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KMD HAS REIMAGINED A NEW PSYCHIATRIC ENVIRONMENT TO BETTER SUPPORT THE CARE PROVIDED BY UCSF-LPPH CLINICIANS.  
November 2023
The acclaimed Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital has relocated and consolidated its 30-bed Inpatient Care Unit, Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs within the top floor of the older, mid-city UCSF Mt. Zion Medical Center.

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KMD IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE ROBERTO VELASCO AS OUR NEWLY ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.
October 2023
Roberto currently serves as Latin America Director and manages KMD’s Mexico City office, and he will continue to provide his valued leadership in these capacities. He will succeed Rob Matthew as the Chairman of the Board of KMD Architects. Rob recently retired from KMD. We are also pleased to announce that Mr. Matthew will continue to be an active part of the firm’s Board of Directors.

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BUILD ARCHITECTURE AWARDS
June 2023
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO We are proud to be recognized for our work in Mexico with a Best International Award for Mixed-Use Architecture & Design Firm 2023 by BUILD magazine. Our recent mixed-use projects include Ceiba Culiacan and Paseo Central Chihuahua. Read our feature here (page 48).


LOBSTERMAN, BUS DRIVER, HOUSEPAINTER, CARPENTER, BOATBUILDER, COAST GUARDSMAN…ARCHITECT.
February 2, 2023
SAN FRANCISCO, CA For the past 20 years, John LeBlanc has played an integral role in some of kmd’s most complicated projects.

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KAISER PERMANENTE’S NEW BERKELEY MEDICAL OFFICES HAVE ACHIEVED LEED SILVER CERTIFICATION FOR ID+C: CI, COMMERCIAL INTERIORS BY KMD ARCHITECTS.
November, 2022
BERKELEY, CA Previously, the core & shell (designed by Multistudio) was certified LEED Gold. KMD’s Tenant Improvements include many green features such as non-toxic construction materials and LED lighting throughout for not only environmental health but also occupant comfort. With the goal to extend primary care services into North Berkeley, Kaiser Permanente identified the 62,175 SF building shell, originally intended for research laboratory tenants. KMD was retained to collaborate with the owner and developer team including the core and shell architect, to repurpose the three-story building to incorporate the healthcare provider’s next generation planning and design concepts for medical offices.

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THE NEW CONTRA COSTA COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING IS DESIGNED TO BE EFFICIENT AND COMMUNITY-FRIENDLY.
September 1, 2022
MARTINEZ, CA Our design for a new county government center blends civic character with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The project included the master planning and strategic phasing of several blocks in downtown Martinez to include parking and civic plazas carefully designed to bring cohesion and better flow to the government district.

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April 14, 2022
SEATTLE, WA Earlier this year, the new KODA—a 17-story, 201-unit condominium highrise in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (C-ID)—won the People’s Choice award from NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Residents at the new kmd designed high rise help to build community by holding fundraising dinners in the building’s spacious lobby for local institutions needing support. Read about this unique community in the NW Asian Weekly and click here to see more images of the project.


“EACH PERSON’S LIFE IS A KALEIDOSCOPE OF EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENRICH ANY ENDEAVOR.”
February 24, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO, CA Charles Parks has been with kmd since 2001 and is a Senior Medical Planner and Programmer with a strong, healthcare focused architecture, design and technical background.

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THIS NEW FACILITY WILL HELP SNOHOMISH COUNTY ADDRESS CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.
February 16, 2022
EVERETT, WA Previously, individuals eligible for treatment were forced to travel across the state, making it difficult for family engagement and education. The only local options for treatment were emergency rooms or jail.

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MARIA IS A REVIT WIZ WITH A PASSION FOR ZEN GARDENING & WOODWORKING.
January 31, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO, CA With a life journey that took her from Vietnam to China to the San Francisco Bay Area, Maria’s skills and personality are an asset to her kmd team.

