SmithGroup has promoted office design and interiors expert Mark Adams to lead strategy and operations for its firmwide Workplace Practice. Adams succeeds Lise Newman, who will be retiring from practice in the Spring of 2022.
In his new role, Adams leads the firm’s practice devoted to the design of corporate and commercial facilities, including corporate headquarters and campuses, office interiors, commercial office buildings, public and civic development, hospitality, mixed-use and multi-family residential buildings for both public and private sector clients. Adams will focus on expanding the practice’s portfolio of major headquarters, mixed-use/urban development and workplace-centered strategy and design projects. Adams was elevated from Workplace Studio Leader at the firm’s Phoenix office.
“Real estate strategies and the design of office environments are evolving in response to recent world events,” says Mike Medici, SmithGroup’s president and managing partner. “Mark’s understanding of this rapidly changing landscape and his forward-thinking nature will serve SmithGroup well as we chart our new course to design a better future.”
Adams joined SmithGroup in 2008 and brings 33 years of experience to this position. He has been instrumental in the growth of the firm’s portfolio of notable clients, leading large-scale projects throughout the southwest and across the nation. As a recognized thought leader and author, Adams has been called upon to share his expertise as a presenter at conferences for CoreNet, the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, NeoCon and Tradeline. He is also a regular contributor to Work Design Magazine.
SmithGroup’s Workplace Practice, ranked 7th in the nation according to Building Design + Construction magazine, provides comprehensive services that help premier companies create buildings and work environments that enhance engagement and improve their organizations’ financial performance. Notable clients include Microsoft, Google, GoDaddy, Advisory Board Company, General Motors, Ally Financial, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Chamberlain Corporation, among others.
“We’re at a unique point in time where discussions regarding equity, engagement, sustainability, wellbeing and human performance are reshaping the concept of work and the environments that we design to support it,” states Lise Newman. “Mark will be instrumental in solving these issues for top-tier clients while creating both beauty and value.”
Adams graduated from Harrington College of Design, earning a bachelor’s degree in interior design with a minor in fine arts. He also attended Iowa State University, focusing on architectural studies. A registered interior designer, he is a member of the International Interior Design Association.
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2014
USGBC announces 2014 Best of Green Schools honorees
Houston's Monarch School was named the K-12 school of the year, and Western Michigan University was honored as the top higher-ed institution, based on environmental programs and education efforts.
| Dec 17, 2014
ULI report looks at growing appeal of micro unit apartments
New research from the Urban Land Institute suggests that micro units have staying power as a housing type that appeals to urban dwellers in high-cost markets who are willing to trade space for improved affordability and proximity to downtown neighborhoods.
| Dec 17, 2014
11 predictions for high-rise construction in 2015
In its annual forecast, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat predicts that 2015 will be the "Year of the Woodscraper," and that New York’s troubled B2 modular high-rise project will get back on track.
| Dec 17, 2014
Demand softens, but outlook for Architecture Billings Index remains positive
The AIA's Architecture Billings Index for November was 50.9, down from a mark of 53.7 in October. Despite the drop, the ABI continued its seven-month run of positive scores (above 50).
Sponsored | | Dec 16, 2014
Quadcopters save project team $15K in warranty work
On a recent trip to see what technology Todd Wynne and the rest of the team at Rogers-O’Brien Construction have been tinkering with, I had a chance to experience firsthand which new hardware innovations will one day be applied in the AEC space.
| Dec 16, 2014
Architect Eli Attia sues Google over tall building technology
Attia and tech company Max Sound Corp. have brought a lawsuit against Google because of Flux, a Google X-developed startup launched in 2014. Flux creates software to design environmentally-friendly buildings in a cost-effective way.
| Dec 15, 2014
SHoP Architects plans to turn NY's Seaport District into pedestrianized, mixed-use area
The scheme includes a proposed 500-foot luxury residential tower that would jut out into the harbor, extending the Manhattan grid out into the waterfront.
| Dec 15, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture launches fundraising campaign for independent incorporation
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced today that it approved a possible path toward independent incorporation of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture by raising $2 million before the end of 2015.
| Dec 15, 2014
Studio Gang tapped for American Museum of Natural History expansion
Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects has been commissioned to design the $325 million Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
| Dec 12, 2014
Dunkin’ Donuts launches certification for green restaurant buildings
The company aims to build 100 new DD Green-certified restaurants by the end of 2016.
