We're very proud to share that the Fifth Avenue Apartments have been awarded a Chicago Building Congress (CBC) Merit Award in the Residential/Hospitality category. The CBC Merit Awards have celebrated the building industry since 1956 by singling out the outstanding projects in greater Chicagoland built in recent years. Merit Awards are presented for construction in nine categories and are judged on the quality of their distinctive, functional or innovative designs, quality of construction, the impact of the project on the community, and the project's safety record.

Interfaith Housing Development Corporation overcame years of resistance to affordable housing in Maywood, IL, a historically underserved neighborhood outside Chicago to develop the Fifth Avenue Apartments. The building was designed by HED specifically to meet the needs of lower income working families and individuals, including homeless veterans, while meeting aggressive goals for sustainability and wellness.

We're very proud to share that we have once again been named a Best & Brightest Company to Work For in Chicago! This is the Chicago office's 18th consecutive win of this title!

The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® competition identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment. Organizations are assessed based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more. Across the country in the metro areas where we work, HED continues to be ranked among this cohort of companies dedicated to creating a company culture worth working for -- this is in no small part because of our dedicated teams who carry our culture forward. Thank you to everyone who made this award possible!

HED is pleased to welcome Mary Ruppenthal, AIA, LEED AP, DBIA, to the firm as Associate Principal, Sector Leader in the Sacramento office. Mary will focus on Pre K-12 and community education projects and will be supported by HED's extensive technical team of architects, engineers and designers.

HED is proud to be listed once again in the Engineer News Record Top 500 Design Firms ranking.

From safety to service, structural integrity to sustainability, engineers play a vital role in our integrated process, impacting every aspect of design from concept to construction. They’re the ones who keep it standing. Keep it safe. Make it shine. Save time. Energy. Money. And lives.

HED ranks 203 out of 500 in 2022.

HED is pleased to welcome Barbara Crittenden to the firm as Associate, Business Development Manager in the Dallas office, bringing expertise in strategy and business development to the HED team!

In this role, Barbara will collaborate with leadership and national and local design teams to develop and execute effective strategies for solving client challenges in a variety of markets across Dallas-Fort Worth and Texas. Her industry network, knowledge of market trends, and focus on client needs will complement the seasoned team she is joining at HED.

Prior to joining HED, Barbara served as Director of Business Development for Leo A Daly in Dallas, where she was responsible for establishing and nurturing client relationships and strategic partnership.

Barbara’s passion for client service will be integral to HED’s effectiveness toward its mission: Advancing Your World, through the Positive Impact of design, our teams create responsive, innovative, and sustainable design solutions for our clients, the community, and the world.

HED and Gresham Smith are excited to announce that construction is complete on McLaren Greater Lansing, the first facility on McLaren Health Care’s new campus in Lansing, Michigan. Designed in partnership, the nine-story, 517,000-square-foot replacement hospital represents the largest one-time investment in McLaren Health Care history, replacing two existing hospital facilities with one state-of-the-art facility that advances patient care, comfort and convenience.

Designed to meet the needs of residents in Michigan’s capital city, and adjacent to Michigan State University, the new facility includes a Level III Trauma Center/Emergency Department, Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, comprehensive cardiac programs, interventional platform with 20 operating rooms and medical/surgical unit. Intuitive wayfinding, as well as smart planning, help to clearly guide patients, visitors and others to the multitude of services offered.

“From our progressive approach of creating positive user experiences with access to natural light, inspiring environments, and intuitive wayfinding to creating state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms, this greenfield hospital with set a new standard of highly advanced care in Michigan’s capital city,” said Healthcare Vice President Steve Stokes, AIA, CLGB, NCARB. “The Gresham Smith Team is proud of the collaborative work accomplished with our partners at McLaren Health Care.”

With a focus on human experience and patient safety, the hospital’s 240 private patient rooms feature personal temperature controls, expanded in-room entertainment options and large windows with views of the outdoors. A public cafeteria and community hub offers convenience for family members, staff and visitors, while a training center, simulation labs that support medical education, an expanded lounge and sleep rooms, elevate the staff experience. The design team enhanced operational efficiencies by limiting the travel distance between the emergency department and imaging services. McLaren Greater Lansing was designed and planned to have the ability to change course to respond to future situations that may occur with an adaptable and flexible platform of care.

HED is proud to announce that we have merged with award-winning, Dallas-based VAI Architects Incorporated (VAI). This merger combines VAI’s staff with HED’s Dallas office, significantly expanding the local team and leveraging community relationships to create new opportunities across multiple market sectors.

With over 35 years of experience in the greater Dallas-Ft. Worth area, the VAI team has established trust among clients in the community, civic, government, transportation and education sectors by consistently delivering excellence through collaborative design innovation and dedication to client service. HED is proud to continue that tradition of excellence and build upon its market sector expertise with the recently combined Dallas staff.

“Our strategic merger with VAI is a great fit because of our shared commitment to create positive impact for clients and the greater community while providing growth opportunities for our talented staff,” said Peter Devereaux, FAIA, Chairman and CEO of HED. “We are pleased to welcome the VAI team into the HED family and look forward to using our combined strength to explore new opportunities and fulfill our common commitment to ensuring long-term success for our clients.”

To continue to provide the highest level of design excellence and positive impact, HED plans to further expand our Dallas operation with the hiring of additional staff.

HED is known for its aspirational company culture, which emphasizes continual learning and growth. As an award-winning inclusive and integrated practice, HED values diversity in perspectives, experiences, abilities and expertise, and we believe this reputation and culture fits neatly with VAI's values. Our local Dallas office was recently named a Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® for its commitment to excellence in human resources practices and employee enrichment.

“VAI has always been dedicated to client service and committed to the Dallas community, and since our founding, we’ve emphasized learning and collaboration in our company culture — values we share with HED,” said VAI Co-Founder William Vidaud de la Vega. “Those shared values and commitments are strengthened by joining forces through the merger, and we look forward to working as part of the HED team to continue creating positive impact for clients in Dallas and the surrounding area.”

we're very pleased to share that the Belmont Beach Aquatic Center in Long Beach, CA was recently awarded the Coolest Project Design in the Revizto 2021 Collaborators of the Year Awards!

HED is proud to share that the AMLI / 10 West Walnut mixed-use development project has been named the winner of the 2022 Silver Award in the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ) Commercial Real Estate Awards Mixed-Use / Retail Category. Each year LABJ gathers the commercial retail community to nominate and celebrate projects that are creating substantial positive impact for greater Los Angeles.

HED is pleased to announce that Brad Pepperrell has been elevated to the role of Specifications Leader. In this role Brad will lead the spec liaison group to advance HED's specification content development, training, and continuous process improvement in specification development, as well as establishing, developing and maintaining HED's BSD SpecLink Master Specifications, Project Manuals, and processes for both architecture and engineering.