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Heritage

Mark Maddalina

Legacy Building

Architect Mark Maddalina '87 makes his mark on the Nazareth campus

by Joanie Eppinga

鈥淚 never even considered architecture as a career,鈥 says Mark Maddalina 鈥87. When Maddalina graduated from Nazareth with a degree in studio art, he was thinking about painting and graphic design, not buildings.

He would never have believed that one day he鈥檇 be asked to design Nazareth鈥檚 new math and science center, Peckham Hall. Nor would he have expected to be leading the upcoming transformation of Carroll Hall into the Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute. 鈥淭he only living architect I knew of was Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch,鈥 says Maddalina, 鈥渁nd he was fictional.鈥

The new graduate was dabbling in several art forms鈥斺渘one of them meaningfully鈥濃攚hen a client asked him to repair a job a carpenter had botched. Then the client asked him to build something. Later, the client was unhappy with the architect he鈥檇 hired and, Maddalina says, 鈥渁sked me to do something I was completely unqualified to do at that time.鈥 That was when the revelation struck: 鈥淚 need to go back to school for this.鈥

Maddalina鈥檚 B.A. turned out to be extremely valuable, serving as a natural foundation for his degree in architecture from the University of Buffalo. 鈥淎ll my art history classes from Nazareth absolutely came with me,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t was a huge advantage鈥攕till is鈥攖o have an arts background and to know how to draw.鈥

He remembers 鈥渇antastic鈥 art history classes with Sister Magdalen LaRow, who showed her classes paintings of stunning buildings and shared her experiences. She told them that once, at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, she had asked why the structure was rough on one side and smooth on the other. A tour guide explained that people were afraid of falling when they were on the leaning side, so they backed up against the tower. Hundreds of backs had polished the marble over the centuries.

That interaction between human and architectural elements intrigued Maddalina, and he brought the concept with him when he designed the new buildings for Nazareth鈥檚 campus.

On both projects, he knew he wanted to retain the warm, human scale of the campus.

鈥淭he buildings at Nazareth are not massive,鈥 Maddalina says, 鈥渘ot overwhelming, not brutal. They鈥檙e a beautiful collegiate Gothic. You get a very comfortable feeling being on the campus, and it was important to us to bring that forward.鈥

Maddalina and his team used the Cloister Walk as their inspiration. 鈥淚t was always one of my favorite places at Nazareth,鈥 he says, 鈥渟o I鈥檓 glad there鈥檚 a component of this new building that resembles it. The entry canopy has a wood ceiling and a pedestrian scale. It鈥檚 very inviting.鈥

The team also worked to bring other elements of Nazareth鈥檚 existing architecture into the new buildings. The choice of brick masonry was deliberate: 鈥淲e tried to match the Golisano Academic Center and Smyth Hall,鈥 Maddalina explains.

He observes that the new math and science building has the most direct comparison to Smyth Hall. Overall, he notes, 鈥淚 think our project took some of the best elements of the architecture and history of the whole campus and brought them over to Peckham Hall.鈥

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Thinking about the past, Maddalina considers architectural styles; thinking about the future, he considers people. As the manager of sustainability at SWBR Architects in Rochester, he always has an overarching theme when he designs a building: discerning what is good for now and for the next generation.

鈥淭here are considerations we can bring to every project,鈥 Maddalina says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about a brick or a building, but about a practice that includes human health and comfort. We can invest a little bit more now and benefit long term.鈥

But sometimes, Maddalina says, the best option is doing a bit less, going with the least expensive solution. An emphasis on sustainability can both bring costs down and ensure the longevity of a building. Maddalina reports that LEED certification, a green building standard, is currently being finalized for Peckham Hall.

Nazareth was equally dedicated to sustainability. 鈥淭hey hadn鈥檛 built a major academic building in roughly 30 years,鈥 Maddalina says, 鈥渁nd they were deeply committed to doing this right.鈥 That meant emphasizing green construction materials, enhancing energy efficiency, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Maddalina reports that in addition to sharing his emphasis on environmental conscientiousness, the College is a wonderful partner in general. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want my opinion to be suspect because Nazareth is my alma mater, but they鈥檙e just terrific to work with,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hey provide a 鈥榩roject shepherd鈥 who resolves all issues and is invaluable. They give you the information you need and are an essential part of the conversation.鈥

Teaming for the future was important to Maddalina, but there was another element of working with Nazareth that he loved.

鈥淓very project feels like it has its own purpose, its own soul,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut when you get to go back to your campus, where you consider it to be home, that is powerful, and you take it very seriously.

鈥淏eing a student there, I knew a lot of the best spaces,鈥 Maddalina continues. 鈥淭here are places that are unique to Nazareth, and feelings that are attached to those places. There鈥檚 the Cloister Walk, and a beautiful residential quadrangle with a tree-lined path鈥攈ow do you see that and not say, 鈥業 want to be a part of this鈥?鈥

Maddalina says that contributing to his former school feels incredible, 鈥渓ike a homecoming.鈥 He adds that doing it through an abiding art form is especially rewarding, because 鈥済raphic arts and advertising are fine, but they don鈥檛 have the longevity of a building.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a legacy,鈥 Maddalina concludes. 鈥淒ecades from now, I鈥檒l be there with little kids who can say, 鈥楪randpa designed that!鈥欌

Maddalina wishes to acknowledge the key contribution of Peter DeBraal to the new Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute. DeBraal, Maddalina鈥檚 project manager and friend of 16 years, died recently and unexpectedly.

Joanie Eppinga is a freelance writer and editor in Spokane, Washington.

For more Information

For more information, see Peckham Hall and the York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute.