Interfaith Housing Development Corporation (IHDC) and HED are pleased to announce the completion of its latest housing development, Fifth Avenue Apartments, providing 72 new affordable housing units in the Village of Maywood, a western suburb of Chicago. The development has been made possible thanks to four major financial partners along with an energy efficiency grant from ComEd. These financial partners include the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), the Cook County Department of Planning and Development, the Richman Group Affordable Housing Corporation, and Bank of America. The Chicago Community Loan Fund also provided pre-development lending prior to construction.

Recently HED's Gene McDonald, AIA, LEED Green Assoc., and other Higher Education leaders within Chicago came together for a Bisnow Panel Discussion: “Back to School, Soon: The Future of Chicago Student Housing.”

With almost a year of remote learning, Chicago universities are preparing for the reality of what might be a normal school year in fall 2021. In this panel, the Windy City’s top university experts on short and long-term student housing facilities pointed out operational strategies and development and design trends to help ensure students stay safe in a post-pandemic environment. Gene McDonald breaks down some of the largest talking points below:

Healthcare studio leader, Sharon Woodworth, has been featured on the Healthcare Interior Design podcast. On this episode, Sharon shares her personal and professional life stories that have led her to her current work in healthcare, and what the current face of healthcare architecture looks like from her vantage point.

The episode will be available to listen everywhere podcasts are listened to and at the link below!

HED sector leaders Leonora Georgeoglou and Dan Ringler provide tips on transforming office space to life science labs in this Building Design & Construction thought leadership feature.

Click the link below to learn more!

“Search and rescue robots that can aid first responders in disasters. Drones that can assist inspectors in building safer bridges. Prosthetic limbs that can work with the brain to restore functions for stroke victims. Self-driving cars that can save tens of thousands of lives every year.” – Alec Gallimore, Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan

Those are just a few of the endless possibilities that will be in the works for years to come inside Michigan’s new Ford Motor Company Robotics Building. The four-story building is a $75-million, 134,000 SF complex and is the new hub of the U-M Robotics Institute. HED is proud to have provided Full-Service Architecture, Structural, Mechanical/Plumbing, and Electrical Engineering.

Read more about the new facility in University Business’ feature story below.

HED is pleased to welcome Jeffrey Gaines, AIA, AICP, WELL & LEED AP BD+C, to the firm as Associate Principal, Senior Vice President of Architecture in the Detroit, MI, office. Jeff brings over thirty years of experience leading integrated design teams in the execution of technically sophisticated commercial and institutional projects in a range of markets. In this role, Jeff will direct HED Detroit’s architectural design and planning disciplines and oversee complex multidiscipline design efforts, ensuring quality and leading commitment to the daily practice of HED’s core values of integrated practice, critical thinking, and design excellence.

Prior to joining HED, Jeff acted as the Director of Design, Planning and Sustainability at Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. in Detroit, MI, where he led the architectural and planning discipline teams and oversaw the sustainable design commitment of the office. An energetic advocate and leader in the A/E community, he serves as an active member of the City of Northville Planning and Historic District Commissions, the Detroit Committee on the Environment (COTE), the Michigan Chapter of the American Institute of Certified Planners / American Planning Association, and the Detroit Regional Chapter of the U. S. Green Building Council (where he has served as Chair on the Board of Directors).

Jeff’s command of client-focused leadership and exhaustive experience overseeing technical and creative excellence in the practice of architecture will be integral to HED’s effectiveness toward its mission: Advancing Your World, through the Positive Impact of design, our teams create exceptional solutions for our clients, the community, and the world.

HED was very excited to celebrate the opening of the University of Michigan’s Ford Motor Company Robotics Building this week!

Designed by HED, who worked closely with UM and their partner Ford, this world class robotics facility will accelerate the future of advanced and more equitable robotics and mobility, particularly in Southeast Michigan.

The Building is a four-story, $75 million, 134,000-square-foot complex situated on UM's North Campus. As the new hub of the UM Robotics Institute, its first three floors hold adaptable research labs for robots that fly, walk, roll, and augment the human body—as well as classrooms, offices, collaboration zones and makerspaces. Through an inventive agreement, the fourth floor houses Ford’s first robotics and mobility research lab on a university campus with lab and office spaces for 100 Ford researchers and engineers.

“This is an exceptional project that truly embodies our firm’s mission of creating positive impact for our clients and communities,” says Michael Cooper, HED President and Managing Principal in Detroit. “This facility was the result of deep collaboration to design a space that will push the threshold of engineering and robotics and set a tone nationally for excellence in those fields of study. The partnership between industry and academia that this facility represents is going to creative huge value and impact for U-M students and greater Southeast Michigan, and our team feels incredibly gratified to have been a small part of that.”

Join us in congratulating Melina Aluwi on being named NewSchool’s 2020 Alumni of the Year!

Since graduating from NewSchool with her Master’s in Architecture, Melina Aluwi has continuously given back to the San Diego Community, having served and volunteered for many local professional organizations.

Melina has also served on NewSchool’s Alumni Advisory Board as the Mentorship Committee Chair and Alumni Board President. She founded NewSchool’s Alumni Mentorship Program and was awarded NewSchool Alumni Mentor of the Year.

In her role as Associate Principal and Higher Education Studio Leader for HED’s San Diego office, Melina brings a passion for design, commitment to mentorship, and knowledge sharing that is integral to HED’s culture and growth.

HED is pleased to announce that our San Diego team has been selected by the MiraCosta Community College District (MCCD) to design and construct a new Chemistry and Biotechnology Building on their Oceanside campus. The project, which is to be a design-build partnership between HED and C.W. Driver, will consist of 24,000 sf of new, state-of-the-art STEM instructional space for 21st century learning, including new chemistry labs and 40-person, flexible classrooms. As MCCD’s Biotechnology program continues to expand as its baccalaureate degree comes online, the new building will provide a new, expanded home for the program.

HED is pleased to share that Joseph Raia, AIA, LEED AP, has been promoted to the role of Associate Principal, Architectural Practice Leader in Boston. He brings over 25 years of experience in architectural design and construction leadership to the role, particularly in highly technical and complex project typologies. Joe understands the importance of listening and addressing the issues and goals of many stakeholders while delivering exceptional architectural design clarity, technical acuity, and sustainability, and will leverage these values in his leadership of the Boston practice group.

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture + Planning (SA+P) with a Master of Science in Architectural Studies, Joseph is dedicated to the growth and appreciation of skill within the craft, serving as a Studio Juror for the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and as a speaker and presenter for local and national educational events such as the International District Energy Association conference and Build Boston seminars.

Joseph’s advancement to this role, which reflects his commitment to, and leadership in, HED’s principles of critical thinking and design excellence, will be integral to HED’s continued effectiveness toward our mission: Advancing Your World, through the Positive Impact of design, our teams create exceptional solutions for our clients, the community, and the world.