Healthcare, Education, Community, Science & Technology, Commercial

Grounded in Mission. Driven by Impact.

by Joe Mayer

AIA, NCARB, WELL AP

Principal, Designer

As designers we are often asked, “what is your design process?” It can be tempting to try to answer this with step-by-step specifics or a cleverly alliterative flow diagram. But these approaches can belie the inherent complexity of putting a building together, the wide variation in specific goals of different projects, and the nuances of working in multiple geographic markets and building types. We want to foster broad, rigorous, and thoughtful application of expertise regardless of the project’s unique characteristics. We define a philosophy about design itself rather than a prescriptive process for achieving it.

We see Design as a translation from Mission (how the project is grounded in the client) to Impact (the unique aspirational objectives for the project).

Mission

Mission represents who, at their core, the client is. It’s what makes them tick. It’s how they see their place in the community, their public perception, and their objectives for the future. It’s their brand image, their customer/patient/user/resident/tenant/student profile, and their business case for the project. Every design must be grounded in a deep understanding that the client’s mission is both unique and dynamic. To achieve this, it takes empathy on the part of the design team and a true desire to listen.

Nikki Wildman taking a client through a persona exercise. — Associate Principal and Project Manager, Nikki Wildman, taking a client through a persona exercise.

Grounding a project in mission requires up-front work. Great design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Grounding a project in mission isn’t just understanding the personal likes and dislikes of the people on the other side of the table. It’s understanding what made them take those seats in the first place, and what their dreams for their projects can mean.

A solid foundation in the client’s mission allows for an objective baseline for project decisions, while at the same time allowing, or maybe even promoting, the validity of disparate definitions of beauty. In other words, good design, grounded in mission, allows people to find beauty in different ways rather than trying to conform to a single style. There is no such thing as timeless style, but this degree of objectivity does allow for timeless design. A quick note on beauty: yes, we want to create buildings that are beautiful, and as architects and designers, of course we still care about proportion, scale, hierarchy, etc. – the foundational tenets of form making. Beauty makes us happy after all, but beauty is subjective.

Impact

Impact is achieving of the unique aspirational objectives for the project. It’s how the project has affected change, spurred growth, or created meaningful experiences. These objectives require thinking beyond who the client already is, as that is the mission in which the project is already grounded. These goals are how we take the client to places above expectations and beyond the status quo. We help lead the client to these goals through a series of up-front visioning exercises that are customized to the unique needs of the project. The goal is to work toward an understanding of not just what the project looks like, but what it means.

A successful project asks how the environment is affected, both in terms of initial resource expenditure and long-term resource investment. It seeks to understand how the project advances health and wellness – of staff, of users, and of the larger community.

Design translation from mission to impact creates not just growth, but strategic advancement, whether personal, professional, or institutional. This process is a mechanism for establishing and furthering brand identity, creating competitive advantages, or capturing market share. It can improve staff retention, attract new students, and enhance customer satisfaction. It can foster innovation, empower learning, and instill confidence.

Sherm Moreland performing a simulation experience with a group of people seated at a table. — CEO and Healthcare Planner, Sherm Moreland, performing a simulation experience.

Impact is so much more than appearance. It is what it feels like when the client first walks into the building when it opens. It’s how the building creates a calm environment for a patient’s anxious family member, or energizes an employee, or feels safe for a new student. This creates a conscious relationship with the community: an understanding of how the project shapes the community, and how the community in turn shapes the project once the doors are opened. Impact is how the project connects to a network beyond the project itself, such as a health system, campus, or neighborhood.

By seeing design as a translation from mission to impact, these pursuits are not simply theoretical – they are real, measurable, and specifically relevant to each client. The building is not just a representation of a moment in time, but an investment in the future.

Design

We like to think of design as a verb, rather than as a noun – that is, we see design as action, an application of lenses, a layering of meaning. The building is then neither the simple replication of a client wish list nor the manifestation of any one designer’s personal style.

Design thought of as a noun can be a trap, as it produces a product that tends to overrepresent mission or impact alone rather than navigate the complex but meaningful path between the two. Mission without impact is a representation of who the client already is, regardless of capital investment – perhaps familiar, but without an eye to progress. It is what clients already know, see, and understand. Design should advance understanding and add value. Impact without mission may lead to interesting form and space, but miss foundational financial, operational, or functional objectives that are required by the client.

