Mark Rusitzky, AIA, LEED AP

Mark is a partner at COOKFOX and has spent his career focused on sustainable architecture. He believes that the best design helps connect people to nature, and that every project should be viewed through that lens.

Mark joined the COOKFOX studio in 2003 and leads the practice in managing the design of large-scale mixed-use urban projects. Among his work is One Bryant Park, the first LEED Platinum Skyscraper. He served as Project Director for City Point in Downtown Brooklyn, which received the Public Design Commission Annual Award for Excellence in Design and the Brooklyn Building Award for Retail (2013). He is currently the Partner-in-Charge for the St. John’s Terminal project spanning two city blocks on the west side of Manhattan. The project — which includes the revitalization of the terminal and the creation of a new residential tower — offers a unique opportunity to enhance the city’s connection to the waterfront.

On a smaller but personally meaningful scale, Mark led the creation of COOKFOX’s new studio at 250 West 57th Street, which showcases COOKFOX’s biophilic design philosophy. The LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certified space is stunning and makes coming to work a pleasure.

Mark feels grateful to work at a firm that prioritizes the environment and that encourages deep thinking about ethics, principles and design. Prior to joining COOKFOX, Mark worked at Fox & Fowle, and at William McDonough + Partners, a pioneer in green architecture, where he worked on several ambitious projects including The Adam Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College – a COTE top 10 Green buildings winner. His approach to his work was sparked during graduate school, when he spent a summer building a traditional smoke sauna in Finland. Though the country is covered with forests, he and the other students spent six weeks painstakingly deconstructing an old log building – so that they could use the materials for the new structure. The words “green” and “sustainable” were never uttered (in English or Finnish); it was simply part of the culture. Mark has never forgotten that lesson – to use what you have, respect the materials, and create something both useful and beautiful.