Over an impressive and influential career, King worked on a number of important buildings, including during stints with Denys Lasdun & Partners and Arup Associate. He also taught for more than a decade at the Liverpool School of Architecture.Urban Splashs Jonathan Falkingham, with whom he co-founded Shedkm in 1997, praised him as a true inspiration for an entire generation of architects.Tributes (see below) have also come in from former colleagues and pupils, including musician Chris Lowe who was taught by King at Liverpool before forming the Pet Shop Boys with Neil Tennant.AdvertisementCurrent shedkm managing director Hazel Rounding described him as a truly unforgettable man, an absolute character and the reason she joined the practice in 1998.King was born in Liverpool in 1938 and grew up in Bromborough on the Wirral, later moving to Hoylake where he lived above a bank managed by his father.After attending Kings School in Chester, in 1956 he went to study architecture at Manchester University, where he would become friends with Mike Cummings, John Drabble and Norman Foster. However, he would return to Hoylake every weekend to race dinghies and he continued sailing until the last weeks of his life.He left Manchester to work at Liverpool firm LAG Prichard in 1962, joining Denys Lasdun & Partners in London three years later.There he worked on Christs College Cambridge, the University of East Anglia and the National Theatre. King was a keen photographer, and the picture he took of the South Bank landmark was used for the National Theatres publicity (pictured below).Advertisement Source:Dave KingNational Theatre, London, through treesIn his memoirs, King recalls: I retained the photo. Not because I designed the building (only bits of it), but because it kept me in touch with both Denys and the theatre for many years after I left. It paid for all my Nikons and it reminds me of formative years in that office [and] the magic of the late 60s. Working for Lasdun was very special indeed.In 1970, he moved to Arup Associates, joining the practices Group 1 to work on Dock Support Buildings at Portsmouth Naval Base.Six years later he became a lecturer at Liverpool School of Architecture and shared his time between London and Liverpool with brief spells working at Foster + Partners and Ahrends Burton Koralek during the long holidays.In 1986, he was approached to design the new studio for the Liverpool School of Architecture with Rod McAllister, another former student, and they subsequently set up a practice together, King McAllister.Working with Lee Bennett, Andy Purvis and James Weston, the practice based at the side of his home in Lark Lane, Liverpool would go on to design the schools Student Services Centre (SSC) and its Guild of Undergraduates (G95) as well as competing in numerous competitions. Source:Nick HuftonMatchworks, Liverpool by shedkm for Urban SplashTen years later, aged 60, he set up Shedkm (the km referencing King McAllister) along with Falkingham who was already having success with emerging developer Urban Splash.One of the practices first jobs was for Urban Splash, converting the closed Mersey Match Factory, Garston, into offices and workshops. Renamed the Matchworks, the scheme was completed in 2001.Two years later Shedkm took the wraps off a new landmark pavilion on the end of Southport pier. Then, in 2008, it completed the radical and inventive revamp of a group of rundown and derelict Victorian terraces in Salford to create Chimney Pot Park also for Urban Splash.In 2012, the practice expanded into London and King moved to the Barbican. In his later years, he remained a mentor and consultant to the practice, as well as working as a visiting lecturer at the Liverpool School of Architecture.More recently he lived in Old Portsmouth with his wife Sue and, according to his daughter Sophie, enjoyed doing up his racing boat every day, even sailing it sometimes.King, who also loved skiing, died peacefully following a sudden onset of pneumonia with added heart complications. He is survived by Sue, his children Rachel and Matthew (from a previous marriage) and Sophie as well as two grandchildren, Max and Molly.Dave King with his wife Sue on the rooftop test track at the Lingotto, Turin (Christmas 2015) where part of the film The Italian Job was filmed. The former fiat factor was converted by Renzo Piano (2003)Jonathan Falkingham, Urban Splash and Shedkm I, along with many colleagues in the profession, am deeply saddened by Dave's passing. Dave was my go-to tutor at Liverpool University, my co-founder at Shedkm and, above all, a lifelong friend and mentor.A passionate Modernist, Dave was an exceptional thinker and designer and, as an educator, a true inspiration for an entire generation of architects. His unique spirit and vision made him a rare talent and it was a real privilege to have worked alongside him.As a designer, he contributed to Urban Splash over three decades joining us on a daring journey from our early days when he designed the Matchworks in Liverpool and continuously bringing fresh ideas to new, trailblazing projects. His