Different strengths.
A shared way of seeing.
We are a team with complementary strengths, different ways of thinking, and the confidence to challenge one another as the project takes shape.
Time together has built trust, candor, and a natural chemistry.
Years within larger practices, working at scale across complex projects, gave us deep experience and broad networks of expertise.
At SPARC we bring that knowledge into a more direct studio model.
Our Team
A design leader and strategist with deep experience across mixed-use, multifamily, adaptive reuse + repositioning, hospitality, and urban design.
Haril brings a strong understanding of development, client goals, approvals, community context, and the broader forces that determine whether a project can move forward.
Haril has learned that the best teams are the ones people want to be part of. It shapes how he leads - creating the energy, openness, and trust that make people want to contribute, challenge ideas, and stay engaged.
Guitarist. Strategist. Foodie. Filmmaker. Artist.
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As Co-Founder and CEO of SPARC, Haril draws on more than two decades of experience shaping projects at the intersection of design, development, and long-term value. He is particularly skilled at understanding the broader forces around a project — from feasibility and approvals to client priorities, community context, and market realities — and using that perspective to help move ambitious ideas forward.
Before founding SPARC, Haril was Senior Principal at HFA/TRIA, where he helped grow the Mixed-Use and Multi-Family sectors. Prior to that, he was SVP/Principal at NELSON Worldwide, where he led the National Asset Strategy Practice and the Boston office as National Practice Leader. There, he worked with leading real estate owners, investors, and advisors including Hines, Blackstone, JLL, RMR, MetLife, Brookfield, and Rockpoint — helping them see new potential in existing assets and use design as a tool to strengthen value, relevance, and long-term performance.
Previously, as a Principal at CBT for 16 years, Haril led one of Boston’s most successful repositioning practices, delivering award-winning work that helped reshape the city’s urban landscape. He oversaw significant repositioning, adaptive reuse, and ground-up projects, building a reputation for connecting design ambition with the realities that determine whether a project can move forward.
Haril was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2018, one of the profession’s highest honors. In 2009, he was one of eight recipients nationally of the AIA Young Architects Award, and in 2008 he was named to Building Design + Construction’s “40 Under 40.” He was also recognized by Banker & Tradesman and the Boston Business Journal as an emerging leader.
His leadership has extended well beyond practice. Haril served as the youngest elected member of the Board of the Boston Society of Architects, as well as President and Chair of the Young Professional Advisory Council. His board and committee service has also included the Boston Center for the Arts, the BSA Foundation, the AIA Government Affairs Committee, the NAIOP Gavel Board, and the Town of Needham Design Review Board.
In 2015, Haril gave his first TEDx talk, “The Death of the Corner Office,” exploring generational change in the workplace. More recently, he received his certification as a Master Professional and Life Coach.
Outside SPARC, Haril plays lead guitar in local cover bands and previously toured the country with an Indian rock and folk fusion band, performing at major venues and for audiences that included Deepak Chopra, Hillary Clinton, and the Prime Minister of India. Painting, filmmaking, cooking, and time outdoors remain part of the mix as well.
> his personal blog at HarilEstate.com and his 20 year project monograph is » here «
Aksel Solberg, AIA
CIO + Founder | LinkedIn
Architect, design thinker, and technology leader bringing together design, building science, development thinking, and new ways of working. Aksel leads SPARC’s technology direction, exploring how digital tools can expand what the team can see, test, and make without replacing experience or creative judgment.
Aksel has carried one piece of advice with him since early in his career: take what you do seriously, but take yourself lightly. It shapes how he approaches the work - deeply invested in getting it right without becoming precious about himself or the idea.
Musician. Outdoors enthusiast. Physics + math nerd.
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As Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of SPARC, Aksel brings more than 20 years of experience across design, management, leadership, building science, development, and architectural production. Having worked across firms of different sizes and projects at different scales, he has developed a broad understanding of how ideas move from early concept through design, development, and construction — and where better thinking, tools, and processes can make a meaningful difference.
