Marianne McKenna founded KPMB Architects with her partners in 1987 as a hybrid model of practice based on collaboration, diversity, and design excellence. The practice is distinguished by its commitment to innovative solutions that reduce carbon emissions and support regenerative design, supported by the research and innovation developed with KPMB Lab.

She is known for innovative projects that inspire the institutional, academic, and cultural communities for which they are designed. Among her most recognized projects is the Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning and its iconic Koerner Hall, which has garnered numerous awards including a Governor General’s Medal for Architecture. Other cultural projects include Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, the Jenny Belzberg Theatre at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the revitalization of Toronto’s Historic Massey Hall.

Marianne McKenna has led educational projects for science and liberal arts programs, including the Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University, the largest sustainable and operational fossil fuel-free building in Boston. Other academic projects include the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and a campus expansion for The Brearley School in Manhattan.

She is currently leading the design for Yale Dramatic Arts and the Yale Repertory Theatre. She is also leading a new building expansion of Arts Commons in Calgary and a series of community-building housing projects across Canada for Kindred Works.

She was the Norman R Foster visiting professor at Yale University in 2016, and she sits on the International Advisory Board for the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University. In 2021 she was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Design Futures Council in Boston.

Born in Montréal, and educated at Swarthmore College Pennsylvania and Yale University, Marianne McKenna is invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada for creating “architecture that enriches the public experience.” She advocates for using design to foster community and positively impact the urban and natural environment.