Marc J. Cohen, Sustainability Expert, Joins MVE

Marc J. Cohen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has been named Director of Sustainability at MVE Institutional, an affiliate company of MVE & Partners, one of the largest architecture firms in California. Cohen will be involved in all areas of MVE Institutional educational and civic projects, as well as with mixed-use, retail, commercial, interior design, planning and residential work with the MVE Group of companies, which in addition to MVEI, includes MVE & Partners, MVE International, MVE Pacific and MVE Studio.

Deeply experienced in guiding major projects through green certification processes, Cohen was formerly Managing Director for sustainability consulting firm CTG Energetics, Inc., and is a faculty member for the U.S. Green Building Council.

"The MVE Group of companies, with its sustainable design portfolio, has an established a foundation on which to further grow sustainable and commercially successful design, planning and operations," said Cohen. "I look forward to working with both clients and project team members to smoothly integrate green goals into real-world sustainable solutions that achieve their aesthetic, commercial and functional objectives. It is my goal to take the firm's existing sustainable programs to the next level and make sustainable design a regular part the business."

As a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) faculty member, Cohen leads programs on Green Building Basics; LEED Core Concepts and Strategies; and LEED Technical Workshops. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences.

Cohen cited the MVE Group's growing portfolio of recognized green projects as a "new tradition" worthy of sustaining in its own right. "I have long admired MVE Institutional and all of the MVE Group of companies, having worked with them on several projects, including most recently the new Los Angeles Port Police Headquarters, which targets a LEED-Gold certification," said Cohen. "With a strong-and growing-portfolio of green projects, the firm is well positioned to meet the needs of the marketplace, which continues to demand more sustainable project."

The many sustainable and transit-oriented development (TODs) projects designed by MVE Institutional and MVE & Partners include the Poly Canyon Village, a mixed-use student housing community at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (LEED Gold); the mixed-use residential Uptown apartments in Oakland, CA (LEED Silver), for which CTG Energetics was the sustainability consultant; the archetypal TOD development Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland; CA; the rail-transit close Bluwater Crossing in Carlsbad, CA; and the Student Services Building, Gymnasium & Aquatics Center at Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach, CA (LEED Silver).

Richard Emsiek, AIA, President of MVE & Partners and Partner at MVE Institutional, said he expects to experience increasing demand for sustainable design. "We are fortunate to bring Marc Cohen on board to aid our clients in meeting LEED and green targets," said Emsiek. "We anticipate sustainable developments to become the new norm, and then for sustainable design standards to rise in years ahead. With Cohen added to our team, the MVE Group and our clients will stay ahead of the curve."

Among the projects that Cohen has helped to obtain LEED certification are Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Chino, CA (Platinum); Pomona College Lincoln & Edmunds Buildings, Claremont, CA (Gold); Toyota Motor Sales South Campus, Torrance, CA (Gold); Port of Long Beach Security Command and Control Center, Long Beach, CA (Silver); and Pomona College North Campus Housing, Claremont, CA (targeting Gold).

Cohen is a member of the Orange County chapters of the American Institute of Architects, and the U.S. Green Building Council. He has also been an active member of the USGBC LEED Faculty since 2005. Cohen received a Bachelors of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California (USC).