Marshall Purnell, FAIA, NOMAC

Bio

Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA, is considered one of the most accomplished architects in America today. He is a former President of the American Institute of Archietcts (2008) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (1985, 1986). As a Principal of Devrouax & Purnell Architects Planners for 35 years, the firm designed more than two billion square feet. More than 30 million people a year live, work, play, or otherwise move through spaces and structures the firm has designed. Firm projects include: the $800 million Washington Convention Center, the $600 million Washington Nationals Baseball Park, the Washington NBA and NHL venue Verizon Center, PEPCO Energy’s corporate headquarters, FreddieMac corporate hedquarters, the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, a new town in Turkey, a marina, restaurant, luxury housing, and golf course in the Bahamas, and many mixed-use residential, institutional, educational, industrial, transportation, and commercial projects on both the East and West Coasts. The firm has won AIA Design Awards at the local, regional, and national level.

Mr. Purnell earned BS and M. Arch degrees from the University of Michigan, where he served as President (1994) of the College of Architecture and Planning Alumni Association Board of Governors and a member of the University of Michigan Alumni Association Executive Committee (1996-2003). In 2007 e received the University of Michigan Distinguished Service Award and Michigan’s College of Architecture’s Service Award where upon he presented the commencement address.

He has lectured extensively abroad, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Mexico. In the US, he has lectured at the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, Howard, Florida A&M, Morgan State, Montanta State, Prairie View, Tuskegee, and Yale University. Mr. Purnell has testified before Congress on numerous occasions and has been interviewed and quoted by professional magazines and newspapers, such as: Architectural Record, Building Design and Construction, Interiors, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.