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Peter Martinez Zellner

Peter Martinez Zellner

Los Angeles, CA, US

 
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About 

Peter brings over 20 years of experience in building, urban design, interior architecture, and exhibition design to OFICINA MARTINEZ ZELLNER LLC.

Peter has worked in Melbourne, Australia, Asia,  Europe, Latin America, and New York City.  In the offices of Davis Brody Bond and Gensler, he served as a Senior Designer and a Senior Consultant.  He founded and directed ZELLNERPLUS, an award-winning Los Angeles design studio, and was Design Principal at the global design and engineering firm AECOM.

Martinez Zellner has won local, national, and international awards.  He has been recognized for his ability to deliver uniquely tailored spaces for art, living, and working by Le Monde, the Los Angeles Times,  the New York Times, Architectural Record, The Architect's Newspaper, Domus, Art + Auction, and Harper's Bazaar. 

Peter holds a Master in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture with First Class Honors from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.  He was a Faculty member at SCI-Arc, the Southern California Institute of Architecture, from 1999 to 2016.  Between 2008 and 2012, he coordinated the school's postgraduate City Design program.  Peter has also held visiting professorships at UC Berkeley, the University of Southern California, Florida International University, the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, the Institut für Städtebau und Raumplanung (Institute for Urban Design and Urban Planning) at the Universität Innsbruck, Austria and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.  In 2013 he was the Ivan Smith Eminent Chair at the University of Florida, School of Architecture. 

In June 2017, Zellner launched the Free School of Architecture, a tuition-free, experimental architecture school. In addition, Peter was an Executive Board Member of From Lot to Spot, a green space equity organization. 

In the fall of 2019, Peter served as the Brown-Forman Visiting Chair in Architecture at the University of Kentucky College of Design.  In the Spring of 2020, he was Visiting Design Studio Faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. In the fall of 2019, Peter was a Visiting Professor of Graduate Architecture and Urban Design at Pratt Institute.

Elsewhere:

Peter's Featured Articles on Archinect

The Geometry of the World, Tue, Apr 30 '19

City-States Permanent Crisis The American City seems to exist now in a state of permanent crisis.  That is to say: our cities seem lashed to a self-renewing state of emergency driven by entrenched and multiplying acts of violence. We bear witness to police violence against civilians; civilian ...

The Geometry of the World
 

Employment 

OFICINA MARTINEZ ZELLNER LLC, Los Angeles, CA, US, Principal

Peter Zellner takes a lead role in the firm’s architectural design direction, community and academic relations. Peter comes to ZELLNERandCompany with over 20 years of experience in building, urban design, interior architecture and exhibition design. Peter was a long time faculty member at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and is a former Design Principal at the global design and engineering firm AECOM. Peter has worked in the offices of Davis Brody Bond and Gensler. Between 2004 and 2014 he founded and directed ZELLNERPLUS, an award winning Los Angeles design studio.

Sep 2015 - current
 

AECOM, Los Angeles, CA, US, Design Principal

Led the Los Angeles Architecture Studio in public and private projects as well as several competitions. Established and maintained design objectives, led strategic planning, design management, and client relations. While at AECOM Peter led the studio to win 1 AIA|LA NextLA award, 3 Spark Awards, 1 Azure award as well as gaining significant press coverage for its design efforts.

Jan 2014 - Sep 2015
 

OFICINA MARTINEZ ZELLNER LLC, Venice, CA, US, Principal

Between 2004 and 2014 Peter founded and directed ZELLNERPLUS, an award winning Los Angeles design studio.

Jan 2003 - Dec 2013
 

Davis Brody Bond, LLP, New York, NY, US, Senior Designer

Dec 2001 - May 2003
 

Gensler, Los Angeles, CA, US, Senior Consultant, Gensler Consulting Group

Conducted real estate and facilities analysis, workplace and business strategy—with the objective of improving organizational performance. Client work included strategic planning, real estate and portfolio analysis, re-positioning/relocation analysis, change management and data management.

Oct 2000 - Nov 2001
 

Education 

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, US, MArch, Master of Architecture

Peter holds a Master in Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, he participated in the Harvard Project on the City led by Rem Koolhaas

Sep 1997 - Jun 1999
 

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, AU, BArch, Bachelor of Architecture

Peter holds a Bachelor of Architecture with First Class Honors from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.

Mar 1989 - Mar 1994
 

Areas of Specialization