Alumni News

While my career has taken me in a direction that has diverged from the Health & Wellness project type – primarily institutional and residential work – it really is true that Health and Wellness have a practical application across many project types. Most recently I’ve had the opportunity apply that knowledge to my experience with restorative justice centers. Rather than designing traditional places of detention, we are seeking to flip the script and make these facilities instead places of reformation and reeducation, reducing recidivism through biophilic design, natural daylight, views and access to nature, direct supervision, educational programs, and continuous support. [email protected] courtesy of DLR Group

I am a 2013 graduate of the Health and Wellness Program.  Through the program I interned at ACI Boland and received the Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification.  After graduating, I joined NSPJ Architects where I design and manage multifamily residential projects.  I am thrilled to work on projects that create large communities and impact so many lives.  With the increased focus on assisted living and senior housing I is very excited to develop healthy environments through design, and to be part of a firm that promotes research through the Howard Nearing / NSPJ Housing Studio Fund.  Then project shown is the Copper Ridge Apartments in liberty, MO (courtesy of NSPJ). [email protected]

When I decided to pursue the Health and Wellness program, I knew very little about healthcare architecture other than my desire to make it better. The program armed me with the knowledge and experience to begin to fulfil this desire while also elevating my career path trajectory almost immediately.  After graduating from KU in 2013, I worked at local healthcare architecture firms where I fostered my passion and acumen for this specialization. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work with unique Healthcare clients including Methodist Health System and UT Southwestern Medical Center. mi[email protected] Image courtesy of Hoefer Wysocki

I went on to study at Columbia University and graduated with an MS in Advanced Architectural Design in 2015. I worked with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects designing corporate headquarter facilities and helped to lead PCPA’s R&D efforts. In 2018, I relocated to Kansas City and now work with HOK designing sports facilities. I have also assisted in teaching graduate design studios at Columbia and KU. [email protected]

The Health and Wellness program was a pivotal part of my education. I learned so much about architecture that can’t be taught in the classroom or studio. Having a seven-month internship allowed me to become fully integrated with my projects, teams, and firm as a whole. I enjoyed my experience with Hoefer Wysocki so much I decided to join the team full time following my internship. Now, nearly seven years after beginning my Health and Wellness journey, I am still working within the firm’s healthcare studio and love being a part of the Hoefer Wysocki family! The project shown is the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Mobile, AL (courtesy of Hoefer Wysocki). [email protected]

I was a part of the 2016 Health & Wellness program. I interned at a firm in Overland Park, Kansas that specialized in hospital design and was able to work on a large hospital expansion. Since graduation, I have worked for Rosemann & Associates located in downtown Kansas City. I switched from designing healthcare projects to senior living projects, specifically assisted living and memory care facilities. I have worked on projects all over the country, but my favorite project so far in my career is Anthology at the Plaza, an award-winning senior living community (project shown, photo courtesy Faulkner Design Group). [email protected] Faulkner Design Group

The health and wellness program at KU introduced me to healthcare architecture and provided a platform to gain nationwide exposure via various competitions, conferences and symposiums. The internship gave me a head start in professional practice and upon graduation I worked as an architectural designer at Hoefer Wysocki, where I was involved in several large-scale medical office building designs. The H+W program developed within me a sense of enquiry regarding the design of healthcare spaces, therefore I have decided to pursue a Ph.D. at UIUC to conduct research on healthy places and aim to eventually pursue a career in academia. [email protected]

After graduating from the Health & Wellness M.Arch program at The University of Kansas in 2018, I began working at HKS Inc. in Dallas, TX within one of their many healthcare studio groups. HKS has been a wonderful company to work for since graduating with countless resources available at the firm for whatever you are passionate about. They push you professionally, academically, and creatively to become the best architect, scholar, and designer you can be. My experience with the Health & Wellness program has added to my success at HKS by equipping me with the needed skillset and knowledge to better comprehend and contribute. The project shown is the CHI Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center McNair Campus. [email protected]

I came to KU for the Health & Wellness program. I wanted to use architecture to help people in a real way and the added skills were helpful in the last recession. The breadth of knowledge I received at KU (Frank’s class especially) allowed me to be instrumental on a wide variety of design projects after graduation, from a colossal Chinese medical campus to renovation of waiting rooms at the local Kaiser. I am most proud of my adaptive reuse project, that I have shown here, for HealthRIGHT 360, a San Francisco medical clinic that started in Haight Ashbury in the sixties. [email protected]

I am an architect working with The Beck Group since my graduation from the H&W program in 2015. I work with healthcare clients to create and develop solutions for various project types including hospitals, clinics, and freestanding emergency departments focusing primarily on the planning aspect of each project. With varying locations such as Texas, the Bahamas, and Mexico City, these projects have provided my insight to the numerous approaches to healthcare. In 2018, I assisted in opening a new regional office in Charlotte, NC. There I work with healthcare clients on strategic facility planning and new project types such as multi-disciplinary oncology centers. [email protected]