Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects

Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, founded Mark Cavagnero Associates in 1988, and has guided its growth into a design-centered practice serving clients internationally. His work embodies a timeless quality, visible in a broad range of renovation and new construction work. Mark is focused on creating tangible spaces that encourage the ephemeral aspects of human interactions.
As the founding principal of the firm, Mark provides leadership over the design of all projects within the office. He brings over three decades of expertise in the planning, design and construction and has been recognized for seamlessly integrating environmental, cultural and contextual strategies to curate a holistic design approach, through various building types from education, museums, civic buildings, theaters, and residential buildings. 

His projects are known for careful attention to balanced natural light through all parts of the building, in support of activities and wellness of the occupants. Mark Cavagnero Associates’ approach in design has garnered the firm more than 100 awards from international, national, state, and local organizations.
Mark has personally been recognized with the AIACC 2010 Distinguished Practice Award and the AIACC 2015 Maybeck Award for outstanding lifetime achievement, among many other accolades. He is currently engaged on projects throughout North America, including the new San Francisco Moscone Center Expansion; San Francisco Conservatory of Music; the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Quest Diagnostics headquarters in New York; as well as projects for Salesforce spanning across Asia, North America and Europe.

As Managing Principal at Mark Cavagnero Associates, Kang Kiang, FAIA is responsible for direct oversight for several market sectors, overall office management, Marketing, Business Development, PR, and implementations of firm wide goals and objectives. Kang oversees and control operations and activities to promote achievement of the firm’s design oriented objective. In this capacity, he has been leading and positioning the firm to take on innovative design, supported by research and collaboration on projects worldwide. He assists with design presentations, monitor project development and provides direction and support to ensure consistent and high quality firm wide output.

Kang has led numerous sustainable design projects, including the California Academy of Sciences (LEED Platinum), 555 Howard Street (LEED Platinum) and the San Francisco Airport Consolidated Administrative Campus (Zero Net Energy/WELL) among others.

 

A thoughtful advocate for client-centered design in both the institutional and educational realms for more than 20 years, John brings a unique balance of technical expertise and design insight to our practice. As the office leader in evolving trends for learning environments, John’s expertise crosses formal and informal learning environments in working closely with our higher education clients. He recognizes and solves technical problems as they arise with a sense of clarity and creativity, while keeping an eye on the cohesive design behind the project. John ensures that the original design intent is met and the architecture and engineering disciplines are well-documented and coordinated.  John is a true asset to our clients, our firm, and the many award-winning projects that he manages.

John has directed numerous award winning projects in the office including The Oakland Museum of California, the College of Marin Academic Center and the Saint Mary’s Student Chapel.

As a Principal with 20 years of experience in the field and 16 years at Mark Cavagnero Associates, Brandon has a diverse portfolio of public and private sector projects. He has worked on several award-winning projects including the Clovis Memorial District Conference Center, Marin Horizon School, Park City Museum, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, and The Terrace at the California Academy of Sciences.

More recently he worked on the design of the Moscone Center Expansion - a complex, multi-phased convention facility project executed together with SOM.

Brandon has a wealth of experience managing complex projects of varying scale and typology throughout all phases of design and construction. As a generalist, he collaborates closely with clients to achieve their goals while carefully balancing design clarity, thorough technical execution, and nimble management. His current efforts focus on the corporate and hospitality realm as he directs the global design of Salesforce’s unique workplace and specialty event spaces stretching across the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Felicia Dunham is a Senior Associate at Mark Cavagnero Associates. She joined the firm in 2008 and brings 30 years of experience on public and commercial projects, such as the California Academy of Sciences, Oakland Museum of California, Whole Foods Market, Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, San Francisco Justice Facilities Master Plan, College of Marin and SFJAZZ Center. She is adept at managing large scale projects and consultant teams and highly sensitive in integration of historic and new building elements in recognizing the value of place making. Her portfolio of work includes various LEED Certified projects, achieving Silver, Gold and Platinum Certification. She is currently managing 555 Howard, the San Francisco Unified School District ArtsCenter and the Hamlin School.

A generalist by nature, with over 20 years of diverse experience, Paul focuses his keen eye towards uniting the design ambition and technical implementation of his work to create considered, elegant and holistic solutions that are attuned with the client’s and stakeholder’s goals.

Paul joined the firm in 2007 and brings a diverse range of in-depth experience in higher education, civic, lab, healthcare, and cultural projects, as well as experience in a variety of procurement methods. Paul managed the programming, design, and construction of the new Mammoth Lakes Courthouse and the UC Berkeley Durant Hall, and also assists the office in the technical design and implementation of projects ranging from SFJAZZ to the Palo Alto Art Center. He recently completed managing all phases of the Weill Institute of Neurosciences Building and is currently working on an office to biochemistry lab project in Silicon Valley.

Christopher brings over 15 years of professional experience in a range of projects in the U.S., and Asia — including academic, cultural, high-end office and residential projects.  Christopher has lead the design team on a number of important projects including the Lakeport Courthouse, the San Francisco School of the Arts, Mission Square, and Executive Briefing Centers for Salesforce.  His design sensibilities are complemented by strong 3D graphics skills and a solid understanding of construction, resulting in a clear and well-documented design process.

Federica has over 17 years of experience in workplace programming, space planning, interior architecture, and furniture solutions. Working with clients to find innovative solutions to complex design problems, she always seeks to create elegant and progressive spaces that enrich the lives of the people who work/live in them. Federica is highly skilled at translating user needs into responsive places of beauty and high performance. With vast experience in design management, conceptual design, design development, branding design, construction documentation and administration, as well as in furniture and finish selections, Federica is able to ensure the efficiency of the entire design execution process.

Christopher joined Mark Cavagnero Associates in 2016 and brings over 20 years of professional experience working on diverse projects in the U.S., Europe, and Asia - including workplace, art and cultural institutions, educational facilities, transit centers, and master planning. Most recently Christopher has managed the design of Executive Briefing Centers and Hospitality Spaces for Salesforce as well as New Embassy Compounds for the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations.  Christopher's international body of work reinforces his collaborative approach to design and commitment to shepherding his client's visions.

Prior to joining Mark Cavagnero Associates, Christopher was a Director at Bernard Tschumi Architects in New York for over 10 years where he worked on a number or award-winning projects including Le Rosey Concert Hall, New Hague Passage, Flon Intermodal Transit Center, and the New Acropolis Museum. Christopher has also taught at Columbia University, University of Detroit Mercy, and served as an invited critic at University of Michigan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Georgia Tech, and the University of Maryland. Christopher is a licensed architect in the State of New York, a certified Design-Build Professional, and an active board member of Design Corp - a public interest non-profit organization that uses design, advocacy, and education to shape the environments of undeserved communities.

Katy has 12 years of architectural experience, in addition to 4 years of work experience as a structural engineer. This unique blend of design and technical skills, combined with her experience on a wide variety of project types, enables her to work collaboratively with design, construction and client teams. Prior to joining MCA, Katy’s experience focused on commercial adaptive-reuse projects in San Francisco. At MCA, she has worked as a project manager for tenant improvement and new construction projects for nonprofit organizations such as the LightHouse for the Blind, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

With over 15 years of professional experience as a designer and project manager, Weaver has led and collaborated on a wide range of design initiatives from museum and commercial interiors to mixed-use multifamily developments. These projects have required a thorough understanding of various construction types (I, III, V) and typologies (low, mid, high-rise), as well as efficient management of large consultant teams.  Prior to joining MCA, Grant led several mixed-use multifamily developments through complex entitlement processes, and oversaw their successful construction.