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Most Enhanced Award Winner
Some of the city’s most recognizable buildings were acknowledged when Landmarks Association presented its 2015 “Most Enhanced Awards.” Landmarks Executive Director Andrew Weil recognized 14 projects,...
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Coming Down (And Going Up)
A comprehensive transformation is happening on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. MMA and SIUC are reimagining the existing residential complex of 1960s Brutalist high-rise...
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Looking to the Stars
For scholars and teachers alike, campus art can enrich the meaning of place and deepen the sense of belonging to a community. Consisting of seven three-dimensional stars laser-cut from stainless steel,...
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NeoCon 2015: The Trends
If you’re wondering about the latest workplace trends, Gwynn Zivic and Lea McRoberts are up on the latest buzzwords and most up-to-date features in workplace design after attending Chicago’s NeoCon...
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Illuminated Icons
Often considered a luxury, custom lighting can be a tricky item to retain and properly execute on a project. But it can also become a standout feature. Like a stunning piece of jewelry on a...
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H2H: Transforming a Throwaway Culture
How can a flea market become a sustainable campus tradition? As summer’s grip wanes, so begins the annual migration of returning students, marking the revival of campus vitality. For the campus...
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Design Week – It’s for Everyone
If you’re in the St. Louis metro area, MAYBE you’ve heard about St. Louis Design Week. If you have and you’re getting into it, great; but if you haven’t heard of it (or ignored it), I suggest you...
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Zivic Goes to Pilchuck
Looking for authenticity in her work and lifestyle, Mackey Mitchell architect and designer Gwynn Zivic constantly seeks inspiration through artistic activities. She’s worked with a New Zealand...
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Know Your Audience – Learning from Taylor Swift
Two weeks ago, I surprised my oldest daughter, Jenna, by taking her to see her musical hero, Taylor Swift. Of course the show was spectacular on many levels and mesmerized us both. You couldn’t help...
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Connecting through Community
Colleges and universities increasingly recognize that residential Living Learning Communities (LLC’s) promote student success and student engagement. These smaller groups within larger resident...
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Just What the Doctor Ordered
The class of 2016 will soon be enjoying a state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility on the Stephens College campus right on the corner of a highly desirable and convenient location. Prior to...
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Curious Kids
An enthusiastic group of 5th grade students from the Center for Creative Learning dropped by our office to check out what goes on behind the scenes in an architect’s world. Mike Benz presented and led...
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Bent & Skewed – A Good Thing!
Wrapping up today in Flint, MI is the 2015 GLACUHO (Great Lakes Association for College and University Housing Officers) where MMA architects Jordan Gatewood and Lea McRoberts are learning more about...
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Reconnected Through Renovation
One of the oldest buildings on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus (1873) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Merrick Hall was once home to the university’s science classes and alumni hall....
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Design-Build for the Higher Ed Market
One entity, one contract, one unified flow of work from concept through completion. This describes the beauty of a term with a not-so-glamorous name: Design-Build. These two words describe a method of...
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Reflections on Penn State – One Year Later
For over 40 years, we’ve been shaping the vision of institutions whose primary mission is to educate students. Penn State is one such institution with proud traditions… a culture that instills its...
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Keeping Upperclassmen on Campus – Part 1
At many institutions of higher learning, administrators and residential life staff have grappled with the question for some time – how to keep students interested in living on campus after sophomore...
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Keeping Upperclassmen on Campus – Part 2
In his previous post, firm president Steve Emer discussed the benefits of keeping upperclassmen on campus. In Part 2, he explains how these results can be achieved using architecture. Some Generalities...
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Laws of (Campus) Attraction
My wife and I have a high school Junior, which means that for about the last year, our home has been inundated by a rising swell of full-color brochures and expensive mailings. Each one is a different...
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Wilkins Joins MMA
Jennifer Plocher Wilkins has joined Mackey Mitchell Architects as Project Manager. With a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and LEED accreditation, Jennifer has...
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