Fun Fact:
Mark is a Raleigh native who grew up captivated by the practice of architecture and its intrinsic spirit of optimism. Sunday mornings were often spent wandering from drafting board to drafting board of his father’s firm fascinated by both the process, skill and art of those practicing what would become his passion.
Favorite Things:
- His absolute favorite view is San Francisco from the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge.
- He loves golf, thinking it’s both the most difficult and most rewarding game ever conceived. It can also be quite unfair, but that’s quibbling.
- His favorite quote is, “Architecture is the manipulation of stereotypes.”, by Vernon Shogren, Mark’s favorite professor of architecture at NC State. It took him hours to get the point across to his students that even innovative and groundbreaking design draws heavily on work done previously by others. The challenge, of course, is to embrace that process skillfully.
- Another of his favorite quotes is, “Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” (Salvador Dali).
- His favorite person is Winston Churchill, who, in Mark’s opinion was the ultimate contrarian who lead his country through their finest hours despite overwhelming political and military opposition. Mr. Churchill also rarely missed his daily two-hour bath. Priorities matter.