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KMD’s KEY OBJECTIVE WAS TO ‘KAISERIZE’ A NEW COLD SHELL BUILDING BY INCORPORATING NEXT GENERATION CONCEPTS, ENHANCING MEMBER EXPERIENCE, & IMPROVING EFFICENCY.
November 16, 2021
BERKELEY, CA Late Spring of 2021 saw the opening of Kaiser Permanente’s first Medical Office Building in Berkeley. The new facility, which has a warm, welcoming design, increases options for the many members who live between Oakland and Richmond and will decrease member demand pressures in Oakland.

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KMD’s TEAM DELIVERED A NEW ICU THAT COMBINES THE LATEST IN HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY, COMPASSIONATE DESIGN, AND INCLUSIVE FUNCTIONALITY.
July 15, 2021
KIRKLAND, WA In February 2020, EvergreenHealth Medical Center became the first U.S. hospital to receive Covid-19 patients. At the time, kmd was finalizing Construction Documents for a new 20-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to be built in shelled space occupying the third floor of the hospital’s Silver Tower.

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KMD PLANNERS & HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH STAKEHOLDERS DESIGNED THE FACILITY WITH CLEAR LINES OF SIGHT TO MAINTAIN OPTIMUM SAFETY PROTOCOLS.
June 2021
KANEOHE, HI This Spring, a long-awaited secure facility for court-appointed behavioral health patients completed construction and the staff onboarding process began.

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COMPLETED IN FALL 2020, THIS NEW KMD DESIGNED CIVIC FACILITY HAS RECEIVED OFFICAL LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION.
February 25, 2021
MARTINEZ, CA The New County Administration Building replaced the McBrien Building and is designed to be more efficient and community-friendly. It stands at four stories tall and houses a variety of county departments, along with the Board of Supervisors meeting chamber. Our design blends civic character with a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

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NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT EXPANSION AND RENOVATIONS ARE COMPLETE FOR PHASE 1 AND PHASE 2 FOR MULTICARE’S ALLENMORE HOSPITAL.
October 6, 2020
TACOMA, WA Phase 2 expansions and renovations to the MultiCare Allenmore Emergency Department have been completed and will improve access to care for the Tacoma, Washington community. Some services will be shared between the ED department and the new crisis stabilization unit recently built as part of the new adjacent 120 bed behavioral health hospital (also designed by kmd).

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NEW FACILITY WILL INCLUDE MEDICAL AND DENTAL CLINICS, PHARMACY, CHILDCARE CENTER, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, DEMONSTRATION KITCHEN, COMMUNITY ROOMS AND AREAS TO PRACTICE TRIBAL ARTS.
September 16, 2020
BELLINGHAM, WA Earlier this year we were completing Construction Documents for the new Lummi Nation Wellness Center in Bellingham, Washington when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The tribe took proactive measures and asked kmd to redesign portions of the new facility.

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THE HOSPITAL PROJECT TEAM IS THE FIRST IN LOS ANGELES TO DEPLOY THIS TECHNOLOGY ON AN ACTIVE JOBSITE.
July 10, 2020

LOS ANGELES, CA For our expansion project at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, the contractor, Skanska, is using an electronic tagging system to keep its 150 construction workers six feet apart and issue alerts if workers get too close. The technology mitigates the potential Covid-19 health risks to workers as well as potential schedule delays to the project.

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EPHRATA IS PASSIONATE ABOUT COMMUNITY-ENGAGED DESIGN.
June 16, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO, CA Ephrata Deneke grew up with a cultural ethos of interdependence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is interested in community-engaged design and believes spaces that reflect their environments can be both cultural generators and tools for engagement. Ephrata joined kmd after attaining her Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She donates her time graciously and has volunteered with various community efforts.

