May 14th, 2025
6:30PM EST
Liv Vernon Designer, Marvel Designs
Liv Vernon is an architectural designer committed to creating spaces that foster imagination, health, and joy. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Architecture with a minor in Architectural History from the University of Virginia in 2023. Liv’s work is grounded in the belief that the humanity of the places we study and design are honored throughout the design process. She is especially interested in the intersections of space, storytelling, and history, and in the role architecture plays in shaping the public realm. At Marvel Designs, Liv has contributed to the renovation of a public library, the visioning of a new University Center at SUNY Downstate, and is currently working on a new YMCA in Flushing, Queens
Designing a Life: A Mother-Daughter Conversation on Architecture, Purpose and Becoming.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Katie Swenson, Senior Principal at MASS Design Group, and her daughter Liv Vernon, a junior designer at Marvel Designs, will reflect on what it means to live a life shaped by architecture—across generations. Katie and Liv will share their experiences navigating architecture as both a profession and a lens through which they see the world. From the design studio to the dinner table, they’ll explore how values of creativity, equity, community, and care have informed their journeys—individually and together. The conversation will delve into mentorship, identity, purpose, and the evolving role of women in architecture, offering insights into how we define success and fulfillment in both work and life.