The Good Design Jury Team -> 2024

Anthony Markese has deep experience leading the design of notable projects globally for a broad and diverse range clients. He is relentless in his pursuit of design excellence and stewardship of the environment. His transformative placemaking enriches the lives of the residents in the communities in which he has worked while his design philosophy and process are informed by his clarity, conviction and passion for the art of craft and making.

Recent design innovations include over 3 million gsf of mass timber projects built or in development nationally and multiple life science facilities, including AstraZeneca’s new headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These next generation workspaces offer users controllable daylight, access to fresh air and green spaces, a sustainable palette of natural materials, and flexibility of work location – all in service to their wellness and productivity.

Selected project experience includes T3 RiNo and 1144 Fifteenth Street, both in Denver; the Meta Campus in Menlo Park; headquarters for Google and Akamai, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts; 2+U, a mixed-use office tower in downtown Seattle; the ExxonMobil Global Headquarters in Houston; 900 New York Avenue in Washington DC; 300 North LaSalle and River Point, both in downtown Chicago; and, the CalPERS Headquarters Complex in Sacramento, California. His work has been recognized with over 100 regional and national design awards, including a ULI Global Award for Excellence and an Architectural Record Good Design is Good Business Award of Excellence.

Anthony Markese was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 2017 and is a US Green Building Council LEED-Accredited Professional. He received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois and a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture. In addition to his professional accomplishments, he has lectured and taught design studios at Yale University, Oklahoma State.

Todd DeGarmo, FAIA has been a recognized voice in the design industry, with his work featured in publications such as The New York Times, WIRED, Business Week, and Architectural Record. He serves on the Executive Committee for the New York Restoration Project, where he helped revitalize a garden in the Bronx, and the Federal City Council, where he led efforts to master plan the revival of the Carver Langston neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Additionally, Todd is a Trustee for the University of Cincinnati

Foundation, the Museum of the City of New York, and the National Building Museum.

Todd is known for his innovative approach, focused on solving client challenges and enhancing the user experience. He and his teams are skilled in managing complex projects, and his work in interiors is widely regarded as integral to architecture rather than a separate discipline. His refusal to compartmentalize work and his openness to new ideas characterize his leadership at STUDIOS Architecture. His contributions to design have been recognized through his induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame and his

elevation to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Most recently, Todd was awarded the 2023 William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement by the UC Alumni Association, the highest honor granted by the association. This award, named in memory of William Howard Taft—former U.S. President and Chief Justice—recognizes Todd’s accomplishments in architecture and interior design.

Steve McDowell is an integrator and innovator, and his workplace is a laboratory for exploring ideas focused on bettering the lives of people and related to site, environment and technical investigation. He believes in a lively exchange of thoughts to stimulate exploration and sustain innovation. Steve maintains that good design is about people-their health, productivity and lifting the human spirit through design. His practice and that of BNIM is committed to the public realm and the space between buildings. He strongly believes that the work that we do has the responsibility to make places where people want to be and thrive. In doing so we make communities and cities stronger and more resilient for serving every person that we impact and civic and private enterprise.
His work is setting new standards in high performance design with projects such as The US Embassy in Kampala, The Omega
Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, NY; the Pacific Center Campus Development in San Diego, CA; and the Springfield Art
Museum. Under his leadership, BNIM received the American Institute of Architects Firm Award in 2011.

As a researcher and licensed architect at KieranTimberlake, Sabrina focuses on exploring how the built environment impacts physical and psychological well-being, conducting user-centered research to promote wellness and equity in design. By utilizing user-centered research methods such as journey mapping, thematic analysis, conducting user interviews, and facilitating co-design sessions, she has developed design frameworks, strategic plans, and tools that empower architects and clients to make informed, evidence-based, and user-centered decisions.

Her most recent work includes a user-centered study of space-use at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments and a proof-of concept application involving the analysis of environmental justice factors in construction supply chains. Additional notable work includes a study of physician burnout related to the built environment with the Health Design Lab at Thomas Jefferson University, which involved a series of multimodal community engagements and an in-depth qualitative analysis and synthesis.

Sabrina has presented her work at conferences including AIA Wyoming, AIA Philadelphia, ACADIA, SimAUD, the Design Modeling Symposium, the Living Future Conference, and IEEE Games Entertainment and Media.