Person sharing recent design work on a board to a group of people in the DesignGroup office. — DesignGroup meets monthly for a Studio Crawl to share projects they're working on inside and outside the office.

A focus on design as a translative act (verb) and not as an object (noun) allows us to create an objective framework for establishing priorities and making project decisions focused on quality, outcomes, and meaning. In other words, the project is driven by decisions that clearly draw a line between who the client is and a larger aim for the project.

Good design should not be about “meeting in the middle.” Questions of value should not be approached with an either/or mentality. Good design takes a both/and approach to problem solving, just as good design, with respect and empathy, actively navigates between relevance and aspiration rather than putting them at odds with each other. By actively focusing on design as the translation from mission to impact, the process is smoother, decision making is more efficient, and the outcomes are ultimately more meaningful – to the client, to the building’s users, and to the community.

Joe Mayer

AIA, NCARB, WELL AP

Principal, Designer

More about Joe

Healthcare

Graduate School Insights That Still Matter

by Angela Kolosky

ACHA, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Healthcare Planning Market Leader

“It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It’s also a very clear path to happiness.”

I love this quote by Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg. Not everyone finds their passion in life. I am one of the fortunate ones who did, in graduate school, 10 years ago. The place was Carnegie Mellon University. The passion was for healthcare architecture.

My diploma didn’t say that exactly, but my freshly minted Master of Science in Building Performance and Diagnostics degree in 2014 opened the door for a career I truly love. Now that I’ve hit a decade in this field, I’ve been reflecting on lessons I learned then and how they remain applicable today. And how they’ve brought me, as Sandberg says, personal and professional happiness.

When I started my graduate thesis, I wanted to create a handbook for ambulatory infusion centers that demonstrated how their design decisions affect patient and staff outcomes. The study combined systemic review with patient and staff surveys about what they did and didn’t like about their spaces.

Despite studying in Pittsburgh, it was two Columbus-based healthcare leaders that helped make my research real. My hometown institutions of OhioHealth and The Ohio State University were gracious in allowing me to survey patients and staff in each of their ambulatory infusion centers. (Since joining DesignGroup, I’ve been honored to continue working with each of these leading systems.)

Looking back, I realized that what I wrote in that thesis remains true today, and is applicable in healthcare design far beyond just the ambulatory infusion center.

View from the interior of an infusion center at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. — For her graduate thesis, Angela surveyed patients and staff at local ambulatory infusion centers, much like our recently completed James Outpatient Care project at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

1. Visibility is King (or Queen)

Both staff and patients surveyed were surprisingly tolerant of the design of their spaces until it came to the desire for visibility. For patients, that meant a pleasant view from their room of the outdoors…or at the very least a window. For staff, however, they wanted the opposite: a better view of the patients. This was most notable in infusion centers, where reactions are seen before they are heard.

Does a patient’s color look slightly off? Are they fidgeting more than normal? Cues like these allow staff to quickly assess the patient — but only if they can see them easily. And ironically, these two views sometimes conflict with each other. Facing a patient toward the window can mean their back is to the staff. Finding a way to marry the two ideas can mean better satisfaction for both. For instance, designing a room to orient patients in parallel with the windows means staff can still see their faces, but still allows the patient to see out the window – and potentially make amenities, such as TVs, easier to access.

This is a timeless goal in healthcare. Visibility allows staff to perform their jobs more effectively and deliver high-quality care while reducing one of the major stressors that can lead to burnout. And for patients, it can affect their experience of care and even improve their health outcomes.

2. Holistic IEQ Matters

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) looks at everything that can impact the space contained within the walls of our buildings. Light, glare, temperature, sound, colors, scents, airborne particulates – it’s fascinating to discover what all is there after you spend time roaming them with IEQ sensors (or “robots,” as we used to call them in grad school…that’s what they looked like!). I think of IEQ in two ways: the more subjective parts (such as the visual and audial perception of the space) and the more easily measured components (such as decibels, light levels, and particulate counts). The two, though, must be accounted for hand in hand.

For instance, color palettes are hugely impactful to patient and staff mood, but their perception can be altered by the more “technical” parts of the space. Are they being designed in coordination? Or does a cool draft from a supply vent when a patient is sitting near cool blues and greys make them feel even colder? Does a busy design element combined with machine beeps and alarms create visual and acoustic clutter that elevates staff stress? Windows are great, but without appropriate daylight management, glare can cause issues for both patients and staff trying to use those spaces. All these considerations matter.

