Marianne McKenna facts for kids
Marianne McKenna is a famous Canadian architect born on September 25, 1950. She is one of the people who started KPMB Architects, a well-known company in Toronto that designs buildings. She was even given the Order of Canada for her great work in designing buildings that make public spaces better.
Some of her amazing projects include updating and adding to The Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning and Koerner Hall. Marianne McKenna and KPMB Architects were also chosen to work on a building for The Brearley School, an all-girls school in New York City. She is also working on projects for the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and the historic Massey Hall in Toronto. In 2010, she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
Contents
Becoming an Architect
Early Life and School
Marianne McKenna was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1950. She went to an all-girls school called The Study in Westmount, Quebec, and finished in 1968. Later, in 2008, her old school honored her with an award.
She once told students why she chose to become an architect. She thought it was a good mix of creative and business skills. But she soon learned it was much more! She said being an architect means you need to be a leader, a problem-solver, a good talker, and have strong design talent. She loves how every day brings new and exciting challenges.
University Studies
Marianne McKenna studied at Swarthmore College and earned her degree in 1972. Then, she went to Yale University and got her Master of Architecture degree in 1976. At Yale, she learned from famous architects like Harry Cobb and Charles Moore.
While at Yale, she also became good friends with Meryl Streep, who later became a very famous actress. Meryl Streep even talked about Marianne's career in a documentary called "Making Space: 5 Women Changing the Face of Architecture."
First Jobs
After finishing university, Marianne worked for architecture firms in Montreal and London. In 1980, she joined Barton Myers Associates (BMA) in Toronto. There, she met her future business partners: Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, and Shirley Blumberg. Some of the projects she worked on during this time included showrooms for Hasbro Inc. in New York.
Starting KPMB Architects
A New Kind of Company
In 1987, when Barton Myers moved his office, Marianne McKenna and her partners Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, and Shirley Blumberg decided to start their own company. They called it Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, or KPMB Architects.
Early on, a writer named Thomas R. Fisher said that KPMB was special because they had a very open and mixed way of working. He noted that the partners came from different backgrounds and had different ideas. This made their company unique, not like a single "star" architect firm or a big, faceless corporation.
Teamwork and Leadership
At KPMB, each of the four partners either leads their own projects or works together on big, complex ones. They combine their strengths in design and leadership to guide teams from the very first idea to the finished building.
Besides working on projects, the partners also share the job of running the company. They handle everything from finding new projects and designing to managing money and marketing. In 2012, the company's name was shortened to KPMB Architects. Today, KPMB Architects is known as a top architecture firm in Canada.
Amazing Projects and Contributions
Transforming The Royal Conservatory
Marianne McKenna played a huge role in changing The Royal Conservatory into a major cultural place. Her work started with a big plan in 1990. Over many years, she worked on different parts of the project, including the Ettore Mazzoleni Concert Hall. All her efforts led to the opening of the TELUS Performance and Learning Centre and the Michael and Sonja Koerner Hall in 2009.
These designs won many awards, including the Governor General’s Medal in 2012. Because of her great work, Marianne was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Conservatory in 2011.
Marianne said that the best part of this project was bringing together so many parts of music. This included students learning, practicing, and musicians from all over the world performing. She felt that the buildings, both old and new, became a special place for amazing music.
Other Important Projects
As a lead partner, Marianne McKenna has guided many other important projects for KPMB. These include:
- The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. This project won a Governor General’s Award in 2014.
- The Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This winery was chosen to represent Canada at a big green building event in Norway.
- The overall plan for Ryerson University.
- The Grand Valley Institution for Women.
Marianne also helped create a course on professional practice at the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. She has also been a visiting professor at Yale University and serves on an advisory board for The McEwen School of Architecture.
Selected Projects
Here are some of the notable buildings and spaces Marianne McKenna has worked on:
- 2020: Park Hyatt Toronto Renovation, Toronto, Ontario
- 2020: Bloor Street United Church, Toronto, Ontario
- 2020: Massey Hall Renovation and Expansion (Phase 2), Toronto, Ontario
- 2018: Lloyd Hall Renovation, Banff Centre for Art and Creativity, Banff, Alberta
- 2017: The Globe and Mail Office Interiors and Corporate Event Space, Toronto, Ontario
- 2017: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- 2015: Massey Hall Renovation and Expansion (Phase 1), Toronto, Ontario
- 2013: Orchestra Hall Renewal, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 2012: The Joseph L. Rotman School of Management Expansion, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
- 2012: Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
- 2010: The Royal Conservatory of Music, Koerner Hall, Toronto, Ontario
- 2009: The Royal Conservatory of Music, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, Toronto, Ontario
- 2009: John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
- 2008: Ryerson University Master Plan, Toronto, Ontario
- 2003: McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec
- 2001: Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
- 1997: Ettore Mazzoleni Concert Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Ontario
- 1996: Grand Valley Institution for Women, Kitchener, Ontario
- 1993: Kitchener City Hall, Kitchener, Ontario
- 1991: The Royal Conservatory of Music, Master Plan, Toronto, Ontario