creativity and determination to approach things differently were constants, shaping many of our projects with his innovation, clarity of thought and eye for detail winning us many awards on the way.His impact on the profession and a generation of designers cannot be underestimated; I for one will really miss him.Hazel Rounding, managing director, ShedkmAlmost 30 years ago, Dave became my biggest critic, fan and challenge. He is the reason I joined Shedkm in its infancy.An absolute character and inspiration, he exuded wisdom. We've shared an insatiable desire to live every second, follow dreams, understand our purpose, nurture youth and make a workplace a home and (of course) to consistently create bold, clear, timeless, design solutions with a little splash of colour to keep things bright!He guided and entrusted me with others to grow Shedkms ethos and approach from the start, and his insight and impact certainly live on. A truly unforgettable man. Source:Morley von SternbergMatchbox in Liverpool by shedkm for Urban SplashChris Lowe, Pet Shop BoysIll never forget he had a piece of glossy red card hanging on his wall and introduced me to minimalism. Inspirational!Rod McCallister, an original partner in King McCallister (where the KM in Shedkm came from)Dave was unique, and a mentor to a huge number of us who met him in Liverpool. His background in Modernism and technology sprang from the Manchester School and his pre-Liverpool days, working with inspiring designers like Denys Lasdun, Jan Kaplicky, Norman Foster, Chris Wilkinson, Philip Dawson and Peter Foggo on many fabulous projects, including the University of East Anglia, the National Theatre and Portsmouth Dockyard. In turn, he inspired us with his relentless pursuit of harmony with a minimal palette of form and colour. He was my tutor, and landlord, and became my architectural partner and life-long friend.In 1986, he asked me to help him with the new studios and galleries project at the school of architecture. Upon completion in 1988, we founded KM. With Lee Bennett, Andy Purvis, Jenny Jones and later James Weston and others, our small team worked closely together on university projects and design competitions in the Lark Lane studio in Liverpool, obsessing about geometry, proportion, symmetry, politics, coffee and grappa. Daves clear, bright and optimistic design leadership continued after KM merged with Shed in 1997. I already miss our endless debates and evenings of laughter.Nik Randall, founder of reForm and Reimagine Architects, and a student at University of Liverpool (1978-1984)Dave was my tutor while studying architecture at the University of Liverpool in the 1980s. He stood out, not only because of his impressive experience working for some of the countrys leading architects but due to his passion for architecture, and his cool black and red attire. He had credibility and style.In my final year, Dave got funding from Arup for me and a fellow student, Pete Brimelow, to make a documentary covering the design and construction of the Liverpool Garden Festival Building a fantastic opportunity to see a project close up in all its stages and to interview and learn from those involved.But the film had to follow the building programme, and ate into the time we had to design our final schemes. I'd set myself a design task that was experimental and, with a month to go, felt I had not resolved everything I had set out to achieve and had little to show. I was considering deferring until the next year until I had a tutorial with Dave. He saw something interesting in my emerging design that I couldnt see, and said: Nik, draw what youve done and dont worry about what youve not done. So I did, non-stop for a month, and he was right.Daves advice was a good lesson for life. I have tried to work to my strengths ever since.Dave became a friend and someone whose advice I always trusted. I didnt see him nearly as often as I should and deeply regret that now. He just seemed to be someone who would always be around, to moan about a poor piece of design, enthuse about one he liked or just to chat about life. His wry sense of humour could be missed by others but he always made me smile.As an external examiner at Leeds, I met his daughter Sophie who was presenting her final project. I had to declare an interest and step aside, but I could see Daves talent for architecture and presentation had been passed on.I am thinking of Sophie and Sue now and send them all my love.Tom Bloxham, chairman and founder, Urban Splash Dave was a clever, crazy, fun and eccentric individual. He was one of the smartest architects I ever met and as close to genius as anyone Ive had the fortune to know.We shared a love for skiing, and Ill be forever grateful for him introducing me to Marcel Briers ski resort in Flaine. Ive grown to really love the place as my favourite resort and Dave even designed an amazingly beautiful home there for me and my family.He will be sadly missed. Source:RIBA88029New Court, Christ's College, Cambridge by Denys LAsdun & Partners: detail of the concrete guttering under construction. Photograph by Dave King