Mark Dziewulski Architect designed the “F-65” Transit Village, a 45,000-square-foot, mixed-use project in Sacramento, Calif. Photo: Kevin Cronin

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When choosing projects, Mark Dziewulski Architect selects jobs where it feels it can improve buildings through good design. “We will design any buildings where design adds value,” says Mark Dziewulski, principal and founder. “I’ve done everything from factories to museums.”

The San Francisco-based firm specializes in providing cutting-edge, modern designs for institutional, residential, commercial and retail projects. Its work has ranged from Virgin Megastore and Blockbuster Video locations in California to the United Nations Trade Headquarters in Beijing.
 
An ‘Appealing’ Mixture
Dziewulski founded the company in 1987. Born in London, he says he decided to become an architect at a young age. “The idea of a mixture of design and science [was] very appealing to me,” he states.

He graduated from Cambridge University in 1982 with a first-class honors degree in architecture. Dziewulski later studied at Princeton University, where he received a master of architecture degree.

After Princeton, Dziewulski received his master of arts degree at Cambridge, and gained experience at other firms, including Michael Graves Architects, where he worked on the Whitney Museum in New York; and SOM, where he worked on the 47-story high-rise World Wide Building. Through its offices in San Francisco and London, his own firm has completed projects in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Because clients come to Mark Dziewulski Architect looking for its signature, modern design style, Dziewulski himself is involved with each project. He asserts, however, that his staff is central to the process, carrying projects through to fruition. “Good design is a team effort and we have created a team approach,” he explains.

“It doesn’t matter who comes up with an idea, if it’s a good one we can use it. Sometimes, the owners have great ideas.”

Mark Dziewulski Architect has received numerous awards for its work, including three “Excellence in Design” awards from the American Institute of Architects. The Robb Report recently named the company one of the top-30 architects in the world.

Such recognition for projects is gratifying, Dziewulski says, since architecture can be difficult. “You have to do it for job satisfaction,” he says. “Whenever we get published or get an award, I think it’s fun for everyone working on the project.”

Dziewulski is also a co-owner of three of the retail centers his company designed, including the 100,000-square-foot Rocky Ridge Town Center in Roseville, Calif. “It’s nice to see when you go there [that] people are enjoying them,” he says.
 
Creating Contexts
According to Dziewulski, his firm not only strives to bring improvements to the built environment, but also to evoke moods through its designs. “For instance, [in] some residential projects, people want to create a certain atmosphere or a certain lifestyle,” he explains. “We can create that atmosphere.”

One example is “F-65” Transit Village, a 45,000-square-foot, mixed-use project located in Sacramento, Calif.

Because the village was in a very industrial area, “We had to create our own context with an urban feel,” he says. “There’s a lot of retail, open plazas with outdoor seating, cafes and restaurants, and residential in upper levels.”

Staying Dedicated
Mark Dziewulski Architecture also maintains a dedication to energy conservation and sustainable design. “We’ve always been interested in energy conservation,” Dziewulski says, noting that this focus goes back to his days at Cambridge. “It was a center for environmental design and research.”

Although it was difficult to convince clients to spend money for such features 10 years ago, “It’s become quite fashionable now,” he says. “People can see the savings in energy costs.”

An example of a project with such design was Barnsbury Square Lofts, a 30,000-square-foot mixed-use building in London the company designed with a hydraulic piping system cast into the deep concrete foundation piles. Through the piles, it explains, re-circulated liquid transfers the lower earth temperature, creating a low-energy cooling system.

Keeping ‘Fresh’
Dziewulski says his firm continuously refocuses, searching for ways it can push the envelope in its projects. For instance, he says, its residential projects allow it to create ideas that it can transfer over into its commercial projects.

Currently, the company is working on a glass pavilion for the Venice Biennale, the world’s largest architectural fair, held in Venice. “It’ll be a temporary glass pavilion,” he says. “We’re hoping to get sponsors and approval. [It] would be exciting to do something like that.”