Boundless Curiosity: Unleashing the Potential of Inclusive Design Thinking

USC School of Architecture and USC Visions and Voices present the inaugural event of Crossing Design Borders, an annual speaker series featuring distinguished architect and landscape architect Mark Rios, whose projects include Gloria Molina Grand Park, The California Endowment, and Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live. With a focus on curiosity and defining one’s own formula for inclusive innovation, Rios will explore the transformative potential of embracing diverse ideas and collaborators in fostering innovation and share his passion for unlocking groundbreaking solutions and authentic creativity to shape a brighter future. 

Mark Rios is an award-winning architect and landscape architect in Los Angeles. He founded Rios Associates in 1985 and developed an international reputation for its groundbreaking multidisciplinary approach. In 2020, the firm was renamed RIOS to acknowledge its pioneering focus on collaboration across design disciplines, including architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, experience design, environmental graphics, and product design.  

Mark practices with a vision to imagine, design, and build complete environments that cross boundaries of disciplinary design. His eclectic interests, innate curiosity, and ability to see things from multiple perspectives propel the projects the firm works on beyond borders to incorporate the creative alchemy of a multidisciplinary approach to design. RIOS’s client list is as diverse as the services it provides, including entertainment studios, commercial developers, cultural and educational institutions, city agencies, hotels and restaurants, and private individuals. Commissions range from the design of public parks to plazas and streets, to city-shaping districts, as well as private gardens, furniture, and products.

Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from USC, and both Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees from Harvard University. Mark was Chairman of Landscape Architecture at USC from 2001 to 2007 and has been on the faculty at UCLA. Mark received the USC Architectural Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. 

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC School of Architecture.