Mark Powell Kyffin
Mark Powell Kyffin
Head of Architecture
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism

Mark is the Head of Architecture for Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism. He is a past Branch President and longstanding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a former member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservators.

He has studied and worked in the field of Architecture for over 25 years and has extensively worked on numerous complex and demanding projects in the Arts, Culture and Heritage Sectors.

For the past fifteen years, Mark has worked in The United Arab Emirates and gained an extensive knowledge of regional vernacular architecture and the modern heritage of Abu Dhabi particularly with regard to his work on Qasr Al Hosn (the ancestral home of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family) and The Cultural Foundation (a significant modern heritage landmark of Gropius origins). Mark has also worked extensively on Guggenheim Abu Dhabi with Gehry Partners and on other significant cultural initiatives such as Louvre and Berklee Abu Dhabi.

Mark’s studies are encapsulated within his Architectural sketchbooks, which he was delighted to have exhibited in the UAE Pavilion at the Venice Architectural Biennale in 2014.

Prior to joining The Department of Culture & Tourism Mark has worked for numerous international high profile Architectural Practices in the UK. He has been internationally recognised by his peers, for the rehabilitation of Liverpool’s oldest city centre cultural building, The Bluecoat, which was conserved and extended as a contemporary arts centre in 2005.

The works which Mark has undertaken, have been formally recognised by UNESCO as being an exemplar approach to rehabilitating a World Heritage Site. He is delighted to have been recognised by his peers for these works, which obtained a High Commendation in the ‘Mies van der Rohe’ award at the World Architecture Festival, in Barcelona 2008 and for his association with the Qasr Al Hosn Musalla, which was recognised as the best Religious building at the World Architecture Festival Awards in 2019 and best Urban Landscape in 2021.

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