Spending the time to coordinate how patients and staff experience their space beyond the the basic function of the room, with all the various technical and design components, can go a long way in helping the space inspire hope and support whole-health goals.

3. Engagement Holds the Answers

Successful design depends on talking to everyone who uses the space. They can tell you what’s working and what isn’t. They know every workaround. It’s not difficult to glean areas for improvement — the key is simply asking thoughtful questions. In fact, it was more than questions; the nurses were very eager to participate and be heard. Chatting with them before patients arrived led to incredibly open dialogue and revealed so much.

I will never forget talking to a nursing staff and hearing how nervous it made them when they couldn’t see their patients’ faces directly when walking by, for fear of missing early warning signs. It’s a reminder to ask the “little” questions about their day-to-day interactions. Even today, when I ask staff where they go for respite, it’s often the same answer: a bathroom stall, despite the facility providing respite rooms. Probing deeper, we found that staff won’t use respite spaces off unit for fear of being too far from their patients. Or the rooms are being used for some other purpose.

By their nature, hospitals can be chaotic and messy and imperfect, the result of very smart, hard-working people adapting to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. As architects, our job is to be astute listeners and to transform what we hear into something special for everyone occupying these spaces. While my thesis was originally intended to connect the dots between things like poor lighting => eye strain => frequent headaches => staff sick days, the lesson I really learned was how listening and engaging can lead to better outcomes for all who use our buildings.

Architects around a table collaborating on plans. — An unexpected outcome of Angela's thesis was a lesson in engagement that still holds true for every project she touches.

These philosophies in healthcare design may not have changed dramatically in the 10 years since I graduated, but our ability to execute better spaces for patients and staff has. New technologies and coordination mean we can be more targeted in how we design spaces to ensure that patients and staff don’t just come to hospitals to get better, but to thrive.

Angela Kolosky

ACHA, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Healthcare Planning Market Leader

More about Angela

Healthcare

The Advisory Board: DesignGroup’s Direct Connection to Healthcare Leaders

This year, we held two events – one in Columbus, the other in Pittsburgh. Here are wrap ups and key takeaways from each.

Columbus

The Advisory Board event held in Columbus focused on the general state of healthcare in the United States. DesignGroup hosted Ford Koles from the Advisory Board, their leading speaker and economist for the State of the Industry.

DesignGroup's Kristina Bertocchi presenting on how architecture plays a role in the stigma of Substance Use Disorder Care

DesignGroup staff also contributed talks, including:

Producing the Right Design Idea: It's All About Process, by Char Hawkins, Senior Interior Designer
Challenging the Architecture of Stigma: Visibility of Substance Use Disorder Care Centers, by Kristina Bertocchi, Project Architect
School Based Health Clinic: Whole Child Wellness, by Jocelyn Krosky, Project Manager
The Digital Front Door, by Amy Nuzum, Project Manager, and Chris Haedt, Columbus Healthcare Practice Group Leader

Chris Haedt and Amy Nuzum discuss Healthcare's Digital Front Door during a presentation. — Chris Haedt and Amy Nuzum discuss Healthcare's Digital Front Door

Key takeaways:

Don't over correct for the now and hinder your future. Since the start of the pandemic, long-standing issues in the healthcare industry came to a breaking point. Healthcare institutions have had to make hard decisions to respond to immediate challenges. Yet they need to be mindful that long-term trends remain, and must make sure they aren't over investing in areas that demand short-term solutions.
Virtual care needs a streamlined front door. While virtual visits have fallen back to their pre-pandemic volumes (except for behavioral health visits), systems have an advantage to beef up their technology and how they interact with patients beyond just the care visit. Multi-channel approaches can leave consumers feeling frustrated, and with the rise of healthcare disrupters like Amazon and their seamless integration with consumers' lives, healthcare institutions and insurers need to take steps toward a more comprehensive digital offering for their patients.
Architecture must consider healthcare stigmas. A positive trend coming out of the pandemic is the increased focus on behavioral health and substance abuse. While the healthcare industry and the public are working to destigmatize care, there is a lot that architecture can do to help minimize stigma as well. Are buildings front and center, not hidden away? Are they bright and welcoming environments? Are they on an equal footing to other care being delivered?

