Mark Mendell, friend of the school and retired co-chairman of CannonDesign, dies at 77

The School of Architecture and Planning community is mourning the loss of a long-standing friend and leader in the profession. Mark Mendell, retired president and co-chairman of CannonDesign and one of six founding members of the school's Dean’s Council, died Oct. 25, 2016, at the age of 77.

As chairman of one of the world’s leading architecture firms with deep connections to the school, Mark enthusiastically accepted Dean Robert Shibley's invitation to join the school's inaugural Dean’s Council in fall 2013. Over the past three years, he played a pivotal role in the maturation of the Council and the school. 

“I consider Mark a close friend and have enjoyed his staunch advocacy and wise council to advance the reputation and success of our school,” said Dean Robert Shibley. "We will miss him.”

Mark’s leadership of CannonDesign and across the profession was internationally known. Under his direction the firm advanced to among the top 10 design firms in the world, ranked by World Architecture, Design Intelligence and Building Design and Construction. Today, CannonDesign operates 15 regional offices from Boston to Shanghai, serving clients across 25 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, India and the Middle East.

A fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a Member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Mark was a distinguished alumnus of the Rhode Island School of Design. Long active in public service, Mark served as chairman of the board of the University of the Middle East and was a former member of the Dean’s Council of the Harvard Kennedy School and member of the board of directors of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

A celebration of his life will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Greatbatch Pavilion at the Martin House Complex, 125 Jewett Parkway, Buffalo.

• Read Mark Mendell's obituary in the New York Times.