Mara Murdoch, AIA, NCARB

Bio

Mara Murdoch began her architecture career with the 50 LEGO Basic Building Set she received for Christmas in 1976. She went on to establish Murdoch Architects in 2008. She received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a double major in Art/Painting from Wake Forest University, and a Master’s of Architecture from the North Carolina State University School of Design with a minor in Urban Design and a concentration in Historic Preservation. She was awarded the Kamphoefner Fellowship, the American Institute of Architects Henry Adams Medal, the RTKL Work/Travel Fellowship, the Phi Kappa Pi Graduate Award, and the Tau Sigma Delta Architecture Honor/Service Award. She served as the Teaching Assistant for History of Modern Architecture for several semesters and served as the illustrator for the second edition of Precedents in Architecture.

Mara has over 27 years of experience working as an architect with firms in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Raleigh, NC. Her work encompasses a wide range of projects including universities, non-profits, places of worship, historic preservation, and residences. Her projects have been honored with numerous industry awards, including the AIA Baltimore Grand Design Award, several AIA Baltimore Design Awards, Baltimore Heritage Preservation Awards, and a Maryland Chapter AIA Design Citation. Notable projects include the Fieldhouse at Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University, Towson University College of Education Child Care Center, the Annie E. Casey Foundation Headquarters Expansion, and a bat wind tunnel laboratory at Johns Hopkins University.

Mara is a licensed architect in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards. She is also a past advisory board member to the North Carolina State University College of Design, School of Architecture, and a current board member and First Vice President of Baltimore Heritage.

When she is not architecting, she can be found riding her bike up the hills of Baltimore County, experimenting in the kitchen, or in her backyard hanging out with her avian neighbors.