Q&A_AL2025.pdf
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Images Couresy of Marks Barfield Architects
The Guildford Society recently held its annual 2025 Architecture Lecture.
Anna Humel from The Society's Design and Heritage Group introduced the lecture.
'Guildford is facing the challenge of the expansion, like many other towns. Many of our recent Architecture Lectures have focused on how we achieve good design in housing. This year we turned our attention to place, which is a fundamental element of any development. Place is what we experience when we step out of our front door. It can profoundly affect our mood, our self-identity, and how we interact with the community.
The Society is delighted to welcome Julia Barfield to speak on the subject of “The Architecture of Place in the age of the Climate and Biodiversity Crisis”
Julia has been involved and engaged in making places since the earliest days of her career, when she went to Lima to help design small plots for what she describes as quarter settlements for people moving into the city. She studied at the Architectural Association, worked for Richard Rogers and then Norman Foster, and finally, in 1989, with her late husband, David Marks, set up their practice, Marks Barfield Architects.
Marks Barfield have, with great enterprise and considerable risks for a small practice, forged a legacy of landmark buildings that are absolutely stunning. Ranging from city landscaping schemes through innovative mixed use developments to immediately recognisable landmarks such as the London Eye.
As the consequences of climate change are becoming more apparent, she's becoming more and more passionate about the responsible use of materials.
We are extremely honoured to welcome Julia Barfield as our guest speaker tonight, and she's going to show us some of her work and explain how she sets about making the architecture of place where people and the planet can thrive
This year we were unable to partner with the University of Surrey and had to use at short notice an alternative venue which had a limitations with the Audio Visual arrangements.
The Lecture is presented as a Video of the lecture presented as a slideshow with commentary. The Lecture will open in Youtube at this link
Peter Coleman Chair of the Design Heritage Group in The Society moderated the Q&A session. Peter concluded the session with a final question from himself, which he prefaced with comment on the projects that Julia had presented in the lecture - '(The) overall amount of work that you've done and the wonderful experiences that you've given the public. You've created places that allow the public to enjoy the natural environment and also to enjoy urban settings'.
A Transcript of the A&A session can be found in the PDF file bleow.
The Society thanks Julia Barfield for a stimulating and thought provoking lecture.
Viewing the lecture is well worth 45 minutes of your time.
For more Marks Barfield on Marks Barfield Architects visit the wesite https//marksbarfield.com
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