Pittsburgh

DesignGroup hosted Yemi Zewdu Yimer from the Advisory Board, who brought expertise in cardiovascular (CV) programs, structural heart, ambulatory network strategy, and health equity. In this virtual discussion, we provided an overview of the key market forces impacting the cardiovascular landscape, providers, and patient care. We examined imminent decision points with the power to shape the future of the cardiovascular service line as we emerge from the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. And we discussed implications for the CV service line strategy and stakeholders across the industry.

DesignGroup staff contributed:

Rooms with Heart: Designing the Cardiovascular Patient Room, by Chris Haedt, Columbus Healthcare Practice Group Leader
Establishing a Sub-Brand Within a Brand, by Nicole DeFazio, Interior Designer

Key takeaways:

There is a shift to the ambulatory setting. There are various factors leading cardiovascular volume growth. A shift to the ambulatory setting and challenges associated to this change in our region will lead to regulatory changes.
There are lasting ripple effects of the pandemic on CV care. Including demand/supply imbalance, care delivery shifts and service prioritization, and addressing the demands on a shrinking staff base.
AI will impact the CV setting. There are opportunities to leveraging automation to effectively improve staff efficiency, help employees value their place of work, and advance system goals.
Cardiac patients have their own set of unique needs that should be considered. This was highlighted through various aspects such as the growth of an ambulatory cardiac network, right-sizing of the procedural and patient care spaces, and innovative technologies like holographic imagery, augmented in-room reality, and alternative care approaches that have the potential to revolutionize cardiac patient care.
It is important to create sub-brands within a larger healthcare system. The significance of establishing micro sub-brands within a larger healthcare system is to ensure seamless integration of service lines while preserving their unique identities, showcasing real project examples that illustrated how interior concepts can be utilized to create a cohesive patient experience encompassing the welcoming sequence, intuitive wayfinding themes, and the integration of key interior moments for brief respite and positive interaction with the built environment.

About Our Special Guests

Bradford (Ford) Koles, Jr. is one of Advisory Board’s preeminent thought leaders in the area of health system economics and strategy, and is the keynote speaker at the annual meetings for Advisory Board’s strategy membership. Ford is a healthcare economist by training and has participated in every major Advisory Board research initiative since 1992. He is well-versed in health care history and the many reform initiatives we have lived through in the past three decades: coverage expansion; vertical integration and physician partnership models; managed care and payer contracting; horizontal integration and system economies of scale; and quality-based payment. Prior to joining Advisory Board, he was a management consultant for the Hay Group and Ernst & Young. Ford received his BA from Kenyon College, and his MA in Economics from John Hopkins University.

Yemi Zewdu Yimer is a researcher and presenter of cardiovascular research, bringing content to health systems and life science organizations across the country. During her tenure at Advisory Board, she’s developed an expertise in cardiovascular program development and service line strategy and she is an expert at synthesizing meaningful takeaways using Advisory Board's wealth of tools and resources. She graduated from William & Mary with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Public Health, and she has a passion for promoting patient-centric and data-driven care.

Next Steps

In all, the half-day events provided insights and information that keep DesignGroup on the forefront of healthcare facility design. We’re proud to be an active member of an organization focused on the state of the industry and its future.

To learn more about our healthcare capabilities, or to dive deeper into any of the topics we covered in the Advisory Board events, please contact Jennifer Horvath at jhorvath@designgroup.us.com or 614-255-2265.

Healthcare

Unsung Heroes: The Insights of Non-Clinical Staff

by Angela Kolosky

ACHA, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Healthcare Planning Market Leader

I recently spent time with a family member in the hospital. I was impressed with the doctors and nurses who provided excellent clinical care. But the people I remember the most are the environmental services techs who diligently tended to the room each day. Always with a smile, they would quietly enter the space, ensure all areas were orderly and clean, check that everything was going okay, and efficiently move on to the next room.

Treatment room at Washington Hospital. — Daily room cleanings are critical to ensure patient safety, especially at Washington Hospital's inpatient units

When you think about the “money makers” in a hospital, departments like surgery come to mind first. Practicalities are paramount in these spaces: do they have enough storage, supplies, and so on. But so much of surgery room performance is driven by people who aren’t the surgeons and nurses. They’re the ones who resolve how quickly a room can be cleaned and turned over. The ones who process used instruments, move supplies to sterile storage rooms, and keep the systems running optimally. The people who pick up trash and launder scrubs.

