Goodbye David Marks, the skyline architect

David Marks ,the founder with his wife and business partner Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects, died on 6th October 2017 following a long illness. The news was made public shortly afterwards through a long tribute on the studio’s website, remembering the work of “a man who transformed skylines”.

The skyline architect, the man who transformed skylines, created urban landmarks that are his works best known and loved by the public. The designs focussed on innovation and close cooperation between architecture and engineering, like the London Eye, London’s famous panoramic wheel.
Located on the South Bank of the Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and completed in 2000, the London Eye is the tallest panoramic wheel in Europe (the world record was taken in 2006 by the Star of Nanchang in China) and until the completion of the Shard (2013) it was also the city’s highest observation point.
The London Eye is the most famous but not the only work by David Marks to have a profound effect on a city’s skyline. There is also Treetop Walkway the pedestrian path above the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, and, above all, British Airways i360.
Completed in Summer 2016 in Brighton, at 162 metres high it is the tallest observation tower in the world. British Airways i360 recently celebrated its first anniversary by collecting nine design and project innovation awards, including a RIBA National Award, and was also a finalist at the World Architecture Festival 2017 in the Hotel And Leisure - Completed Buildings category.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Photos:

David Marks ph. Gary Eastwood, images courtesy of British Airways i360

London Eye: © Kunstlerbob - Robert Bauer; © Milas-Bowman; © ed-g2s; © Bex Walton.

British Airways i360
Images: © British Airways i360;
drone footage: © British Airways i360/Visual Air

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