Julia Barfield, , (born 1952) is a British architect and director of Marks Barfield Architects, established in 1989. Barfield created the

London Eye The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United ...

together with husband and partner David Marks. Barfield has interest in vernacular architecture, geometry and in the way nature "designs and organizes itself so efficiently". She was influenced by Buckminster Fuller and his beliefs on how architects have a social and environmental responsibility. Barfield remains involved in a diverse array of projects within architecture, including the categories of culture, education, transportation, sports, leisure, and master planning.

Education

Barfield was drawn to architecture through the influence of a family friend who was an architect. She was interested in the arts and sciences, and believes that "architecture is a bridge" between them. She studied at the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...

in London from 1972 to 1978. She spent a year abroad working in the '' barriadas'' of

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of th ...

, where she designed housing and a

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

Experience

After graduation, Barfield worked for

Foster and Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide ...

for nine years. In 1990, together with husband David Marks, she founded

Marks Barfield Architects Marks Barfield Architects is a London-based architectural firm founded by husband and wife David Marks and Julia Barfield. Their work has included the London Eye, the treetop walkway in Kew Gardens, the i360 observation tower in Brighton, Englan ...

, designing projects for the leisure, housing, transport, education and cultural sectors. Barfield has served as an awards assessor for

RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

and the Civic Trust and judges architectural competitions. She lectures at conferences and universities, advises for the Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment masters course at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and serves as a governor at Godolphin & Latymer School for girls. She previously served as vice president of the

Works

London Eye

''The best thing about the Eye is the journey. It's not like the Eiffel tower, where you get in a dark lift and come out on to a platform at the top. The trip round is as important as the view.'' -Julia Barfield, 2015

In 1993, the ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

'' and the

Architecture Foundation Founded in 1991, The Architecture Foundation is Britain's oldest independent architecture centre. It examines contemporary issues in architectural theory and practice, through a public programme that has involved exhibitions, competitions publicatio ...

held an open competition to design a landmark for the millennium. The design submitted by Barfield and Marks, which they called the

, failed to win the competition; in fact, none of the submissions were selected by the judges. The architects decided to erect the landmark anyway, completing it in March 2000 at a cost of £85 million.

Awards

Julia Barfield and her firm have won more than 60 awards for their design, innovation and sustainability. Barfield is the winner of "Architectural Practice of the Year" in 2001 and a " Queen's Award for Enterprise & Innovation" in 2003.

References

External Links * Herd, Colin. “Material Complexity: RIBA Awards.” ''Aesthetica'', no. 82 (May 4, 2018): 72–77. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barfield, Julia 1952 births Living people Architects from London British women architects Members of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture