Our Firm

ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN

SHAPE offers strong project experience and leadership in a broad range of Architectural and Interior Design project types. They include but are not limited to the following: • High End Residential • Multi Family Residential • Affordable Housing • Commercial / Retail + Office • Government + Civic • Cultural + Institutional • Higher Education. We believe in working closely with our clients and user groups to understand their needs, criteria, objectives and unique qualities We approach each project with a problem-solving method that leads to a design solution to satisfy that specific condition and meet the budget goals of the project.

PLANNING: MASTER PLANNING + URBAN DESIGN

SHAPE offers master planning and urban design services. The scale of our projects ranges from the master planning of entire communities, districts, and cities to urban infill. At the master planning stage, the built environment needs to be at the forefront of our design decisions and solutions. Our urban design direction is informed by the elements that help to make up the urban fabric: streets, blocks, and buildings.

ENVIRONMENTS

We embrace the fact that environments can range in scale from a single room to that of an entire city. SHAPE is uniquely qualified and positioned to provide creative design direction and expertise at both ends of the spectrum to help bring about a better quality of life.

Sustainability is an important part of every environment and is, therefore, a foundational element in all our projects. We strive to work with and use sustainable materials and practices in all that we do.

Mark A. Hill AIA, NOMA, NCARB

Founder & CEO | Design Principal

Mark Hill has been practicing architecture for over 38 years. In late 2015 he co-founded the NYC firm “SHAPE” – an Acronym for Studio H Architecture Planning Environments. SHAPE is a multi-disciplined collaborative design studio offering Architectural, Interiors, Master Planning and Urban design services. In 2016, SHAPE expanded their base of operations to Atlanta, Georgia maintaining satellite offices in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York. SHAPE is an emerging firm in the Atlanta area with significant projects under development around the city and specifically for the historic downtown location known as Centennial Yards.

Prior to forming SHAPE, Mark was part of the senior management team at The Freelon Group (TFG) for the design of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington DC. He was responsible for the management and oversight of the 4-Architect group Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup and the exhibit design team along with 30 other Engineers, Designers, and specialty consultant firms.

Prior to joining TFG, Mark was with the prominent New York City firm Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects (GSAA) for 13 years where he held an officer position and was the Associate-in-Charge of several award-winning projects collaborating on museums, libraries, medical facilities as well as high-end private residences.

Before Joining GSAA, Mark was with the renowned New York City firm I.M.Pei + Partners (now Pei Cobb Freed + Partners) where he collaborated on several award-winning cultural and institutional projects.

Mark is a native of New York City. In addition to his passion for architecture, he is also passionate about giving back to the youth of his profession and the children of his community. He served as a member of the Cornell University AAP Alumni Committee on Diversity which created the Cornell Future Architect Award, providing full funding for talented HS youth to attend the Cornell Summer Architecture Program. He has also been teaching children moral virtues for over 35 years and has co-directed summer programs for over 10 years to reach out to children who have been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused, abandoned and/or neglected.

Education: Bachelor of Architecture, Cornell University, College of Architecture Art and Planning.

Project management, New York University

Council Member:  College of Architecture, Art, and Planning Deans Advisory Council.