MVE & Partners Adds ‘Placemaking' Expert Jeff Mayer

Jeff Mayer, the current Chair of the Orange County District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), has joined MVE & Partners as a Principal. Mayer is widely recognized for more than 30 years of accomplishments in the architectural field, including professional consulting in master planning, strategic planning, feasibility analysis, site planning, entitlement planning, architectural design, interiors, entertainment design and "edutainment" architecture, as well as exhibition planning and design.

"MVE & Partners is a leader in high-quality master planning and design that pushes the envelope and consistently exceeds client expectations," says Mayer. "I look forward to working with my new colleagues and leveraging the firm's vast technical expertise to find the nexus between compelling design, commercial viability and responsible architecture."

Richard Emsiek, AIA, President of MVE & Partners, says, "We are delighted that Jeff Mayer has joined the leadership team at MVE & Partners. He is sure to be an asset to our already expansive planning team and we welcome Mayer's extensive experience and design acumen."

Mayer's career has included planning and architecture services across a wide range of product types, including commercial, mixed-use urban infill, residential, transit, resort and hospitality, entertainment and cultural attractions. He has worked with development industry clients throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the The Irvine Company, C.J. Segerstrom, SunCal Companies, Herman Miller Corp., The Walt Disney Company, Landmark Global and the cities of Irvine and Anaheim, among many others. Mayer has led planning and design teams on the NIKKEN World Headquarters in Irvine, CA; The Four Seasons Resort in Kaupulehu, HI, and Lewis Operating Corp's High Density Development Standards for The Preserve in Chino, CA, as well as Lewis' 1,980-acre master plan in Lakeview, CA.

Mayer has extensive experience in entertainment design, having led design teams for the Olympic Spirit Visitors' Center in Toronto, Paramount Parks' Theme Park development in China, the Gameworks Prototype for Steven Spielberg/Universal Studios, and Disney Interactive's exhibits at The Electronic Entertainment Expos.

In 2007, Mayer was awarded with the Best Community Development Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), San Fernando Valley Chapter, for work on Ritter Ranch in Palmdale, CA. He was the lead architectural programmer for The U.S. Navy's BattleStations 21 immersive training simulation facility in Great Lakes, IL, which received a 2008 THEA Award from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA).

As he is deeply interested in urban design issues, Mayer has recently served in a project management capacity for the urban design team on the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center. In addition to his leadership of ULI/OC, Mayer sits on the Western Board of Directors of TEA.

A frequent speaker, Mayer moderated the ULI Orange County District Council Panel in February on the topic of "Placemaking." He is leading several professional panels at conferences this fall, including a panel of world-wide experts addressing "Experience Design & Placemaking" at TEA's 2008 SATE Conference in Orlando, FL, and one entitled "New Life in the City" at the California Chapter of the American Planning Association's 2008 Conference in Hollywood, CA.

Mayer earned a Bachelor of Science in Planning and Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia and completed graduate work at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania.

MVE & Partners is a national architecture, planning and interiors firm with a portfolio spanning more than 30 years. The firm creates residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, retail, transit, interior and planning solutions from offices in Irvine and Oakland, CA, and Honolulu, HI. Educational and civic projects are completed by the affiliated MVE Institutional. MVE & Partners bridges forward-thinking design initiatives, such as sustainability, smart-growth and urbanization to the timely completion of projects. While design diversity is the cornerstone of the firm, the defining approach is the creation of meaningful, attractive environments that enhance community and quality of life.