Gibson was born in London on 19 November 1935. His father, Alec Gibson, was an architect with the
Design Research Unit, who designed buildings in a modern style. His mother, Mary (
née Wethered), worked with puppets for BBC Television. He attended
Bedales School near
Petersfield, Hampshire, After graduating, he worked for
British Rail, the education division of
Middlesex County Council, and from 1963
Hampstead Borough Council, which in 1965 was absorbed into
Camden Borough Council. Camden's architectural department, under Sydney Cook, was then at the forefront of the provision of high-quality, architect-designed social housing, and Gibson later recruited Brown to the department. According to the architectural critic
Rowan Moore, who interviewed him in 2024, Gibson struggled to negotiate office politics in Camden, which was a factor in his sudden decision, in 1968 or 1969, to relocate with his family to
Shetland. Initially he served as Shetland's deputy county architect and, in 1972, he started his own practice in
Lerwick,
Mainland, later based on Commercial Street, where he remained for the rest of his career. The exploitation of
North Sea oil from the 1970s led to an increased demand for housing in Shetland to accommodate oil workers, which provided many commissions. Gibson's experiences living in Camden with young children led him to design low-level housing, rather than blocks of flats. He lived in Lerwick and converted a ruined crofthouse at Leravoe,
Walls, into a second home. In 2010, he received the lifetime achievement award from the
Royal Institute of Architects in Scotland. He retired in 2016, his practice being continued by Adrian Wishart. Gibson died on 26 December 2024 at Lerwick. ==Style and works==