Marcus Beale

MA, Dip Arch (Cantab) FRSA EASA RIBA
Director

Marcus Beale has designed radical alterations to historic sites and delivered new developments in sensitive settings for over 30 years. New buildings include the Archery Gardens quarter at St Leonards on Sea; University College School and King’s College School sports pavilions;  a theatre at Cumnor House School, student accommodation for St Peter’s College, Oxford, fully accessible student accommodation at New College, Oxford, and a residential care home at Beulah Hill. Alterations include: multiple projects at at Oriel College, Oxford; a new boarding house for Clifton College; the theatre at Wimbledon College of Art, multiple projects at Harrow School and the conservation of Westminster Abbey Chapter House for English Heritage.

Marcus has worked on Masterplans for Oriel College, Cunmor House School (Sussex) and Oxford Brookes University, Conservation Management Plans for Oriel College, New College, the Covered Market at Oxford.

He is a member of the Design Review Panels for LB Hounslow and Merton.

The practice regularly collaborates with other design practices as conservation architects for major projects, including at St Hilda’s College, New College, Rhodes House, Oxford; and St Catharine’s College Cambridge.

Marcus has a particular interest in spatial acoustics.

He chairs Merton Priory Trust and is a director of  Wimbledon Concert Hall, a charity promoting a new centre for music by Frank Gehry in Wimbledon.

Before MBA

Marcus worked at Green Lloyd Architects from 1987-91, assisting at Somerset House North Block Courtauld Institute of Art 1987-89, then job running projects at Innholders’ Hall 1989-1991 and Barrington House 1990-91 in the City of London. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge (1978-81, 1985-87). Teachers included: Nicholas Ray, Peter Carl, Bob Allies, Dalibor Vesely, Peter Blundell-Jones, Eric Parry and Sandy Wilson.

Music: from 1981-5 Marcus’ main occupation was music, playing violin and electric violin with various groups including Simon Jeffes’ Penguin Cafe Orchestra from 1981 to 1984 [Albums ‘Broadcasting From Home’ ‘PCO Mini-Album’, tours: Holland, Germany, Austria, Japan, USA], and writing ballet scores for the contemporary dance group Dance Unlimited [choreographer Matthew Hamilton: This Fragile Forest, Kartografi, George and the Dragon, performed at The Place and the ICA.] For a video of young Marcus on the BBC Whistle Test 1984 click here, live on the same bill as Lou Reed. He still composes, plays violin and sings tenor. His ‘Credo’ was performed on BBC Radio 3 at Pentecost 1995, recorded by the BBC singers. An advocate for acoustics as a tool of design, his designs normally incorporate acoustic features.