As founding partner and Studio Director of the Philadelphia-based Shiftspace, Mario helps guide the strategic direction of the studio’s work for the design of environments, experiences and lifestyle products (under the SHIFT brand). The work and research have a modern aesthetic with a focus on mass-customization, prefabrication, and sustainable design. He is a Registered Architect with an accreditation by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. An honors graduate from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Architecture degree and received his Masters degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University.

Before founding Shiftspace, he worked with KieranTimberlake, Peter Marino Associates and JXN Studio in Philadelphia and for George Ranalli Architect and Resolution 4: Architecture in New York. Mario has been involved with award winning and published residential, commercial and institutional building projects in both national and international locations.

His academic experience as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University encompasses studio work focused on urban interventions, product design and craft. He has served as guest juror and lecturer at design schools throughout the country. Most recently, Shiftspace has run a design-build studio at the Tyler: Art + Architecture with Temple University for the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023 and 2025. Locally, he has served on the Facilities and Horticultural Committees for Philadelphia’s Historic Bartram’s Garden and held a position on its Board of Directors along with a design committee position for the Philadelphia AIA Chapter.

Tim oversees both the creative direction and technical design of the studio’s work. His diverse experience in the fields of architecture and industrial design informs his work at Shiftspace. As a designer, Tim is inspired by and strives to produce work that promotes civic engagement, provides positive ecological impact and is honest in form, function, and material.

Past work includes public art installations for various cultural institutions; Award-winning products and furniture for both commercial clients and the internal design brand, Shift; and architectural design for residential, hospitality, and institutional clients.

Tim was a participant in Bloomberg Philanthropies FastFWD Accelerator and is a Next City Vanguard. Tim holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. He has been an invited critic and adjunct at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Tess is an Architectural Designer involved in all project stages, including concept design, design development, 3D modeling, and architectural drafting.

She received her Bachelor of Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Her experience working at both large and smaller firms has provided her with a wide breadth of skills. She has experience in all stages of the building process, from concept design to construction, and finds joy and satisfaction in seeing a project through from start to finish.

At Shiftspace, Samie assists in design development, graphic communications, drafting, 3D modeling, and project management. She also directs marketing, communications, and outreach for the studio. Her interests include urban psychology, public meaning and memory, and community stewardship of public space.

Samie earned her Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia and holds a B.A. in Architecture from the University of New Mexico. She has also served as an intern at STOSS Landscape Urbanism in Boston and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in Charlottesville.