Five Texas A&M College of Architecture former students received the American Institute of Architects’ highest honors May 16 at the AIA’s annual convention in Boston.
They were among 116 new members of the AIA’s College of Fellows honored at investiture ceremonies in Boston’s Old South Church.
Jean Mah, ’71, FAIA, a principal and healthcare planner in Perkins+Will’s Health Design Group, is recognized as a leading expert in the planning and design of complex, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and bringing transformative ideas to a variety of healthcare planning and design projects. An Outstanding Alumna of the Texas A&M College of Architecture, Mah also serves on the college’s Dean’s Advisory Council.
Throughout her 25-year career, she has worked with clients to create “first of its kind” spaces by designing flexible environments that encourage collaboration, accommodate advanced technology, and support leading research to develop cures for the most challenging illnesses.
Among her notable projects are the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, the Johns Hopkins Hospital New Clinical Building in Baltimore, and the new RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago, all recognized as several of the largest, most complex projects being designed and built in the world today.
Gordon Landreth ’67, FAIA, is president of Cotten Landreth Kramer Architects & Associates, Inc. in Corpus Christi. The firm was founded in 1977.
He has served for eight years on the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, the last four as board chairman. Landreth has also served on the AIA’s Continuing Education System committee for four years.
Cotton Landreth Kramer Architects & Associates, Inc. specializes in a wide range of projects, including healthcare, religious, and higher education facilities, office buildings, commercial developments, municipal projects, high-rise and low-rise condominiums, memorials, residential projects and industrial and community buildings.
Edward Huckaby ’73, FAIA, a principal and senior project designer and planner with FKP Architects, Inc., has been involved in the master planning, programming and design of numerous medical center campuses with projects ranging from $20-350 million.
With more than 30 years of architectural experience, Huckaby’s leadership at FKP and specific interest in health care have led to the development of the Texas Health Institute of Houston, the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and the Texas Children’s Hospital.
Huckaby offers pro bono service in the design and development of preschool facilities for children with Down syndrome in Houston and Dallas.
E. James Brinkley ’65 and ’70, FAIA, is a nationally recognized innovator in healthcare architecture with the Seattle office of NBBJ, a firm with offices in 10 cities worldwide. He combines an encyclopedic knowledge of the complexities of hospital design with a commitment to improving the environments of those in pain.
His career has brought design excellence to hospitals, improved healthcare delivery and forged NBBJ into a world leader in health facility design.
NBBJ, founded in 1943 by four Seattle architects, also designs courthouses, arenas, and research facilities.
Nunzio De Santis ’81 and ‘83, FAIA, is the founder of HKS’ hospitality group and executive principal/director of the HKS Hill Glazier Studio. He is recognized as a national and international leader in the practice of hospitality and destination architecture. His expressive designs have enriched lives and exposed many travelers to the sights, sounds, color, and textures of architecture.
De Santis is a familiar face to Texas A&M College of Architecture students, making speaking appearances and participating in studios. In the spring 2008 semester, he asked students to create designs for a hospital/resort in Dubai, and advised them during the design process. Along with other HKS architects, he reviewed their final designs at HKS headquarters in Dallas.
His elite client list includes Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Montage, Mandarin Oriental, St Regis, Rosewood Hotels, W Hotels, Hyatt, Hilton, Disney, Universal Studios, MGM, and One&Only. Today, HKS Hill Glazier Studio is ranked number one in the nation and the world according to World Architecture, Building Design & Construction, and Hospitality Design magazines.
