Marks Barfield

Founded in 1989 by Julia Barfield & David Marks, Marks Barfield Architects (MBA) is the award winning team behind the creation of the London Eye. The practice received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in April 2003, in recognition of the outstanding innovation in design of the London Eye. MBA brings a fresh approach, years of building experience & a commitment to sustainability & innovation. The practice’s portfolio is diverse, featuring work in the key areas of arts & culture, sports & leisure, education, residential & infrastructure. For us, design is a powerful tool for good; both socially & environmentally. It can improve the quality of people’s lives & lift the spirit, while drawing on a minimum of the Earth’s limited resources. We take an analytic approach to design, based on the belief that it should develop only from a thorough understanding of the site, its wider context, & the brief, as well as realities of cost, programme & construction. Analysis feeds imagination; the design flows from the analysis & leads to unique solutions. Each project, client, site & brief is unique. It would therefore be surprising, in our view, if each project were not distinct. Every project is the product of an approach that stays free of preconceptions & open to possibility & change; yet informed by knowledge, understanding & experience. We respond in practical & inventive ways, using careful selection of appropriate materials to create welcoming & uplifting spaces & structures.