Mark Francis
Architectural Designer
Who I Am: Born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, I grew up cultivating a need to analyze and respond to the world around me: drawing, painting, designing, musical instruments, world geography, meteorology, and physics were all strong passions. An avid explorer, I also frequently enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, canoeing, and riding my bike through Toronto’s beautiful ravines and 240+ neighborhoods. Growing up in a typically mixed Torontonian household (Jamaican, Dutch, Grenadian, Scottish), and with experiences living and working in Morocco, Spain, Japan, Brazil, and British Columbia, I have acquired a broad perspective on the range of built environments globally. These experiences recently led me to a postgraduate degree in 3D-printing architecture at IAAC, and previously a Master of Architecture at UBC and a BFA in visual arts at York University.
What I Do: My 10-year architecture and design career has primarily been influenced by informal urbanism, seeking to legitimize alternative modes of urban and social structure through the built environment, wherever possible. This approach towards urbanism strives to bring about more individual spatial agency to the practice of place-making. Previously, I designed and installed large interactive sculptures around the world with the LASG studio, and currently, I am engaged in research to develop a 3d-printed building system that facilitates user-generated place-making. At DEXD I am creating human-centered spaces within large-scale experiential design projects. In this role I am able to leverage my passions for digital fabrication and place-making in the service of customer-experience design, creating psychologically resonant, successful public spaces.