11-19-2020
Wishing Mark Strauss a Happy and Fulfilling Retirement!
community board presentation, 2002
Mark Strauss, FAIA, AICP/PP, LEED AP
Senior Principal Emeritus
Having served over 40 years as an architect, urban designer, and certified planner, Mark Strauss has announced his retirement, effective at the end of 2020.
Raised in the New York area, Mark's interest in architecture and planning started during childhood, when, after giving him Lego sets and being impressed with his designs, his grandmother remarked that he should be an architect. Fulfilling this prediction, Mark received his Bachelor of Architecture at Cornell University, and went on to earn a Master of Urban Planning in Urban Design at City College, where he studied with Jonathan Barnett, founder of the New York City's Urban Design Task Force and former City Planning Commissioner, Don Elliot.
Early in his career, Mark served as Director of Planning and Associate Partner at Kohn Pedersen Fox, where he led large-scale planning projects around the world. During this period, Mark was instrumental in the planning of the Hong Kong Reclamation Project, the Glasgow World Trade Center Master Plan, the Gatot Subroto Master Plan in Jakarta, the Philadelphia Naval Base Reuse Strategy, the Amtrak 30th Street Station Redevelopment Plan for Philadelphia, Garrison Channel Place Project in Tampa, Chase Stone Center in Colorado Springs, and the Cambridge Center West Master Plan in Cambridge.
FAIA Ceremony, 2004
After sixteen years at Kohn Pedersen Fox, Mark left in 1993 and together with Sudhir Jambhekar, a Senior Design Associate from KPF, founded Jambhekar Strauss in order to create a practice that was more regionally based. During his time at Jambhekar Strauss, Mark brought the planning and design skills and experience he had gained internationally to projects within the region. The firm also provided a focus in planning that few architectural practices in New York were providing, especially small firms. During this time, many major architectural firms in the United States had abandoned urban planning because of the lengthy time associated with planning approvals, the extensive hand-holding with public officials, the exhaustive community outreach process, and the relatively low fees associated with planning efforts. Instead, infrastructure, transportation, and regional planning projects were dominated by large engineering firms and design issues often played second fiddle to engineering constraints. The net effect was that many large-scale public planning efforts lacked design vision and a full understanding of the development process.
As an architect, urban designer, and planner, Mark steadfastly opposed this trend by maintaining a practice that combined planning and design leadership within an architectural firm. He recognized that an opportunity existed to bring design to a higher level for these area-wide planning, infrastructure, and transportation projects and he sought to form alliances with major engineering firms, often teaming with economists, engineers, environmentalists, and landscape architects as well. As a result of these efforts, Mark developed a reputation for leading and defining large-scale planning and development strategies that embraced economic issues, environmental concerns, landscape design, and engineering. With Mark leading the Urban Design and Planning efforts, Jambhekar Strauss was selected for key projects in the region, including Hudson Bergen Light Rail Transit, the Homeport Reuse Plan on Staten Island, the Merrick LIRR Station Area Revitalization Plan, the Jamaica Transportation Center Area Plan, and the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center Master Plan.
Jambhekar Strauss merged with Fox & Fowle Architects in 2000 as a result of Fox & Fowle's interest in expanding their services in the planning and public architecture arena. Notable projects that Mark and his team took on during this period included the Nassau County Hub Plan, the United Nations Parking and Circulation Plan, the Lloyd Crossing Development Plan in Portland, Oregon, the Beacon Station Redevelopment Plan, the Jamaica Transportation Center Plan, the Long Island City Redevelopment Plan, the Huntington Station Vision and Development Strategy, the New Rochelle Downtown Plan, the Hoboken Master Plan, and the Greenpoint Open Space Plan.
FXFOWLE Partners, 2014
One of Mark's many contributions to the architecture and design industry occurred in wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It was Mark who organized the first meeting of New York City's architectural leaders at FXCollaborative's office (then "Fox & Fowle"), and the unprecedented alliance of designers, planners, and engineers that grew to call itself "New York New Visions" would not have happened without him. As their elected leader and Co-Chair for Redevelopment of Downtown New York Post 9/11 that consisted of over 450 people and twenty-one different proactively involved, Mark used his professional urban design and planning experience to develop a process that integrated the diverse talents and skills of New York City's architects, planners, and designers. His energy, creativity, selfless leadership, and personal commitment to seeing it through set the example and provided the essential impetus to influence the planning process in Lower Manhattan.
Over the last 20 years at FXCollaborative, Mark served in leadership roles for dozen of critical projects in New York and beyond, such as the Hunters Point South Master and Hudson Yards Master Plans, Sunnyside Yard Overbuild Feasibility Study, Hoboken Terminal and Nassau Hub Redevelopments, and the Amtrak 30th Street Station Plaza Improvements in Philadelphia, to name a few.
As past President of AIA New York (2006), Mark has been an advocate for bringing a greater appreciation for architectural and urban design excellence to public policy. His planning background and interest in community development provides the basis for much of his work. Mark has received numerous awards and recognition for his service to the architectural profession and his active role in the design communities. Mark is a member of AIANY's Urban Design Committee, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Citizens Housing and Planning Council.
Mark has consistently melded his multi-disciplinary skills to improve the built environment, influence public policy, and influence progress under the most constrained circumstances throughout his career. Numerous communities, public agencies, institutions, and developers around the globe have benefited from his passion, perseverance, and planning prowess and his leadership will be deeply missed as an integral part of the FXCollaborative team. Building on the legacy that Mark helped build, the firm maintains its strong urban design and planning studio with Partner Jack Robbins, Director of Urban Design, as practice leader.
