June 8, 2017 / Member News

Quinn Evans Architects Names Four as Principals and Stockholders

promotion headshots

(L-R) Mark Nook, Brian Oster, Anath Ranon, Brandon Schultz


Senior Managers from Cho Benn Holback + Associates Join Firm Leadership
Baltimore, MD (June 7, 2017) – Quinn Evans Architects has named four architects as principals and stockholders with the firm. Mark Nook, AIA; Brian Oster, AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Anath Ranon, AIA, LEED AP BD+C; and Brandon Schultz, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED Homes, are all part of the management team of Cho Benn Holback + Associates, a Quinn Evans Company. Quinn Evans Architects acquired Baltimore-based Cho Benn Holback + Associates on May 1, 2017.
Mark Nook, AIA, has expertise in the design of public and private schools, higher education facilities, museums and visitor centers, and residential and mixed-use communities. His projects include Clipper Mill in Baltimore, several buildings for Hagerstown Community College and Montgomery College, and St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, also in Baltimore. Nook holds both a bachelor’s degree (1996) and a master’s degree (1998) in Architecture from the University of Maryland. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Urban Land Institute.
Brian Oster, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has a diverse portfolio that includes adaptive use projects, museums, community buildings, and higher education facilities. His projects include buildings for Montgomery College, Morgan State University, the University of Baltimore, the University of Maryland, and Virginia Wesleyan College as well as the Casey Family Services Center in Baltimore and the Historic London Town Museum and Visitor Center in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Oster holds a master’s degree in Architecture (1992) from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and a bachelor’s degree (1987) from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a founding member of Design Center Baltimore, a member of the AIA and the Baltimore City Public Art Commission, and a board member of the Bromo Arts and Entertainment District.
Anath Ranon, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, focuses on historic preservation and adaptive use projects. Her Baltimore-area projects include the Humanim headquarters at the American Brewery, several buildings for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Lazarus Center at MICA, and Mosaic Community Services. Ranon has also completed a number of projects for the U.S. General Services Administration and has led multiple campus facilities master plans. She holds a master’s degree in Architecture (1990) from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree (1983) from the University of California, Berkeley. Ranon is the founder of AIA Baltimore’s Historic Resources Committee; and is a member of the AIA, Baltimore Heritage, the Commission on Historical and Architectural Preservation in Baltimore, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Preservation Maryland.
Brandon Schultz, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED Homes, has completed many award-winning residential projects, including buildings involving complex adaptive use and preservation measures. His projects in Baltimore include the Lillian Jones Apartments, the McCulloh Homes high-rise, Franklin Lofts and Flats, Reservoir Hill, Restoration Gardens, and Weinberg Manor East and West. Schultz holds a master’s degree in architecture and historic preservation (2002) from the University of Oregon and a bachelor of arts (1998) from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the AIA, Baltimore Heritage, the Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition, the Mayor’s Safe Artist Task Force, and the Neighborhood Design Center.
“Mark, Anath, Brian, and Brandon formed a strong tier of second-generation leadership for Cho Benn Holback under the guidance and mentoring of the firm’s founding partners,” says Larry Barr, AIA, president of Quinn Evans Architects. “We are fortunate to add this exceptional management team to our leadership at Quinn Evans.”
Cho Benn Holback + Associates has been recognized with more than 200 design awards, including eight Grand Design awards from the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and five Public Building of the Year awards from AIA-Maryland. The Baltimore office of Cho Benn Holback + Associates is now Quinn Evans’ fifth office location; the firm also maintains offices in Washington, D.C.; Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Madison, Wisconsin.
Release courtesy Quinn Evans Architects