February 17, 2026
Populous Atlanta Office Opening Marks 16th Location Across the Americas
“Establishing an office in Atlanta allows us to build on our longstanding foundation of delivering projects across the country in a meaningful way,” said Jonathan Mallie, Global Director and Managing Director of the Americas at Populous. “Creating a local presence in Atlanta enables us to deepen our connection to the Southeast and work closely with our clients, partners and communities.”
Industry veterans Rob Svedberg and Lee Pollock join Populous to lead the Atlanta office. Svedberg brings over 30 years of experience and more than $6 billion in completed projects across convention centers, sports and live entertainment venues. Svedberg, will enhance Populous’ convention center practice, having worked on recent projects like the Las Vegas Convention Center, Raleigh Convention Center and the Javits Center in New York.
"Rob Svedberg brings an extraordinary depth of experience to Populous and our convention center practice. His addition to the Populous team strengthens our firm and enhances our ability to lead clients through transformational projects across the globe."
Pollock joins as a Senior Urban Designer with expertise in real estate, urban design and landscape design services. He brings 30 years of experience in leading large‑scale master planning and real estate development strategy efforts for global private‑sector clients and major civic organizations.
Additional team members joining the Atlanta office include Real Estate Strategy Director Jonathan Bartlett, Senior Landscape Architect Matt Friesen and Landscape Architect Meredith Mejia who will be based in Dallas. Together with Svedberg and Pollock, the Atlanta team brings more than 110 years of combined global design expertise across convention centers, urban design, landscape architecture and real estate strategy.
The new office is located in the Old Fourth Ward, a neighborhood known as much for its civil rights past as its creative energy today. Populous also has deep ties to the city, dating back to its foundational work on the 1996 Olympic Games, a project that helped propel Atlanta onto the global stage.
Since then, Populous has worked for decades on a portfolio of projects across Atlanta and the Southeast including Truist Park, Vanderbilt University, GEODIS Park, Nashville International Airport (BNA) and Synovus Park. Current projects include Mobile Arena, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the University of South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium.
Notable Populous Southeast Projects
“Opening an Atlanta office reflects Populous’ strong commitment to this region, and I’m honored to be part of that evolution,” said Svedberg. “The firm’s work has always been centered around creating places that draw people together and elevate experiences, and I’m thrilled to start contributing to that impact.”
The location expands the firm’s capacity to design meaningful destinations in the area and beyond and is both a return to familiar ground and a forward-looking step into the region’s next chapter.
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