Mark and his wife Jaye, 2020
Senior Principal Emeritus
Having served over 40 years as an architect, urban designer, and certified planner, Mark Strauss has announced his retirement, effective at the end of 2020.
Raised in the New York area, Mark's interest in architecture and planning started during childhood, when, after giving him Lego sets and being impressed with his designs, his grandmother remarked that he should be an architect. Fulfilling this prediction, Mark received his Bachelor of Architecture at Cornell University, and went on to earn a Master of Urban Planning in Urban Design at City College, where he studied with Jonathan Barnett, founder of the New York City's Urban Design Task Force and former City Planning Commissioner, Don Elliot.
Early in his career, Mark served as Director of Planning and Associate Partner at Kohn Pedersen Fox, where he led large-scale planning projects around the world. During this period, Mark was instrumental in the planning of the Hong Kong Reclamation Project, the Glasgow World Trade Center Master Plan, the Gatot Subroto Master Plan in Jakarta, the Philadelphia Naval Base Reuse Strategy, the Amtrak 30th Street Station Redevelopment Plan for Philadelphia, Garrison Channel Place Project in Tampa, Chase Stone Center in Colorado Springs, and the Cambridge Center West Master Plan in Cambridge.
FAIA Ceremony, 2004After sixteen years at Kohn Pedersen Fox, Mark left in 1993 and together with Sudhir Jambhekar, a Senior Design Associate from KPF, founded Jambhekar Strauss in order to create a practice that was more regionally based. During his time at Jambhekar Strauss, Mark brought the planning and design skills and experience he had gained internationally to projects within the region. The firm also provided a focus in planning that few architectural practices in New York were providing, especially small firms. During this time, many major architectural firms in the United States had abandoned urban planning because of the lengthy time associated with planning approvals, the extensive hand-holding with public officials, the exhaustive community outreach process, and the relatively low fees associated with planning efforts. Instead, infrastructure, transportation, and regional planning projects were dominated by large engineering firms and design issues often played second fiddle to engineering constraints. The net effect was that many large-scale public planning efforts lacked design vision and a full understanding of the development process.
As an architect, urban designer, and planner, Mark steadfastly opposed this trend by maintaining a practice that combined planning and design leadership within an architectural firm. He recognized that an opportunity existed to bring design to a higher level for these area-wide planning, infrastructure, and transportation projects and he sought to form alliances with major engineering firms, often teaming with economists, engineers, environmentalists, and landscape architects as well. As a result of these efforts, Mark developed a reputation for leading and defining large-scale planning and development strategies that embraced economic issues, environmental concerns, landscape design, and engineering. With Mark leading the Urban Design and Planning efforts, Jambhekar Strauss was selected for key projects in the region, including Hudson Bergen Light Rail Transit, the Homeport Reuse Plan on Staten Island, the Merrick LIRR Station Area Revitalization Plan, the Jamaica Transportation Center Area Plan, and the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center Master Plan.
Jambhekar Strauss merged with Fox & Fowle Architects in 2000 as a result of Fox & Fowle's interest in expanding their services in the planning and public architecture arena. Notable projects that Mark and his team took on during this period included the Nassau County Hub Plan, the United Nations Parking and Circulation Plan, the Lloyd Crossing Development Plan in Portland, Oregon, the Beacon Station Redevelopment Plan, the Jamaica Transportation Center Plan, the Long Island City Redevelopment Plan, the Huntington Station Vision and Development Strategy, the New Rochelle Downtown Plan, the Hoboken Master Plan, and the Greenpoint Open Space Plan.
FXFOWLE Partners, 2014One of Mark's many contributions to the architecture and design industry occurred in wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. It was Mark who organized the first meeting of New York City's architectural leaders at FXCollaborative's office (then "Fox & Fowle"), and the unprecedented alliance of designers, planners, and engineers that grew to call itself "New York New Visions" would not have happened without him. As their elected leader and Co-Chair for Redevelopment of Downtown New York Post 9/11 that consisted of over 450 people and twenty-one different proactively involved, Mark used his professional urban design and planning experience to develop a process that integrated the diverse talents and skills of New York City's architects, planners, and designers. His energy, creativity, selfless leadership, and personal commitment to seeing it through set the example and provided the essential impetus to influence the planning process in Lower Manhattan.
Over the last 20 years at FXCollaborative, Mark served in leadership roles for dozen of critical projects in New York and beyond, such as the Hunters Point South Master and Hudson Yards Master Plans, Sunnyside Yard Overbuild Feasibility Study, Hoboken Terminal and Nassau Hub Redevelopments, and the Amtrak 30th Street Station Plaza Improvements in Philadelphia, to name a few.
As past President of AIA New York (2006), Mark has been an advocate for bringing a greater appreciation for architectural and urban design excellence to public policy. His planning background and interest in community development provides the basis for much of his work. Mark has received numerous awards and recognition for his service to the architectural profession and his active role in the design communities. Mark is a member of AIANY's Urban Design Committee, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Citizens Housing and Planning Council.
Mark has consistently melded his multi-disciplinary skills to improve the built environment, influence public policy, and influence progress under the most constrained circumstances throughout his career. Numerous communities, public agencies, institutions, and developers around the globe have benefited from his passion, perseverance, and planning prowess and his leadership will be deeply missed as an integral part of the FXCollaborative team. Building on the legacy that Mark helped build, the firm maintains its strong urban design and planning studio with Partner Jack Robbins, Director of Urban Design, as practice leader.
Mark and his wife Jaye, 2020