Prior to SPARC, Aksel served as Director of HFA’s Development Design Studio, where he led a highly talented team working on small- and large-scale commercial, retail, mixed-use, and development projects across the United States. The breadth of that work, both architecturally and geographically, helped him build strong relationships with national and regional real estate developers, general contractors, engineers, and other industry partners while deepening his understanding of how design decisions connect to feasibility, construction, value, and long-term performance.
Across his career, Aksel has worked as a designer, manager, and practice leader, giving him unusual depth in both architectural design and the systems used to deliver it. He has built a reputation for developing project-specific workflows rather than relying on a single prescribed process — looking closely at the problem, identifying what needs to be understood or tested, and shaping the approach around the project itself.
His interest in innovation extends well beyond technology. Aksel continually explores how digital tools, building science, materials, construction, research, and emerging ways of working can expand what teams are able to see and consider. He is particularly interested in making more possibilities visible earlier — creating room to test, question, and refine ideas before decisions become difficult or expensive to change.
Leadership has been a through line in Aksel’s life, beginning with earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He has since led workshops and seminars at national conferences hosted by ICSC, Bisnow, and ULI, and in 2017 was inducted into ICSC’s CenterBuild+ Leaders Under 40 in recognition of his leadership in the retail development industry.
Outside SPARC, Aksel is a prolific musician who composes and performs regularly with multiple New England groups. Music often crosses into his architectural thinking through composition, rhythm, experimentation, and the relationship between individual parts and the whole. When he is not making architecture or music, he spends much of his time with his family and outdoors, staying connected to the natural world he hopes his work can help improve.
Stefan Vogelmann, AIA
Senior Design Director | LinkedIn
Design leader with deep experience in master planning, mixed-use development, asset strategy + repositioning, and multifamily. His early studies, zoning and urban analysis, and visual feasibility work help clients understand what a site or project can support before the direction becomes fixed.
Creative. Oblique humorist. Junior botanist. Wonderer.
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Stefan is the Senior Design Director at SPARC with 40 years of experience and expertise developing client-focused design solutions across a wide variety of project types. His experience includes successful projects in Master Planning, Mixed-Use Developments, Commercial Asset Strategy and Repositioning, and Multi-Family building typologies.
Stefan leads major projects and pursuits, helping shape project direction from the beginning. Working closely with clients, he understands their goals and serves as a steady advocate for their vision throughout the design process. He provides design leadership across all project phases, starting with the earliest phases, helping teams clarify priorities and establish a strong foundation for successful delivery. Colleagues and clients value his thoughtful approach, responsiveness, and ability to bring clarity to complex issues.
He is known for his ability to quickly translate ideas into clear design concepts that respond to client needs and provide long-term value. Stefan's work emphasizes solutions that are grounded in their surroundings and enhance clients' project investments through design excellence. By balancing creativity with practical constraints, he helps clients move forward with confidence toward outcomes that are both achievable and high-impact.
Brenda Wong, NCIDQ
Senior Interior Designer | LinkedIn
Interior designer and storyteller with 20 years of experience across multifamily, hospitality, workplace, and other interior environments. Brenda brings a strong understanding of mood, materials, finishes, and experience - helping clients clearly envision what a space can become.
Storyteller. Cultural omnivore. Ideator. Vibe seeker.
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With more than 20 years of experience designing distinctive interiors across multifamily, hospitality, workplace, and academic sectors, Brenda excels at capturing the unique voice of every space. Her collaborative approach ensures each design authentically reflects the client’s brand, site, and community, transforming environments into places that tell stories and shape meaningful experiences.
Brenda skillfully leads projects through every phase, from concept development to construction administration and FF&E installation. She is adept at solving complex design challenges, whether improving flow, efficiency, and accessibility through thoughtful space planning; selecting FF&E that supports wellness and performance; or developing custom millwork tailored to specific programmatic needs.
As an NCIDQ Certified designer and LEED AP professional, Brenda brings together creative vision and technical precision. Drawing from a previous career as a writer and editor, she now writes three-dimensionally, crafting impactful spaces with depth, clarity, and purpose.