Sterile Processing Department at SOMC. — Processing time of instruments is crucial to surgical throughput at SOMC's Sterile Processing Department

Heroes of the hospital

I call these people the unsung heroes of the hospital – the departments most patients and visitors don’t immediately think of, such as environmental services, facilities, materials management, nutrition services, sterile processing, laboratory services, and all the other staff in a busy healthcare environment. The ones helping it hum without interruption.

Their input on the operations of a hospital is a critical aspect of successful design. Whenever I get a chance to engage with these experts, I’m reminded of how much they influence workflow. What they perceive as day-to-day efficiency can influence design throughout the facility, like placing linen hampers and cabinets near the entrance of a patient room, so they can empty and resupply with minimal disruption to the patient. Small moments like this can have huge impacts on the satisfaction of patients and staff – and can be missed if we don’t include their voices early on in a project.

Big projects, big impact

Without this input on large projects or new tower additions, support service spaces can easily be underestimated and undersized. These spaces are just as dependent on patient volumes as are operating rooms and inpatient beds. Early discussions about how these areas can be right sized for future growth and appropriate placement (it’s never fun to relocate landlocked operations, like nutrition services) will save the project time and money when coordinated early.

Whenever we start a project, we bring these varied groups together to leverage all they know about supporting patient and staff safety, reducing waste and steps, and creating higher-performing spaces. One example: Our in-place renovation of Allegheny General Hospital’s new Level 1 Trauma center. Engagement from stakeholders across the facility was crucial for project success, both during construction and implementation.

At the beginning of the project, stakeholders were asked to look for success within their own services as well as their counterparts. This led to rethinking the structure of staff stations to support visibility and collaboration amongst all team members as well as strategic locations of support rooms to allow the ED to flex during various volumes without isolating support staff or creating long walks.

There’s a saying I like: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with a team.” Designing a hospital requires the input of all its team members, especially from the support services who keep the place running every day.

Angela Kolosky

ACHA, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Healthcare Planning Market Leader

More about Angela

DesignGroup Managing Principal Elliott Bonnie Retires

Genuine collaboration between architects can be unpredictable because individuals bring different perspectives and intentions to the process. When it works well, it is such a joy. I have never met a better collaborator than Elliott. There was never a doubt that his concerns were our concerns, and that his perspective was in synch with ours. I will greatly miss such a joyful collaborator, but Elliott will remain a dear friend. We wish him all the best for this new chapter in his life.

Jerry Johnson Principal, Perkins&Will

Every new year brings change. Some years that change is more personal than others. As we begin 2023, we extend gratitude and a fond farewell to DesignGroup Managing Principal Elliott Bonnie, who formally retired December 31. Elliott joined DesignGroup in 1990 and in his 32 years with the firm, it’s hard to state how important his contributions have been – as a designer, leader, and friend.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Elliott a renaissance man. Or, at least, a man of many interests. Growing up, Elliott loved to build things. He also enjoyed math and physics, and in high school developed skills in drawing and sculpture. Architecture was a natural fit – but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion. His parents were in the saddle horse industry, and he could ride at a very early age. Elliott was active in 4-H in grade school, and went on to show horses in major shows throughout the midwest. He was even a skilled jumper and played on his school’s varsity polo team.

Elliott collaborating with Healthcare Columbus Practice Leader and Designer, Chris Haedt.

But architecture was his true calling, and he credits early mentors and current peers alike for informing and inspiring his career. As our Healthcare Studio Leader, he oversaw design and planning of countless projects in pursuit of one of DesignGroup’s core values: empowering healthy communities. His work received wide recognition and awards from clients and peers alike.

He’s most proud of his work on The Ohio State University Ross Heart Hospital, which in many ways summed up what defines DesignGroup work at its best: A talented DG team collaborating with skilled partners and an engaged client on a challenging, ground-breaking program. “It was a brand-new, free-standing hospital, right in the center of their healthcare campus,” Elliott said recently. “We redid roads and traffic patterns, created a quad, and built a massive garage. It transformed the campus, and led to a higher level of projects with Ohio State.” It also helped put DesignGroup in the company of much larger national and international firms.

Exterior view in the evening of the The Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. — The Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

“I have never encountered a better collaborator than Elliott, and it was such a joy to work with him,” said Jerry Johnson, Principal with Perkins&Will. “Over the years, Elliott became such a good friend to me and our firm. I sought his advice and always tried to listen to what he had to offer because what he had to share was clearly valuable.”