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KMD’S HEALTHCARE DESIGN EXPERTS ARE ADVISING CLIENTS ON DESIGN CHANGES TO MEET THE POTENTIAL DEMANDS OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PANDEMICS
June 15, 2020
KIRKLAND, WA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA In February, EvergreenHealth Medical Center was the first U.S. hospital to report a COVID-19 fatality, and subsequently received patients with the virus from the assisted-living facility Life Care Center of Kirkland. In light of the ongoing pandemic and its experience with SARS, EvergreenHealth is in the process of altering the design for a 20-bed critical care unit (CCU). The redesign allows EvergreenHealth to convert 16 traditional patient rooms in the CCU to negative pressure rooms when needed, said Chris Rubright, director of medical planning and a health care principal for kmd. kmd is the architect and interior designer on the CCU, which will be built on a floor that is now shelled space. Garett Buckingham, director of design and construction with EvergreenHealth, said the unit's redesign adds two new exhaust fans, rather than using the hospital's existing system, so Evergreen can make more rooms elsewhere in the hospital negative pressure if needed.

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WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN DELIVERING THE LARGEST GENERAL HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN IN KOREA
June 12, 2020
ILSAN, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA The opening ceremony was held virtually today for the CHA Ilsan Women's & Children's Hospital. An international effort, the project was designed by kmd from the USA, Alessandro Mendini from Italy, and HAEAHN Architecture from Korea.

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VIDEO TOUR


OUR EXPANSION PROJECT FOR CHA HOLLYWOOD PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTER HAS ACHIEVED A SIGNIFICANT CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE.
February 4, 2020

LOS ANGELES, CA With team members, including Skanska and Medical Center staff, we celebrated the Topping Out earlier this month of a project that began in 2016 with the retrofit of two existing buildings, followed by the construction of a new parking garage. The new inpatient tower will be the signature element of the hospital's $400-million upgrade. The five-story building in East Hollywood will house an expanded emergency department, a neonatal intensive care unit, and additional private patient rooms. Completion is scheduled for 2021.

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BUILDINGS CONSUME 40% OF OUR ENERGY & 70% OF OUR ELECTRICITY AND EMIT OVER 1/3 OF US GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS—MORE THAN ANY OTHER SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY.
December 6, 2019
In this time of rising climate consciousness check out ecomedes’ video showing how we utilize their portal to easily specify environmentally preferable products in our design work.


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OPENING OF PHASE I OF MULTICARE ALLENMORE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT EXPANSION
November 20, 2019
TACOMA, WA We celebrated the opening of Phase I of the MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Emergency Department Expansion and improved access to care it will provide for the Tacoma area. The project includes both an internal renovation (700 SF) and expansion (14,738 SF) of MultiCare Allenmore Hospital’s existing Emergency Department. Some services will be shared between the ED department and the recently completed crisis stabilization unit at the new 120 bed Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital (also designed by KMD).

Photos: DCI Engineers/Aaron Yang.

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KMD SUPPORTS FIRST NATIONS & SEATTLE’S DESC
October 25, 2019

SEATTLE, WA Chief Seattle Club members, including KMD staff, attended this morning's DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) Breakfast of Champions. The event celebrates the team that makes DESC's work possible. The DESC provides integrated services including housing, emergency shelter, crisis intervention and healthcare to thousands of homeless and formerly homeless people in Seattle every day. The Chief Seattle Club is dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indian and Alaska Native people.


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KMD HAS DEVELOPED A DESIGN PHILOSOPHY RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN THE DELIVERY OF CARE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES SINCE 1963.
It was then that Ellis Kaplan and Herbert McLaughlin, the founders of the firm collaborated with two psychiatrists to conduct research to be published in the book, “Programming, Planning and Design for the Community Mental Health Center.”

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NEW MARK REED EVALUATION & TREATMENT CENTER (E&T) WILL SERVE LOCAL COMMUNITY
August 14, 2019
McCLEARY, WA This summer we celebrated the ribbon cutting for a new inpatient care facility for individuals experiencing substance abuse or an acute behavioral health crisis. KMD worked with the Great Rivers Behavioral Health Organization and Telecare Corporation to remodel the 1950s era, fire damaged Mark Reed Hospital to serve as a new Evaluation and Treatment Center.

