MKSK
MKSK is a collective of Planners, Urban Designers, and Landscape Architects, founded in 1990, who are passionate about the interaction between people and place. MKSK is an employee-owned practice with a network of twelve metropolitan studios in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia. MKSK works to solve the pressing issues in our cities and communities, and build places where people want to live. They work with communities and clients to reimagine, plan, and design dynamic environments for the betterment of all. MKSK approaches planning and design with a clear understanding that each place is unique and has economic, social, environmental, historical, and cultural influences which should be explored through thoughtful, context sensitive design. MKSK helps communities and clients meet the challenges of changing global conditions by addressing resiliency and sustainability. They shape place to improve lives and share their transformational stories and the power of strong planning and design to inspire themselves, their peers, and the world to work together for the common good. History & Milestones
MKSK began in 2011, after the merger of two Columbus-based design firms both founded in 1990. MKSK has continuously evolved to reach their primary service areas and has opened 12 offices across the Midwest and Southeast. In 2019, MKSK became 100% employee owned. MKSK’s niche is transforming spaces into highly usable places that inspire and create lasting impressions. Their clients include cities, development organizations, higher education, hospitals, transportation agencies, Fortune 500 companies, developers, and architects. Their projects include planning and design for downtowns, river/ waterfronts, neighborhoods, cultural and campus environments. Commitment to Diversity Practices
As Landscape Architects, Urban Designers, Planners and employers, we wish to express our commitment to the principle of equal employment opportunities for all persons, regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or national origin. It is the commitment of this firm and its members to do whatever is possible to help erase discrimination and to set patterns for a more equitable society in the future. It is our hope that minority groups will learn of our commitment and look to this firm and its members as catalysts in the overall goal of improved employment and teaming opportunities. MKSK firmly believes a solution to attain this goal is a commitment to seek out and partner with WBE, MBE, and DBE status firms. We recognize that all of us will gain in the end, as employers and employees and partners, minorities and majorities, when each of us becomes committed to this goal. We recognize that discrimination needs to be overcome by active programs of nondiscrimination practices by individual employers and their employees. We support positive action programs which will encourage minority group persons to obtain the necessary training and education so that they will be qualified for positions as Landscape Architects, Urban Designers, Planners, Draftpersons, and Technicians in technical professions as well as for other types of positions. Sustainability
MKSK is committed to sustainable design as an integral part of our planning and design process. We embed sustainable design methodologies into our work. We seek a balance between economic, environmental, and societal impacts and opportunities, the underlying principles of sustainability, and apply creativity and innovation to solve current issues while striving for responsible, long-term, practical solutions. Our design and planning projects begin with overall sustainability goals and consideration of LEED certification. For each project site, we strive to achieve low-impact site development through means of preserving open space, accommodating multi-modal transportation and bicycle facilities, reducing impervious surfaces and heat island effects, incorporating passive solar design, retaining or creating natural habitat, integrating sustainable stormwater management through the use of permeable pavement, bioswales, rain gardens and green roofs, and using recycled and regionally available materials. LEED Overview:

• 54 LEED certified projects: 22 LEED Gold; 27 LEED Silver; 5 LEED Certified

• 16 LEED APs or LEED Green Associates

Principals & Subject Matter Experts
Andrew Overbeck, AICP

Andrew takes a collaborative approach to developing effective plans that address complex urban issues and identify catalytic projects. Andrew has completed transformational municipal planning, long-range planning, urban design, streetscape, alternative transportation, urban parks, and campus master plan projects. He has worked in cities throughout the region on downtown plans and public realm improvements with a focus on urban revitalization, sustainability, and connectivity. Matching his strong background in research, writing, and graphic design with his ability to facilitate public discussion and discourse, Andrew is able to effectively communicate and build consensus for solutions that enhance and invigorate cities and neighborhoods. Andy Knight, PLA, ASLA

Andy believes each project presents a unique opportunity to be explored, to discover something new yet familiar, and to provoke a heightened sense of emotion. Andy understands how thought-provoking design adds value to the public realm, and this understanding is incorporated into a team-wide approach toward the design of evocative public space. His project achievements and impactful project leadership results in the creation of public places that embody the character of place while balancing the spectrum of functional, technical, and sustainable principles. Andy is acutely entrenched in the design and implementation of each project and emphasizes the importance of detail in realizing great design. His work includes public realm revitalization initiatives, dynamic and productive landscapes, and vibrant public spaces that promote a diversity of social uses and cultural traditions. Brad Strader, AICP, PTP

