Mark Baechler Architect is a design practice consisting of two distinct spaces of production, the Workshop and the Drawing Room.
The Workshop examines thinking through making, focusing on the design/fabrication of wood furniture and architecture. The three forest regions of Ontario provide a conceptual and material resource for this practice, which includes harvesting trees and processing wood into bespoke works. The Workshop develops research through the careful study of Danish and Ontario woodcraft traditions and seeks design innovation through 1:1 scale furniture and architectural investigations.
The Drawing Room engages in the contemplative process of exploring architectural thought through drawing. The vast field of architectural drawing types and conventions within the Western tradition are foundational to this investigation. Large sized graphite drawings are produced to re-examine the history and theory of architecture, as well as the representation of architectural phenomena including light and the absence of light. Conventional drawing formats and techniques are re-interpreted toward the development of contemporary architectural imagination.
Mark Baechler is an architect based in the Great Lakes–St.Lawrence forest region of Northern Ontario. He is Assistant Professor at Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture where he teaches graduate and undergraduate design studios focusing on wood architecture and furniture. His research investigates Danish and Ontario furniture traditions to inform a process of design thinking through making. His practice resides at the interface of forestry, furniture and architecture toward the creation of ‘circular’ material knowledge and experimental wood applications. Mark holds Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture degrees from Carleton University in Ottawa. Mark is a Registered Architect with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA).