Mark P. Sarkisian, PE, SE, NAE, LEED, BD+C, is the Partner of Seismic and Structural Engineering in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and Structural Engineer in 31 states, and is LEED accredited for the design of new building and construction.
In 2021, Mark was elected to the prestigious United States’ National Academy of Engineering. Mark’s career has focused on developing innovative structural engineering solutions for over 100 major building projects around the world, including the 421 meter-tall Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China; the US Embassy in Beijing, China; the 412 meter-tall Al Hamra Fidrous Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait; and the Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California.
Mark holds ten U.S. Patents and five International Patents, including U.S. patents for seven high-performance seismic structural mechanisms designed to protect buildings in areas of high seismicity including the Pin-Fuse Seismic Systems and two U.S. patents for seismic and environmentally responsible structural systems including the Bay Arc Tidal Responsive Barrier and the Sustainable Form-Inclusion System.
Mark has authored over 100 technical papers related to the design of building structures, and in 2012 Mark completed his first book, “Designing Tall Buildings – Structure as Architecture,” published by Routledge. The second addition of the book was published in early 2016 with the release of the Chinese edition in 2020.
He teaches integrated studio design courses focused on collaborative design opportunities that have included students from the University of California, Berkeley, California College of the Arts, Stanford University, California Polytechnic State University, Northeastern University, North Carolina State University, and the Pratt Institute.
He is an invited speaker/lecturer and studio critic at several universities throughout the world including Lehigh University, the University of Connecticut, the Architectural Association – London, the University of Bristol, Stanford University, the University of California – Berkeley, the University of Colorado, and Alcala University – Madrid.
He received his BS Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut where he is a Fellow of the Academy of Distinguished Engineers, MS Degree in Structural Engineering from Lehigh University, an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Clarkson University, and an Honorary Master’s Degree from the Politecnico di Milano.
