People

Meghan L. McDermott

AIA

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Biography


As partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Meghan McDermott designs buildings and master plans that make cities more vibrant and more human.

Meghan believes that the spaces between buildings are just as vital as the buildings themselves, and play a critical role in sustaining and enriching civic life. As lead designer for many of the firm's office buildings, corporate headquarters, and mixed-use developments, she considers how every project impacts the street, the skyline, and the surrounding community. Her perspective is contemporary, yet grounded in a commitment to bolstering the continuity of the urban fabric.

Meghans projects include prominent high-rise developments that transform the public realm, such as the Comcast Center, a LEED Gold tower that introduces a generous public plaza and winter garden to Center City Philadelphia. Outside Paris, France, she brought pedestrian-friendly urbanism to La Défense with the LEED Platinum Tour Carpe Diem. Meghan has also led master planning projects that revitalize former industrial sites, including the 1,200-acre Philadelphia Navy Yard and the Camden Waterfront, a mixed-use community anchored by her design for the LEED Platinum American Water Headquarters. Currently, Meghan is working on an office building in Boston designed for a post-Covid future, and a state-of-the-art teaching facility for The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Meghan balances a passion for design excellence with an understanding of the specific needs of public and private development clients. A recognized leader in her field, she has lectured internationally on architecture, planning and sustainability, and has presented case studies to academic institutions including Wharton and the Harvard Business School. Her interest in education is further reflected by her work with Citizen Schools, a non-profit dedicated to mentoring students in underserved communities. Meghan is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute, WX (New York Women Executives in Real Estate), and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, where she serves as co-chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.