Marvel’s self-named architecture firm recently won the highest prize from the American Institute of Architecture’s New York chapter, the Medal of Honor, which recognizes design excellence. “It’s an award that my great uncle, Buckminster Fuller, received while inventing geodesic domes and giving back to the community,” Marvel says. “It’s great to follow in his footsteps.” 

The company focuses on solutions-driven designs that meet metropolitan community needs, including affordable housing for the homeless. “Marvel’s interdisciplinary teams develop big ideas to solve big problems. They address immediate issues while improving the long-term quality of life,” states the prize citation.

Marvel, an art major who grew up in Puerto Rico and participated in the Big Brothers program during college, credits his mother for his commitment to social service. “Today, around 50 percent of our work is in the multifamily housing arena, specifically affordable housing in the New York metro area and in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” he says. Projects ranging from the Northeast Bronx YMCA to the redevelopment of the Battery Maritime Building emphasize connection with the natural environment and historic preservation. The firm’s mantra is “design everywhere, for everyone.”

Architecture, and Dartmouth connections, run in the family. Marvel’s father, Thomas Marvel ’56, and his grandfather, Gordon Marvel, class of 1925, both worked as architects. When Jonathan was a boy, visits to construction sites and painting watercolors inspired his interest in architecture and the visual arts.

“His taste and passion for good design make him not only a great architect, but also a partner and teacher,” says Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library, a Marvel client. “What I have learned from collaborating with Jonathan has served me well beyond the projects we worked on together.”