Firm Overview

Established in San Francisco in 1963, KMD has combined research, innovative design, and creative vision to stake its place as one of the largest architecture firms in the world (Ranked #13 Largest Design firm in the World in the 2010 Building Design + Construction Top 300 Design Giants). KMD is an employee owned Private Corporation and has employed an average of 200 staff for the past 10 years. Our work is as diverse as the locations in which it can be found. KMD designs have been built in over 30 states and 20 countries around the world, such as France, Japan, China, Malaysia, Korea, England, and Mexico among many others. In the past two decades alone KMD has won over 200 design awards and international design competition, including over 40 awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

KMD’s designs serve clients in the worlds of, commercial, retail, healthcare, government/civic, corrections, academia, corporate offices, residential and hospitality.

Roy Latka

C.E.O. & President

As President, Mr. Latka oversees financial, contractual, and administrative issues for all KMD projects. In addition, Mr. Latka is principal-in-charge of KMD’s international operations with offices in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, Seoul and Shanghai. Mr. Latka joined the firm in 1968 and spearheaded the design and programming for numerous institutional clients. Representative projects undertaken with Mr. Latka as designer or managing principal include the Oakland Federal Building, Sacramento’s City Library, and the California Medical Center in Los Angeles.

James Mueller

Chairman of the Board

Jim is responsible and supervises all phases of development and service for the justice department, including needs assessments/studies, environmental impact statements, design conceptualization and development and construction phase activities. Under his leadership, KMD Justice has been ranked in the Top Ten Criminal Justice Design firms and has been the recipient of multiple design awards, including the AIA Justice Facilities Review.

As a member of KMD’s Board of Directors, Jim has been instrumental in continuing KMD’s philosophy of innovation and operational excellence, both through design and the development of firmwide resource management and marketing strategy.

Ryan Stevens

Director of Design

Ryan Stevens is responsible for formulation of concepts and completion of design for a variety of projects in North America, Europe, and throughout Asia. Mr. Steven’s 12 years of experience working on several high profile projects includes two Sun Microsystems campuses (Newark, CA), General Motors (Warren, MI), Two Rodeo Drive (Beverly Hills, CA) and Nagoya International Design Center (Nagoya, Japan). His work is frequently published and exhibited, and has been recognized through numerous design awards including AIA Golden Nugget Award, California Chapter.

Jim Diaz

Founder, Healthcare Principal

Jim Diaz is best known for his achievements and contributions to healthcare architecture and planning. On the basis of excellence in design and the many healthcare facilities research studies, Jim was elected to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects and the American College of Healthcare Architecture. He chaired numerous AIA healthcare committees, including the Academy on Architecture for Health, as well as its subcommittees on Design, Programming and Post-Occupancy Evaluation. Within the profession at large Jim represented the AIA at the Pan American Federation of Associations of Architects for 15 years and served as its first Vice President from 1996 to 2000.

Juan Diego Perez-Vargas

Secretary, Principal

As a Principal at KMD, Mr. Perez Vargas provides overall design leadership for many of the firm’s projects.  Under his direction, the firm has developed an international reputation for excellence and innovation in building design.

Herbert McLaughlin

Founder

Herbert McLaughlin founded KMD in 1963 with Ellis Kaplan on a grant from the NIH (National Institute for Health). He served as the Director of Design for many years, and KMD has won over 100 design awards under his direction, including 35 AIA awards. Awards include: the Urban Landscape – Toshi Keikan Prize for Achievement for Nadya Park (International Design Center, Nagoya, Japan); the Chicago Athenaeum award for Kookmin Bank Headquarters in Seoul; and five awards by the AIA Committee on Architecture including two with special Citations. The firm has also been recognized for its success in international design competitions. He eagerly shares the stories of KMD projects, mentors up-and-coming designers by participating in KMD’s collaborative design reviews, and enthusiastically supports the leadership transition at KMD.

Leadership

Vern Almon: Principal, Corrections. Portland Office Director
Luis Cardenas: Principal, Mexico Office Director
James R. Diaz: Founding Principal, Healthcare Director
Lari Diaz: Principal, Healthcare
Carlos Fernandez del Valle: Principal, Latin America Hospitality/Residential
Kelly Galloway: Principal, Director of Construction Contract Administration
Chris Griffes: Associate Director of Architecture, Seattle Office Manager
David Hobstetter: Principal, Government / Commercial Director
Sean Huang: Principal, Design Principal
Roy Latka: Principal, President & Chief Executive Office
Robert Matthew: Principal, Healthcare Director
Jim McKenzie: Principal, Los Angeles Office Director
Herbert McLaughlin: Principal, Founder
James Mueller: Chairman of the Board, Justice / Correction Director
Elaine Pavia: Director of Project Management
Juan Diego Perez-Vargas: Principal, Director Hospitality/Residential
Christopher Rubright: Director of Healthcare Planning
Fred Schreck: Director of Information Technology
Anastasios T. Stathopoulos: Principal, Director of Architecture
Ryan Stevens: Principal, Director of Design
Douglas Strout: Principal, Healthcare Director

Office Locations

San Francisco (Headquarters)
Mr. John MacAllister
222 Vallejo Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Tel: 415.398.5191
Fax: 415.394.7158

Los Angeles
Mr. Jim McKenzie
1733 Ocean Avenue
Suite 310
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tel: 310.394.7725
Fax: 310.394.7745

Seattle
Mr. Chris Griffes
901 Fifth Avenue
Suite 3210
Seattle, WA 98164
Tel: 206.467.1004
Fax: 206.467.1023

Portland
Mr. Vern Almon
308 SW First Avenue
Suite 401
Portland, OR 97204
Tel: 503.221.1474
Fax: 503.227.0762

Dallas
Mr. Travis Leissner
3131 McKinney Avenue, Suite 205
Dallas TX, 75204
Tel: 214.422.9896 (office/ mobile)
Fax: 866.263.5544

Mexico
Mr. Carlos Fernandez del Valle
Parque Santa Fe
Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena 1600-1A
Centro de Ciudad Santa Fe
Mexico D.F. 10200
Tel: 011.52.55.5081.1460
Fax: 011.52.55.5081.1475