Architecture Alum Mark Hutker Named to AIA College of Fellows

University of Cincinnati architecture alum Mark Hutker will be one of only seven architects from Massachusetts elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects at the AIA’s June 21 national convention.

Hutker, a 1982 alum of UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), will be named an AIA Fellow in recognition of his significant contributions to both architecture and to the wider society on a national level.

 As the owner and principal of Hutker Architects, Inc., in Massachusetts, his work has been recognized by numerous design awards and published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Metropolitan Home, Architectural Digest, Architectural Record and even featured on HGTV. Known as the creator of and advocate for a new regional vernacular, Hutker was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame in 2008 and published his first book in 2010, titled “Heirlooms to Live In: Homes in a New Regional Vernacular.”

Despite the demands of leading a full-service architecture and interior design firm of 35, Hutker’s commitment to both public service and to his alma mater are frequently on display. For instance, he is a founding board member and president of The Lyceum Fellowship, which sponsors a prestigious North American architecture design contest that annually awards significant travel grants to architecture students in order to further their education and professional development.

At UC, Hutker and his wife, Carla Harlan, a 1981 UC fashion design graduate, founded the

Mark and Carla Hutker Scholarship Fund

that annually provides a $2,500 award to a master’s of architecture student.

He is also a member of the self-proclaimed “UC Architecture ’82 Outdoor Biennale,” a group of 1982 architecture alums who get together every other year for outdoor adventures – sea kayaking off Washington State, bicycling in Vermont, whitewater rafting in Georgia and canoeing in alligator-filled swamps in Florida – who together created an endowment in 2012 to benefit DAAP students.

Of that, he said, “We had and still have a unique class. We’ve stayed together closer than any DAAP class I’ve ever heard of. This endowment effort allows us to share one more thing together. We wanted to do something meaningful for DAAP that will perhaps help others following us to have equally meaningful collegiate experiences at UC.”

For Hutker, this leadership and service in support of DAAP are a way to honor former UC teacher Harris Forusz, one-time professor of planning. His former students remember Forusz as provocative, entertaining and accessible.

Recalled Hutker, “Harris would come in late in the evening to critique our work and support us. He meant a lot to us, and for me, he represents all the great teachers I had.”

His colleagues on Martha’s Vineyard where he lives and works have spoken just as glowingly about Hutker. In a

2002 UC Magazine profile

regarding the national acclaim earned by Hutker, a prominent builder named Andrew Flake stated, “Mark is a great architect, one I have the highest respect for, professionally and personally. I’ve worked with architects around the world, and I’ve watched Mark’s star rise since he first stepped foot on the island. You don’t suddenly become a brilliant architect because of luck or one really great job. Mark offers enthusiasm, good design and a sincere and honest approach to making clients happy.”