FAIA
As HMFH’s Design Director and a founding principal, Mario nurtured a creative spirit that infused the firm’s recognized attention to detail and focus on how buildings work. By establishing clarity of purpose for a given space, Mario deftly guided project teams through the development of buildings that, in their human scale and appropriateness of use, create a strong sense of place. Under Mario’s design direction, HMFH projects were imbued with life, humor, and interest, earning awards for excellence in school design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and housing. Also an accomplished artist, Mario’s paintings and tapestries have been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad, including solo shows in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Nantes, France; and the Boston area. His work hangs in The Museum of Contemporary Art of Vélez-Málaga, Spain.
The element of surprise in a building is necessary to give it life, humor, and interest, which are different ways of saying individuality. The building becomes more interesting to be in when one is able to learn and appreciate the different components that add up to a totality.