Elliott consistently lived up to his personal creed, “Be true to your family, your friends, and your work.” In every project, Elliott pushed to achieve a higher level of design that addressed both the aesthetic and functional needs, carefully balancing ambition with the realities of stakeholders, budgets, and timelines.

“Elliott played in a rock band in college and maintained a life-long love of music,” said DesignGroup CEO Sherm Moreland. “His band analogies to business, creativity, teamwork, and leadership have become part of the DG fabric. I’m so grateful I was able to ‘share the stage’ with Elliott since I joined the firm.” Elliott continues to play guitar, bass and piano, and performed at more than one DesignGroup party over the years.

Band poster for Elliott's group, Mudshark. Elliott is on the far left. — Band poster for Elliott's group, Mudshark. He is on the far left.

“I always looked forward to meetings with Elliott,” said David Boome, a former client and system director with Norton Healthcare. “I knew we’d discuss my two favorite topics: the architectural planning/design solution he was working on, and music. Specifically, not-so-well-known bands from the mid-to-late 70’s. Elliott is an expert on both!”

“I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of collaborating on many, many projects with Elliott since 1985,” said Brian Kinzelman, Principal with MKSK. “We’ve produced some amazing design solutions together and have had much fun and professional satisfaction in the process. His design sensibilities, his commitment to client service, and his willingness to work with others really set him apart from most other practitioners. He’s been a great professional partner but a better friend.”

Elliott and his wife Martha, center, with their two children and their spouses. — Elliott and his wife Martha, center, with their two children and their spouses

Outside work, Elliott loves spending time with his wife, two children, and two grandchildren. And playing golf. And perfecting his yard. Like we said, many interests. “Everyone at DesignGroup thanks Elliott for his creativity, humanity, and vision,” added Sherm. “Congrats on retirement – it’s well earned. Enjoy!”

Five Years and Counting: DesignGroup Pittsburgh Celebrates a Milestone

In 2017, DesignGroup knew it wanted to open a second location to extend its geographic reach and offer new opportunities for staff and leadership. The question was, where?

Managing Partner Jennifer Horvath was tasked with doing the groundwork: Identifying possible markets, gauging business potential, and searching for people to lead the new location. Going into the search, she knew finding the right person could be key to determining the place. “It was important to have someone local lead the office,” Jennifer says. “Someone who knew the community and was working in it, so the growth could be organic.”

Selfie of the Pittsburgh DesignGroup team.

When she met with Tom Chidlow at a Wheeling diner, she knew she’d found both. DesignGroup’s new office was formally opened in March of 2017. Starting with a core team of Project Architect Anastasia Markiw and Associate PrincipalJohn Ryan (the “OG”) and several key staff members, the Pittsburgh office grew to a staff of 13. It has doubled its original footprint, and Tom was named Managing Partner for the firm in 2021.

Located at Nova Place on the North Shore (close to the city’s famed Steelers and Pirates stadiums), the office’s open, collaborative workspace is in close proximity to several clients, including Allegheny Health Network, UPMC, the University of Pittsburgh, and others.

Medical equipment at the Allegheny Health Network, West Penn Hospital CT Renovation. — Allegheny Health Network, West Penn Hospital CT Renovation

“Tom has done an amazing job building and managing our business in Pittsburgh,” says DesignGroup CEO Sherm Moreland. “It’s beyond where we thought it could be in five years. Managing that kind of growth during a pandemic is nothing short of remarkable.”

The key to this rapid success? “It’s twofold,” says Jennifer. “First, client service is Tom’s major strength. He has a quiet, steady hand on the wheel, and he’s so good at knowing the details of a project and making sure resources are being used at the highest possible level for the client.” The second reason: he cares deeply about Pittsburgh. “Tom is a local pillar, in both architecture circles and the community,” adds Jennifer. “He is embedded in this city.”

Room at University of Pittsburgh as part of the IT Office Renovation. — University of Pittsburgh, IT Office Renovation

Among other projects, the Pittsburgh team is currently working on an ambitious renovation of the University of Pittsburgh’s main IT administrative complex. Located in the heart of campus, the historic building is being updated to meet the needs of modern technology workers. Other ongoing clients include Washington Health System, Penn Highlands, Indiana Regional Medical Center, and Butler Health System.

As the Pittsburgh office reaches this milestone, DesignGroup congratulates Tom and the team for their dedication, creativity, and success. We can’t wait to see what comes next.

