Services
Architectural Competition Design and Implementation
Margie and her team manage competitions and awards programs for government, nonprofit and corporate clients. They define the design challenge, create timelines and processes, market competitions and ensure a fair jurying process, as well as developing press and social media strategy. From concept to completion, they handle every detail.
Design Awards Submission Strategy
Successful design awards entries are more than just pretty photos. Juries want to understand the project team’s skills and approach but designers often stumble at communicating this effectively. Our firm helps you strategize about the “right” competitions to enter, and how to make the most of your entry.
(NOTE: This service is not available for any competition being managed by the firm.)
Management Consulting to Nonprofit Organizations
Margie and her team have decades of experience at assisting nonprofits, especially in arts and design, define and meet their goals. This includes evaluating the fiscal health of organizations for donors, and developing entrepreneurial ventures to generate income to support programmatic goals. Margie has managed festivals, conferences and events; organized Board and staff retreats; written mini-books, curated exhibitions and testified at government hearings.
About Margie
Margie O’Driscoll, Hon. AIA
Government, nonprofit and corporate clients come to Margie for full-service, hands–on, collaborative guidance and expertise in a variety of areas.
With decades of experience leading large projects and organizations, including the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, Margie has also held senior positions in San Francisco government, including Director of Cultural Affairs. As Executive Director of the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco, for over 12 years, she launched and led Architecture and the City, the one of the largest architecture festivals in the US. She is a regular contributor to design journals.
O’Driscoll serves on a number of nonprofit boards and advisory committees, including Walk SF, City Car Share, Association of Architecture Organizations and San Francisco Zen Center. She holds a BA in Political Theory from UC Berkeley and a MA in Public Administration from Columbia University and is an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects for her numerous contributions to the profession.
Watch Margie O’Driscoll Discuss Climate Change in SF
Clients
Press
Testimonials
When I grow up, I want to be Margie O’Driscoll.Much like the old EF Hutton commercial, when Margie speaks, everyone listens. Her soft spoken, always thoughtful and well reasoned approach is universally admired among the community of the AIA. I and my colleagues consistently turn to Margie when considering issues facing our components and the AIA in general.
I cannot count the number of of times I’ve seen news of an impressive, groundbreaking program developed under her leadership. Margie’s hard work and visionary leadership are greatly admired.
Margie and her team helped us understand how a design competition could interest international design teams in Palo Alto’s pedestrian/bike bridge competition. Margie was with us every step of the way, writing the design brief, marketing the competition, testifying at City Council meetings until midnight, supporting the goals of the City of Palo Alto and creating a fair process for design teams.
Margie has managed the Architecture at Zero competition for six years. She and her team collaborate with the AIACC to handle all aspects of the process. This includes selecting a competition site, developing the competition website and marketing the competition. They selecting and manageing the jury process and awards announcement.It has been a great experience to challenge architects and designers from around the world to design to Zero Net Energy standards. Margie and her team have advanced learning for the profession through this competition and have been great to work with!