Opera, the Finn Center in Mountain View, and the Bowes Center for the Performing Arts at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His work has included multiple projects in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. He also has executed projects in numerous locations abroad: London, Amsterdam, Munich, Dublin, Tokyo, Paris, Hyderabad, and Sydney. He also currently serves as the master architect for the global software company Salesforce. Current projects include three embassies for the U.S. State Department- located in Estonia, Trinidad and Tobago and Burkina Faso. Mark’s projects have garnered well over 100 major design awards. These awards range from national, state and local awards from the American Institute of Architecture, the Chicago Athenaeum Awards for both International and American Architecture, the International Interior Design Association Awards and numerous others. Mark was personally honored with the 2010 Distinguished Practice Award and the 2015 lifetime achievement Maybeck Award from the American Institute of Architects. In 2012 the firm received the Firm of the Year Award from the California Council of the American Institute of Architects. Under Mark’s leadership the firm ranked #8 in Architect Magazine’s ranking of the top architecture firms in the country for design.

Mark has been very involved in community in California. He has been a Board Member for a number of  institutions, by way of example, currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the UC Berkeley International House, an organization initiated by the Rockefeller family to promote international understanding and collaboration for the past hundred years. His community efforts have also included many tasks of planning commission participation and chair leadership, athletic coaching, involvement with libraries and theater organizations and fundraising for his college and graduate school alma maters. He has served UC Berkeley’s School of Architecture as a distinguished Howard Friedman Professor and as a member of the Chancellor’s Curriculum Committee.

“Really good architecture has a learning moment. It’s an educational tool itself, I am interested in how buildings and places could be experienced in the moment and over time.”

James Mary O’Connor, FAIA, is an internationally recognized, award–winning urban designer and architect. He reshapes and revives schools, academic campuses, residential and city places and through a forward-thinking process integrates 21st century learning space and architecture, research, planning, and landscape.
James has been instrumental in the design of innovative multifamily residential and mixed-use urban projects in California, Sweden, Germany, Ireland and throughout Asia.

Recent projects include the Santa Monica High School Discovery Building and the Gold Gym and Exploration Building, Roosevelt Elementary School Campus Master plan, the acclaimed Grangegorman Urban Quarter for Technological University Dublin, and Shanghai Tech University Master Plan. Currently, James is leading the design for innovative classroom projects for Santa Monica High School and the Roosevelt Elementary School Phase 1 along with Multifamily family housing in Ireland and California. James has taught design studios, lectured, and been invited as guest critic at universities and academic institutions in the U.S. and throughout the world.

As Director of Interior Design, Claudia Lofton brings over fifteen years of experience designing innovative and award-winning spaces. Claudia approaches design with a “service first” philosophy, ensuring each design concept aligns with the client’s individualized vision.

Since joining HASTINGS, Claudia has played an integral role in the firm’s success. Her Nashville roots are evident through her long list of music and entertainment-related clients including Apple Music, WME, Warner Music Nashville, Warner Chappell Music, and United Talent Agency. Her award-winning work has been recognized by IIDA, AIA, USGBC, Interior Design Magazine, and the Urban Land Institute.

She believes that design should not only be aesthetically driven, but also environmentally responsible. Biophilic design principles and conscientious product and material selections guide her designs. Her commitment to sustainability is evident through the successful completion of the two first WELL-certified spaces in Tennessee – Lendlease (LEED Platinum) and Vanderbilt University’s School of Nursing (LEED Gold).

As President of IIDA’s Tennessee Chapter, she leads efforts to educate others about the importance of interior design, while also advocating for legislation aimed at honoring the profession and ensuring its continued growth and recognition. As a leader and mentor, Claudia is passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise with others in the industry. She believes in nurturing the next generation of interior designers, guiding them as they navigate the complexities of the profession, and encouraging them to push the boundaries of creativity.

Brendan MacFarlane, born in New Zealand and a graduate of the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles (1984), received his master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Boston (1990). He has taught at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, the Architectural Association in London, the Special School of Architecture in Paris, the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles (2006 and 2018), and the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Boston. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

The Agency
Jakob + MacFarlane is an architectural, urban planning, and design practice centered on research into the development of innovative and socially committed architecture tailored to meet the environmental emergencies and other challenges of the twenty-first century. At the forefront of digital technology for more than twenty years, the practice, created in 1998, is renowned for buildings that have become real urban markers. It specializes in proposing an architectural language that is suited to the history of its projects and to their program. An international, multi­disciplinary team spearheads the research, design, and production. It is supported by a global network of technical expertise, aimed at conceiving and implementing specific solutions to the challenges that each project presents. Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane are regularly invited to participate in conferences and juries in prestigious institutions such as the Architectural Association of London, the Centre Georges Pompidou, and the Monterey Design Conference.