Bringing Diversity to Our Profession, One Firm at a Time

by Parva Markiw

AIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED Green Associate

Project Architect

For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be an architect. So when I moved with my parents from Iran to the United States at age 14, I knew what I wanted to study. I could not wait to go to architecture school. My choice: Kent State University.

As diverse as my alma mater was, I was surprised to see and feel the absence of minorities in the architecture program. I was one of the few people of color. I saw the same demographics in my first internship in Cleveland. It gave me little hope for entering a diverse workplace after graduation.

Members of Kent State University's Architecture class of 2013 at a reunion. — Kent State University Architecture Class of 2013 Reunion

Once school was over, I moved to Pittsburgh. As I searched for my first job, I was reluctant to fully embrace my true self. As a brown person and first-generation college graduate, I knew I had to pave my own path in this industry. That meant blending in as much as I could. In my first job, I avoided calling any attention to the differences that set me apart from my white counterparts — like celebrating different holidays, speaking a different language, and eating different food. On paper it felt important to convey my background, but when it came to interviews and work, I instead tried to put people at ease by stifling the things that made me unique.

During my first few years in Pittsburgh, I knew I needed to grow my network, so I searched for events for young professionals. When I found the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), and learned about its mission, it was clearly a great organization for me to join. But I didn’t. I had just started working and was focused on proving to myself and everyone around me that I was no different from anyone else. Joining NOMA so early in my career, I thought, meant I would emphasize my uniqueness — the opposite of what I felt I needed to do. I denied myself this opportunity for connection and growth.

In truth, it took me some time to define what I wanted to focus on in my career. I also waited four years to join AIA. Yet it was the AIA Foundation’s Leadership Institute that opened my mind about our roles and responsibilities as architects in our community. I joined AIA Pennsylvania’s Emerging Professional Committee (EPiC) in 2020, and in the last two years I’ve served as its chair. That was the experience I needed to grow as a leader in my personal and professional life. It allowed me to focus on EDI issues in our community and to more openly express my culture and traditions. I became more comfortable in my work environment and saw an opportunity to help my coworkers see design and engagement from a new perspective.

Memebers of AIA Pennsylvania’s Emerging Professional Committee (EPiC) on a Zoom video call. — AIA Pennsylvania EPiC Committee Meeting

A Welcoming New Home

Seeing more underrepresented groups in architecture continued to fuel my involvement in AIA, the EDI committee, and other organizations and summer programs. So when I started seeking new work opportunities last year, it’s no surprise that company culture was very important in my search. How would I be perceived there? Would my desire for change be embraced? I had to make sure my new employer would not only see me as a good addition to the team, but also support my involvement with outside organizations and be open to my personal initiatives.

All those things came together last July, when I accepted an offer to join DesignGroup. The main reason I joined this firm? Its culture and environment! Company leadership and coworkers alike encourage me to be my full self through mentorship, support, and encouragement (and monetary support) to engage with AIA and NOMA, and attend programs like the National Intercultural Leadership Program. Today I feel more confident and reassured knowing that what I bring to this environment is valued. It’s more than being comfortable enough to be myself — I now feel keeping any of myself hidden would be a disservice to my colleagues, our clients, and projects I work on. Being authentic is essential.

In just my first year, I’ve been working to start an EDI committee in our office. And eight years after my graduation, I finally felt comfortable enough to join NOMA. It took me this long to finally fully embrace my heritage be my whole self at work. It truly feels like a pivotal moment in my career.

NOMA members at YAFFapalooza. — NOMA members at YAFFapalooza

Looking Ahead

Culture, environment, and, most important, leadership make a huge difference in how you show up to work. I’ve seen first-hand that when diversity and differences are celebrated, it gives people more confidence to ask questions, make suggestions, and engage more deeply in projects. I have faith that, in the future, we’ll see even more under-represented people in architecture firms, which will result in new and better, more holistic designs. I look forward to continuing my involvement with AIA EPiC, AIA EDI, NOMA, and specific programs focused on diversifying our industry. I’m thrilled to see programs like NOMA’s Project Pipeline, and University of Pittsburgh’s Experiencing Architecture Program, make our profession more accessible. So people like me can feel fully accepted, valued, and engaged in decision making.

Parva Markiw

AIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED Green Associate

Project Architect

More about Parva

Children running against the facade of the Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy

Education

Columbus City Schools

Tracy VanNiel

FCSI, CCS

Specifications Manager

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