Brad advocates linking land use with multi-modal transportation and design to create vibrant places. Brad has more than 36 years’ experience specializing in comprehensive planning, downtown plans, multi-modal, transportation, greenways, and placemaking. He has led projects in eight states in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic region. Over 30 of those types of projects have involved multiple jurisdictions and agencies. Many also involved evaluation of changes to administrative responsibilities to improve both efficiency and quality of service. Brad is a lead advisor to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s “Redevelopment Ready Community” program that helps cities of all sizes recognize the important role of great public spaces as part of economic development strategies. Brett Weidl, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP

Brett’s passion resides in creating inclusive landscapes in the urban public realm enabling equitable access and strengthened connectivity between people and vibrant public spaces to transform lives and foster community through opportunities for shared collective community experiences. Brett has 18 years experience shaping urban spaces and strengthening communities towards increased equity, accessibility, and beauty. Brett’s passion for community engagement and inspiring public spaces is something she incorporates into her day-to-day work. She continuously seeks opportunities to strengthen communities by focusing on the people who reside there and the spaces in which they inhabit. Brian Kinzelman, PLA, FASLA, AICP, LEED AP

Brian’s passion is designing spaces that provide a solid foundation for future development and fit seamlessly into the existing landscape. As cofounder of MKSK, Brian has more than 45 years in landscape architecture and planning with principal leadership and project management on hundreds of projects. Brian has extensive experience in large scale land use planning, higher education and campus planning, urban design and mixed use development, streetscape enhancement and corridor planning. His projects have been recognized with numerous awards by the Ohio Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects. Chris Hermann, AICP

Chris is adept at helping communities create a unique, compelling vision and translating it into strategic steps that transform cities and spaces. Chris provides a broad range of project planning leadership experience, having managed projects involving regional planning policy, comprehensive plans, downtown plans, district and neighborhood planning, community revitalization/reinvestment, economic development, urban design, form-based codes, transportation and streetscape design, consensus-building, and public engagement and facilitation. His aptitude for transformational planning is complemented by his strong public presentation ability and friendly demeanor. Darren Meyer, PLA, ASLA, AICP

Darren takes an open-minded and site-sensitive approach to each project with an attention to detail and an emphasis on the quality of the finished product. From the planning of communities and promoting projects that champion community wellness and sustainability to the details of public open spaces, Darren’s more than 20 years of professional experience is at the intersection of complex infrastructure and community life. His approach starts with identifying and understanding the strengths of place and people, and then building on those assets to create healthy environments and stronger communities. Darren serves as a Principal and lead of the Greenville and Atlanta offices of MKSK, responsible for work across the Southeast U.S. He has deep experience in leading large, multidisciplinary teams to tackle complex urban challenges. He has served as the active and engaged leader of both planning and constructed projects bringing proven experience in all aspects of project implementation. Eric Lucas, PLA, ASLA, CEO

Eric believes that the planning & design of public spaces should provide strong social and health benefits to society, with design choices based on sound reasoning and a regionally appropriate context. Eric directs site-scale, neighborhood/district-scale, and city-scale projects for a wide variety of public and private clients throughout Indiana and the Midwest. His work focuses on strategically solving often difficult and complex issues of economic, environmental, social, and cultural themes. Eric seeks solutions that embrace the inherent sense of place, yet tie to a broader strategy of authenticity and identity. He believes that informed decision making and consensus building leads to ambitious, yet realistic and widely accepted solutions that value the “why” before the “how”. Eric understands the all-important equation of leveraging private and public investment to create places that improve the quality of life in our cities. Jeffrey Pongonis, PLA, FASLA

Jeff is committed to the implementation of a meaningful and connected environment. His process is focused and mindful of both the aesthetic details of robust social spaces as well as the greater urban strategy. Jeff’s wide range of projects express his beliefs and commitment to the design of a contextual human environment. His work includes project types ranging from master planning and mixed-use development planning, open space and park design, to academic and campus design. Joseph Chambers, PLA, ASLA

Joe is passionate about making cities more livable and ecologically sustainable places through the practice of landscape architecture. Joe is a registered Landscape Architect with almost 30 years of experience in urban, landscape and architectural design. He has worked extensively on large scale master planning and built landscape projects. He has also taught at Penn State and Rutgers Universities where he researched and wrote about landscape construction and the work of Frederick Law Olmsted. Joe is the firm’s Sustainability, Research and Quality Control leader. Jonathan Fitch, PLA, ASLA

Jonathan passion is designing spaces that provide a solid foundation for future development and fit seamlessly into the existing landscape. Jonathan has extensive experience in the site planning, landscape design, management and implementation of a broad range of projects nationwide and overseas. He has designed the landscapes for subsidized and market-rate housing projects, parks and community centers, mixed-use developments and individual commercial buildings, urban squares and streetscapes, and schools and colleges, both highly-urbanized and in larger contexts. Many of these projects are on rooftops, both on grade and elevated. Karen McCoy, PLA, ASLA

