We were lucky to catch up with Marlene Imirzian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Marlene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

My past employers, Gunnar Birkerts and Ed Francis, have been continuous mentors, supportive, and advisors during the entire time of my practice. Their support and recommendations and simple encouragement, have been impossible to measure as they have been through it all starting their own amazing practices and it was immeasurable helpful to be able to share my challenges and get their frank and experienced input.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the founder and principal of Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects (MIAA). The firm is known for its design excellence, project performance, and as a leader in integration of sustainable design practices. We create finely considered and inventive buildings that contribute to the regeneration of place. We engage the owner, users, consultants, contractor, and other stakeholders as appropriate to develop comprehensive building solutions that optimize facilities for the project uses.

Key to our approach is that each project must address the larger context beyond its physical boundaries in terms of user flow, future uses, flexibility of use, life cycle cost, ease of maintenance and sustainability.

We are experienced in a wide range of project types including public, private, higher education, health care, commercial, historic preservation, and residential projects.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The architecture profession is highly competitive and i have pursued varied project types to allow for a range of potential markets to allow for changes in demand.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Our reputation was helped primarily by the quality of the work and the repeated recognition with design awards, sustainability rankings, and past client recommendations

Contact Info:

• Website: www.imirzian-architects.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/imirzianarchitects/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImirzianArchitects/
• Linkedin: linkedin/company/imirzian-architects/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/imirzian

Image Credits
Photographer: Bill Timmerman