As a firmwide sustainability director based in Chicago, Marzia Sedino brings her training as an environmental engineer and years of project experience to guide design teams in defining and achieving environmental performance goals. A leader of the Sustainable Engineering Studio, she acts as an environmental consultant to ensure that building and master plan designs respond to the environment, preserve the ecology of their sites, enhance occupant health, and minimize carbon throughout their lifecycles. To advance these goals, Marzia helped to launch SOM’s whole-life carbon accounting service, a methodology for evaluating and measuring whole-life carbon emissions clearly and comprehensively throughout a project life cycle.

Marzia’s projects range in scale from urban masterplans, airports, and hospitals to low-rise community buildings. Innovation has always been the focus of Marzia work—she is passionate about integrating cutting-edge engineering discoveries in the vision for a project. She co-leads SOM’s Climate Action Group, which develops and promotes best practices for a resilient, carbon-neutral built environment.

She is recognized in the industry as a sustainability leader and frequently shares her expertise at industry events. In 2023, Crain’s Chicago Business named her to its list of Notable Women in STEM.