practice and teaching at the University of Sheffield.
From the mid-1960s he was part of a team of architects, including James Stirling and Michael Wilford, working on the development of Runcorn New Town. Keith was leader of the design team that produced the Esso Motor Hotel, which in 1974 was commended by the RIBA, and later led the team that produced the Runcorn law courts and police headquarters that were featured in the Architect’s Journal in 1977. Of all the buildings designed by Keith, he was most proud of these.
