Ian MacLeod received a Master of Architecture from U.C. Berkeley in 1993. He received several awards and prizes including an AIA scholarship, the Bakewell & Brown prize (for hand drawings of architectural detail), and the John K. Branner Traveling Fellowship for 9 months of independent travel and study. Through the Branner Fellowship, Ian spent a year travelling the around the world, through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, studying historical and vernacular examples of the use of natural light and daylighting in buildings. He is an avid photographer who has had numerous local exhibits including one at the San Francisco Airport. Prior to graduate school, Ian received a Bachelors degree in Political Science with a minor in French from U.C. Berkeley. He graduated with Highest Honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He spent his junior year studying in Bordeaux, France.

Ian grew up learning about construction from his Father who is a general contractor with a civil engineering background. He has over 25 years experience in construction having started working part-time for his father's firm at the age of 17. In 1995, he started his own design/build firm. He is a licensed architect and licensed general contractor.