Editing Robert Adam (section)

===Architectural practice in London===
[[Image:Admiralty Screen.jpg|thumb|left|[[Admiralty buildings|Admiralty Screen]] 1759–61, Whitehall, London, one of Adam's first executed buildings after his grand tour]]
[[Image:Kedleston Hall 20080730-06.jpg|thumb|[[Kedleston Hall]] in [[Derbyshire]]. The south front by Robert Adam, based on the [[Arch of Constantine]] in Rome]]
He returned to Britain in 1758 and set up in business in London with his brother James Adam. They focused on designing complete schemes for the decoration and furnishing of houses. [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] design was popular, and Robert designed a number of country houses in this style,<ref>Roth, p. 397</ref> but he evolved a new, more flexible style incorporating elements of classical [[Roman architecture|Roman]] design alongside influences from [[Architecture of Ancient Greece|Greek]], [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] and [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] styles.<ref>Roth, p. 402</ref> The Adam brothers' success can also be attributed to a desire to design everything down to the smallest detail, ensuring a sense of unity in their design. In Adam interiors, all the furnishings were custom designed to accord with the decoration of the room in a unified harmony. Often the carpets were woven to match the intricate patterns of the ceiling above, while every fitting including sconces, mirrors, and doorknobs also received a custom design emulating the motifs of the room.<ref name="Parissien"/><ref>{{cite book| title=Neoclassicism| url=https://archive.org/details/neoclassicism0000irwi| url-access=registration| author=David Irwin| publisher=Phaidon| year=1997| page=[https://archive.org/details/neoclassicism0000irwi/page/101 101]}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Adam Buildings Act 1772
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for enabling John, Robert, James, and William Adam, to dispose of several Houses and Buildings, in the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, and Saint Mary le Bone, in the County of Middlesex, and other their Effects, by Way of Chance, in such Manner as may be most for the Benefit of themselves and Creditors.
| year                  = 1772
| citation              = [[13 Geo. 3]]. c. 75
| introduced_commons    = 
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| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 1 July 1773
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
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| collapsed             = yes
}}
The Adam practice was not without mishap, however. In 1768 the brothers purchased a 99-year lease for a marshy plot of land beside the Thames in [[Westminster, London|Westminster]], where they built a 24-house terrace development known as the [[Adelphi Buildings|Adelphi]].<ref name="Parissien">{{cite book| title=Adam Style| author=Steven Parissien| publisher=Phaidon| year=1992| pages=43–44}}</ref> The project was very ambitious and is the first instance where terraced houses were designed individually to give unified harmony to the whole development (previously terraced houses were built to one replicated design, side-by-side around a square).<ref name="Parissien"/> However, the project became a [[white elephant]] for Robert and his brothers, with uncertain financing and costs spiralling out of control. The houses were built on a huge artificial terrace resting on vaulted substructures on the level of the Thames, which Robert Adam was certain could be leased to the British government as warehouses. However, this intention failed to materialize; the Adam brothers were left with huge debts and, in 1772, had to lay off 3,000 workmen and cease building. Robert Adam himself moved into one of the houses in the Adelphi, along with supportive friends like [[David Garrick]] and [[Josiah Wedgwood]], who opened a showroom for his ceramics in one of the houses. In 1774, a public lottery authorised under the '''{{visible anchor|Adam Buildings Act 1772}}''' ([[13 Geo. 3]]. c. 75) was held to raise funds for the brothers, which allowed them to avert bankruptcy.<ref name="Parissien"/>