Léon Krier, one of the most influential and controversial architectural thinkers of the past 50 years, and a former BD columnist, has died at the age of 79.

A committed traditionalist and leading figure in the new urbanism movement, Krier was best known for his long-running collaboration with King Charles III and for his contributions to Poundbury, the much-debated urban extension to Dorchester, in Dorset.

Born in Luxembourg in 1946, Krier trained briefly in Stuttgart before abandoning his formal studies and joining James Stirling’s London practice. He later taught at the Architectural Association and the Royal College of Art, where he became known for his critiques of modernism and his belief in the civic value of traditional architecture.