Mark’s ability to see potential excellence in projects and people makes him a successful leader in the studio and the architecture community. As design principal, Mark works closely with the design teams and clients to explore ideas that pursue clarity in resolution, often infused by the specificity of place, human experience, and performance-driven solutions. The result from his process is pragmatic optimism which elevates the everyday to amplify the ordinary.
During Mark’s career, he has worked on projects varying in scale, circumstance, and place. His commitment to the craft of architecture and dedication to elevating BVH’s design practice has been repeatedly shown, most recently in his work for the Museum of Nebraska Art, Columbus Library, City Hall and Children’s Museum, and the Nature Conservancy Visitor Center. Recently Mark was honored with the 2021 Young Architect Award by the AIA which recognizes the imprint he has on the design practice, his community, and the built environment.
Prior to joining BVH, Mark received his post-professional master’s of architecture from Kansas State University. Following graduation, he relocated to Pennsylvania to work at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects. Since arriving at BVH, Mark understands there is a profound opportunity to live, practice and teach in the Midwest.
In addition, Mark has taught numerous award-winning design studios as an adjunct professor of architecture at Kansas State University, Marywood University in Scranton, PA, and, currently, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
What is the most impactful thing you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Pragmatism can be a profound source of innovation.
What are you reading right now that is inspiring your work?
Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa. He asserts all five senses shall be engaged in design rather than allowing sight to dominate architectural culture and design.
What is your favorite building?
Thermal Baths by Peter Zumthor is a seminal work of architecture reduced to the elemental tenets–light, materiality, scale and human experience.
What is your area of interest or research?
I am constantly curious about how material logics inform the spectrum of design–from the conceptual to the built. Materials have an embedded intelligence that when exploited elevate the prosaic to the honorific.
