Basic Biographical Details | Name: | Wilson Mark Turnbull | | Designation: | | | Born: | 1 April 1943 | | Died: | 19 May 2016 | | Bio Notes: | Wilson Mark Turnbull was born on 1 April 1943, the son of Wilson Turnbull, stockbroker and his wife Margaret. He was educated at George Watson’s College and was articled to the architect John Carnegie, moving to become an assistant with Reiach & Hall. He studied architecture at Edinburgh College of Art where he graduated with a diploma in architecture with Distinction in Design. In 1968 on a Fullbright Scholarship he went to the United States where he studied for a further degree in landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He was awarded the Faculty medal. While in the States he assisted Ian McHarg, the Scottish landscape architect who founded the landscape department at the university, on his influential book, ‘Design with Nature’. Turnbull worked on landscape and planning in the States and carried out research for the US Atomic Energy Commission. He joined the University of South Carolina and became assistant professor, with a wide range of teaching responsibilities, including architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, ecological planning and design-related research, on which much time was spent developing computer techniques.
Turnbull returned to Scotland in 1974 and joined the environmental consultants firm of W J Cairns. He was elected ARIBA in 1977. In 1982 he formed the Turnbull Jeffrey Partnership with Alan Jeffrey. After Jeffrey retired in 1988, the firm concentrated on planning, landscape architecture, landscape quantity surveying and computer services and in due course became Scotland’s largest landscape practice. In 1999 Turnbull sold the practice to form his own small design-led practice, MTLA. He had a wide range of clients. He was also chairman of Envision3D a company specializing in computer graphics, mapping and visualization, which he co-founded. he was also a director of the Edinburgh and Lothians Green-Space Trust.
During his career he was instrumental in the Landscape Institute of Scotland, which he served as chairman, a new lease of life. He was also the chair of the Technical Committee of the UK's Landscape Institute and a member of its Board of Trustees. He served as a member of the Country Commission, the Royal Fine Art Commission and former chairman of the Edinburgh Green Belt Initiative and of the Edinburgh Green Belt Trust.
In 1999 he married Sharon Cope, the day after the sale of Turnbull Jeffrey. They lived in Balquhidder and regularly entertained friends and colleagues there. Turnbull was unconventional in a number of ways, particularly in his dress and never wore a tie, even on formal occasions. He was a keen yachtsman and had his Westerly 35 moored at Dunstaffnage Marina near Oban.
He died on 19 May 2016 and is survived by his wife and his brother.
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Employment and TrainingEmployers| The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes |  | W J Cairns & Partners | 1980 | | Partner | |
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic References| The following books contain references to this : | | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | RIBA | 1980 | Directory of Practices 1980 | | | |
Periodical References| The following periodicals contain references to this : | | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Scotsman | 12 July 2016 | | | |
Archive References| The following archives hold material relating to this : | | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | RIAS, Rutland Square | Records of membership | | |
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