Barcelona Olympics architect David Mackay dies aged 80

«He was undoubtedly a great architect, but more importantly, a thoroughly decent human being and someone it was a great privilege to know.»
Mackay died in his sleep on Tues 11 November. He also authored two books on architecture –   A Life in Cities: An Architectural Autobiography, published in 2009, followed by On Life and Architecture in 2013. Mackay later moved into an apartment within the development. Born in Eastbourne, Sussex, in 1933, Mackay studied architecture at Northern Polytechnic in Holloway, north London. News: MBM Arquitectes co-founder David Mackay, one of the architects behind Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic Village, has passed away at the age of 80. In 2002 the architect oversaw the £2 billion regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley in east London, and in 2003 he became the lead architect for the redevelopment of Plymouth, south-west England. «David Mackay’s work helped shape many cities and greatly influenced the evolution of European architecture and city planning. His many built projects and masterplans testify that he was an architect of consummate skill and sensitivity who was always determined that his work should serve people’s needs and improve their lives,» he said. Portrait is courtesy of RIAS. DHUB Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, 2013Iain Connelly, president of the Royal Incorporation of Scottish Architects, has described Mackay as «one of the pre-eminent architects of his generation». The firm gained international recognition with a series of small-scale public realm works completed throughout Barcelona in the 1980s, known as the city’s «100 projects».