MARIANNA MCKENNA
OC, FRAIC, OAA, AIA
Founding Partner, KPMB Architects
Marianne McKenna is an advocate for using design to foster community and positively impact the urban and natural environment. She founded KPMB Architects with her partners in 1987 as a hybrid model of practice based on collaboration, diversity, and design excellence.
Born in Montreal, and educated at Swarthmore College and Yale University, Marianne is an Officer of the Order of Canada for creating “architecture that enriches the public experience.” Known for innovative projects that inspire the institutional, academic, and cultural communities for which they are designed, her most recognized project is the Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning and its iconic Koerner Hall, which has garnered numerous awards including a Governor General’s Medal for Architecture. Other cultural projects include Orchestra Hall Renewal in Minneapolis, the Jenny Belzberg Theatre at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the revitalization of Toronto’s Historic Massey Hall.
Marianne has led educational projects for science and liberal arts programs including the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, a campus expansion for The Brearley School in Manhattan, and the Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University - one of the largest, sustainable, operational fossil fuel-free buildings in Boston.
Marianne’s love of architecture extends to lecturing, teaching, and mentoring. In 2016, she was the Norman R. Foster visiting professor at Yale University. She sits on the International Advisory Board for the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University. In 2021, she was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Design Futures Council in Boston, and she has received honorary doctorates from Laurentian University and Swarthmore College.
OC, FRAIC, OAA, AIA
Founding Partner, KPMB Architects
Marianne McKenna is an advocate for using design to foster community and positively impact the urban and natural environment. She founded KPMB Architects with her partners in 1987 as a hybrid model of practice based on collaboration, diversity, and design excellence.
Born in Montreal, and educated at Swarthmore College and Yale University, Marianne is an Officer of the Order of Canada for creating “architecture that enriches the public experience.” Known for innovative projects that inspire the institutional, academic, and cultural communities for which they are designed, her most recognized project is the Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning and its iconic Koerner Hall, which has garnered numerous awards including a Governor General’s Medal for Architecture. Other cultural projects include Orchestra Hall Renewal in Minneapolis, the Jenny Belzberg Theatre at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the revitalization of Toronto’s Historic Massey Hall.
Marianne has led educational projects for science and liberal arts programs including the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, a campus expansion for The Brearley School in Manhattan, and the Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University - one of the largest, sustainable, operational fossil fuel-free buildings in Boston.
Marianne’s love of architecture extends to lecturing, teaching, and mentoring. In 2016, she was the Norman R. Foster visiting professor at Yale University. She sits on the International Advisory Board for the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University. In 2021, she was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Design Futures Council in Boston, and she has received honorary doctorates from Laurentian University and Swarthmore College.
Project Spotlight
THE BREARLEY SCHOOL
Brearley’s mission combines excellent academics with a purpose to nurture the intellect and character of young girls, preparing them to be leaders and social innovators. The design of its first new building in over a century began in 2014, coinciding with the rise of young women’s voices, exemplified by Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Peace Prize win and Emma Watson’s UN speech on gender equality.
The original 1929 school building stands on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, blending with the neighborhood but lacking visible program space. By 2014, it was outdated and overcrowded. The strategy involved adding a new building one block west, creating a ‘gateway’ into the expanded Brearley campus. Its brick façade features bold geometry, and a transparent street base enhances safety and neighbourhood animation.
The design aimed to unlock Brearley’s potential with a flexible, interconnected, light-filled learning landscape. The plan organizes the program vertically: the lower school library, maker space, and classrooms at the base; a 600-seat performance hall and gymnasium in the middle; senior school science labs above; and a rooftop playground. A spiral staircase connects lower school floors, and a glazed exit stair animates the street with student movement.
The eco-friendly, LEED Gold-compliant building also serves as a teaching tool. Students engage with sustainable features, maintaining the green roof, monitoring rainwater, and using natural ventilation to reduce mechanical system use by up to 800 hours annually. The design inspired adaptive reuse of the heritage building for a net-zero campus by 2050.
During the pandemic, Brearley was one of the few NYC private schools to remain open, with 800 people attending daily. Well-proportioned classrooms, fresh air, filtration systems, operable windows, and wide hallways facilitated COVID-19 protocols.
Kinesthetic learning, using paper and books, is central to Brearley’s pedagogy. This project emphasizes architecture’s role in supporting well-being with beautiful, tactile, light-filled spaces for learning and collaboration. The pandemic highlighted inequities and reinforced the need for women’s education and empowerment. Every design element supports Brearley’s mission to cultivate confident, independent leaders.
THE BREARLEY SCHOOL
Brearley’s mission combines excellent academics with a purpose to nurture the intellect and character of young girls, preparing them to be leaders and social innovators. The design of its first new building in over a century began in 2014, coinciding with the rise of young women’s voices, exemplified by Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Peace Prize win and Emma Watson’s UN speech on gender equality.
The original 1929 school building stands on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, blending with the neighborhood but lacking visible program space. By 2014, it was outdated and overcrowded. The strategy involved adding a new building one block west, creating a ‘gateway’ into the expanded Brearley campus. Its brick façade features bold geometry, and a transparent street base enhances safety and neighbourhood animation.
The design aimed to unlock Brearley’s potential with a flexible, interconnected, light-filled learning landscape. The plan organizes the program vertically: the lower school library, maker space, and classrooms at the base; a 600-seat performance hall and gymnasium in the middle; senior school science labs above; and a rooftop playground. A spiral staircase connects lower school floors, and a glazed exit stair animates the street with student movement.
The eco-friendly, LEED Gold-compliant building also serves as a teaching tool. Students engage with sustainable features, maintaining the green roof, monitoring rainwater, and using natural ventilation to reduce mechanical system use by up to 800 hours annually. The design inspired adaptive reuse of the heritage building for a net-zero campus by 2050.
During the pandemic, Brearley was one of the few NYC private schools to remain open, with 800 people attending daily. Well-proportioned classrooms, fresh air, filtration systems, operable windows, and wide hallways facilitated COVID-19 protocols.
Kinesthetic learning, using paper and books, is central to Brearley’s pedagogy. This project emphasizes architecture’s role in supporting well-being with beautiful, tactile, light-filled spaces for learning and collaboration. The pandemic highlighted inequities and reinforced the need for women’s education and empowerment. Every design element supports Brearley’s mission to cultivate confident, independent leaders.