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NEW 17-STORY CONDOMINIUMS FOR SEATTLE’S INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT
March 1, 2019
SEATTLE, WA “Downtown’s residential population has grown by nearly 40 percent since 2010, and with projects like this more people will be able to call downtown home in one of our most vibrant neighborhoods,” said James Sido of the The Downtown Seattle Association. “Condominium production has been lagging in Seattle and increased ownership potential is sorely needed in this market. What’s more, this transit-oriented development will be steps away from King Street Station providing access to one of the city’s major transportation hubs.” Completion is expected in Winter 2020/21.

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NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL
January 19, 2019
TACOMA, WA The need for behavioral health services continues to increase. One in five adults will experience symptoms associated with a diagnosable behavioral health disorder this year. Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital will greatly improve access to adults needing inpatient mental health care and improve bed availability, nearly doubling the average bed capacity per 100,000 residents in this region of Washington State.

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NEW PATIENT CARE TOWER
May 3, 2018
LOS ANGELES, CA The new 174,954 SF acute care services replacement hospital building will replace the existing building at an estimated cost of $291 million. The construction represents the final portion of a three-phase, $350 million campus upgrade, $300 million of which is being funded through a federal government loan and financial institutions in recognition of the fact that this construction project is meaningful toward enhancing the public healthcare needs of the surrounding community.

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SEE RENDERINGS


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CAREER CONVERSATIONS WITH KMD'S OMAR BÁRCENA
March 14, 2018
KMD's Omar Bárcena (second from left) took part in Los Angeles Public Library's Teen 'Scape Career Conversations: Architecture. Also participating were Lizbeth Bárcena and Paul Locke from Gehry Partners. Check out the Podcast to hear their words of wisdom.

LISTEN


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DESIGN-BUILD WIN FOR NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL
February 1, 2018
The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) has awarded a $140 million contract to the Design-Build team of  KMD (Design Architect) and G70 (Hawaii Architect of Record) to be led by Hensel Phelps (Builder), to design and build a new 144-bed forensic psychiatric facility for the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe.

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DESIGN EXCELLENCE HONORABLE MENTION
Art is often an important component of building design. KMD is proud to have received a Design Excellence Honorable Mention for the incorporation of Artwork throughout the new Kaiser Permanente Mission Bay Medical Offices. Murals by Anthony Holdsworth emphasize a particular San Francisco neighborhood theme on each level of the building. Follow the link below and see if you can recognize each San Francisco neighborhood depicted.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN JIM DIAZ
November 13, 2016
ACHA awarded the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award to James R. Diaz, FAIA, FACHA, at the ACHA Annual Luncheon during the Healthcare Design Expo + Conference in Houston on November 13, 2016.

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DESIGN FOR EFFICIENCY IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
August 16, 2016
Achieving operational economy through facility design is the central focus of designing for efficiency in healthcare facilities. The economies can impact building size and shape as well as staff savings. The staff savings are sometimes related to helping nurses spend more time at a patient’s bed side as well as opportunities to reduce the total number of staff needed to operate a hospital.

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RETURNING LEADERSHIP IN SEATTLE
Jason McCleary returns to KMD as a Principal after 10 years. He will be based in our Seattle office developing opportunities in the Pacific Northwest region.

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PATIENT CENTERED CARE  
January 14, 2016
Patient-centered care has become a phrase repeated often as one of the tenets of successful healthcare delivery, and its overuse has led to misuse in its application on efforts to move towards a model of patient-centered care.

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DESIGNING FOR MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (MERS)—
AIRBORNE INFECTIOUS ISOLATION PATIENT FACILITIES: A CASE STUDY  
November 18, 2015
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus first appeared in Saudi Arabia in April 2012, and while found throughout the Arabian Peninsula, 85% of the cases identified have been in Saudi Arabia. Of these, 67% have been in the Al-Ahsa region of the Eastern Province, in which the city of Dammam is located. In addition to MERS, tuberculosis is also not uncommon in the region. The travel in and out of the area by the large population of foreign workers who come to the oil fields of the Eastern Province has the potential to rapidly spread MERS to all parts of the globe.

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