Karen takes every project to heart, sweats all the details, and gets extreme satisfaction as it takes shape. The real joy for her occurs in seeing people use the spaces. Karen has provided leadership on many high-profile landscape architecture projects for the firm. Her skills are highlighted by her creative talents and professional drive to push past standard solutions in successfully addressing both project function and construction budget. In addition to her established project experience with municipal parks, urban planning, and entertainment and theme park design. Karen’s work on specialty gardens and arboretums has been recognized with numerous accolades and awards. Kerry Reeds, PLA

Kerry is committed to an interactive design process that embraces placemaking as a primary design objective. Large scale site planning has been the primary focus of Kerry’s work including residential, commercial and corporate facility design services. His principal goal is to provide innovative and cost effective design solutions to his clients demanding program requirements. Kerry also has significant project experience in the design and implementation of public park facilities. His community-based approach to park design is to create environments that engage and endure. Matthew Manda, PLA, ASLA

Matt’s design focus is centered on a blend of pragmatic and aesthetic solutions that lead to creating intuitive landscape systems which influence civic infrastructure and enhance the community experience. Matt has more than 21 years experience in landscape architecture where he has worked on a number of projects from small scale neighborhood parks to large scale city master planning studies. His ability to work at all scales allows him to lead complex projects developing comprehensive landscape strategies that address both clients goals and the need to create holistic experiences. His interest in complete streets, performance based landscapes, and sustainable design motivates Matt’s dedication to landscape architecture and urban design. Richard Espe, FASLA, LEED AP

Rick brings a career long commitment to improving the quality of the built environment while minimizing the impact on the natural environment. Rick’s designs express how he profoundly cares about the way created landscapes interact with the environment and how they engage the public. Through each project, he strives to find the appropriate balance within the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social sustainability, while implementing sustainable design practices as a value-added proposition. From initial concept dialogues with community members, clients and colleagues, through the development of design concepts and physical form and technical description, to construction realization, Rick has delivered numerous successful, award-winning projects that have been truly transformational to their communities. Tim Bragan

With a background in both landscape architecture and architecture, Tim specializes in designing landscapes that require a careful integration with buildings. Tim has been deeply involved in both architecture and landscape architecture for his entire career, spanning over 25 years. He studied Architecture and Architectural History as an undergraduate and practiced architecture for several years before pursuing earning graduate degrees in both Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He worked in San Francisco from 2000 – 2009 on projects of various scales, including college and hospital campuses. More recently, Mr. Bragan has designed a wide range of urban projects, including landscapes for complex urban mixed-use developments, public institutions, and green infrastructure related projects. Timothy Schmalenberger, FASLA

Tim thrives to achieve simple and thoughtful design solutions that truly benefit their communities by being functionally efficient, easy to construct, and aesthetically beautiful. As cofounder of MKSK, Tim has 42 years professional experience in landscape architecture and design. He fosters a commitment to serving clients’ needs with sensitive and practical design solutions. His personal attention to detail, combined with a diverse professional background and extensive knowledge of the construction process, helps drive quality implementation and innovative design solutions. Designs
Since about 2000, the firm or its predecessors have designed or created master plans for nearly every public space in downtown Columbus. Columbus
 Master plan for the Arena District
 Grandview Yard master plan and First Avenue Park
 The Scioto Mile
 Dorrian Green park
 Genoa Park
 McFerson Commons
 North Bank Park
 Scioto Audubon Metro Park and Grange Insurance Audubon Center
 Scioto Mile Promenade
 Scioto Peninsula plan
 12 bridge caps over I-70 and I-71 surrounding Downtown Columbus
 Entryways around the city's Main Library and Columbus Museum of Art
 Livingston Park and green space at Nationwide Children's Hospital
 Oval at the James Cancer Hospital
 Capitol Square streetscape design
 Discovery District streetscape design
 Central quad at the Columbus College of Art & Design
 Quarry Trails Metro Park
 Urban plan for the 15+High development in the University District
 City of Columbus municipal campus master plan
 Huntington Park
 Franklin County Courthouse and Government Center grounds
 Burnham Square park

Other cities
 Riverside Crossing Park in Dublin, Ohio
 Rose Run Park in New Albany, Ohio
 Rose Music Center in Dayton, Ohio

References

External links
 
 Interview

Architects from Columbus, Ohio
Architecture firms based in Ohio
2011 establishments in Ohio
21st-century American architects
Landscape architecture organizations
Brewery District