The creator of the London Eye and Brighton’s i360 has expressed bafflement at Foster & Partners’ Tulip proposals for a 305m tall tourist attraction in the Square Mile.

Marks Barfield director Julia Barfield – who worked for Foster for the best part of a decade before starting her own practice with late husband David Marks – said the project, drawn up for billionaire banker Jacob J Safra, did not appear to be answering a need.

Speaking at last week’s BD Live event, Barfield said the proposed structure, which features a 12-storey attraction perched on a concrete shaft a few metres from Fosters’ Gherkin, appeared to borrow directly from other tall structures, including her own.

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