Marco Goldschmied 1944 - 2022

We are deeply saddened by the news that Marco Goldschmied passed away last week.

Marco was one of the original four co-founders of the Richard Rogers Partnership, now RSHP, and was Managing Director at the practice for over 20 years.

In the early years, he was instrumental in many of the practice’s major projects such as the Pompidou Centre (Piano+Rogers), Patscenter in Princeton, Lloyd’s of London, Montevetro, Channel Four Headquarters, Terminal 5 Heathrow Airport and the repurposing of Thames Wharf Studios, our home until 2015.

Tribute by Ian Birtles, Senior Partner, RSHP.

Marco was an architect who possessed a sharp commercial brain, a relentless entrepreneurial spirit and spearheaded our commercial and strategic business planning during his many years at the practice. The commercial principles that he put in place during this period remain relevant and continue to be used at RSHP.

He pioneered (with Richard Rogers, John Young and Mike Davies) the decision to eliminate private shares and transfer ownership of the business to a charity, a model unique in the architectural profession. This structure and our constitution which is embedded in the charity (written in 1990) still guide and govern the practice today.

Marco was a mentor and a friend to many of us who remain at the practice. On a recent visit to see him it was clear that he had never realised the impact and influence that he had had on the professional lives of many of us who worked with him.

He was always challenging, and whilst Marco and I didn’t always agree, I learned so much from him during my early years at the practice.

When we weren’t talking “shop”, conversation would invariably turn to football. We could talk for hours about our “favourite” subject and our respective love of two rival North London teams.

Our thoughts are now with the Goldschmied family during this very difficult time. With much love from everybody at the RSHP family.