One of Several Key Hires Announced in Multiple Locations & Studios
Taylor Design, an employee-owned architectural design, interior design, planning, and design strategy practice, has added several talented new designers and managers to its growing studios in healthcare and science and technology. Additionally, the firm has named healthcare industry leader Elliott Wortham Director of the new Design Strategy Studio.
“We’ve experienced continued activity in the healthcare market throughout California, and year-over-year growth of our Science and Technology Studio, so we’ve accelerated our strategy of hiring the best talent across all studios and markets,” says Taylor Design President Kevin Hinrichs. “We couldn’t be more impressed with the professional qualifications and personal attributes of the people who have joined us here at Taylor Design. And with the expansion of services offered by our Design Strategy Studio, it’s an exciting time for us.”
As the director of the Design Strategy Studio, Elliott Wortham, MHA, will lead efforts to grow the firm’s service offerings in the areas of strategic planning, design research, and experience design. Prior to joining Taylor Design, Wortham has managed and led innovation and strategy projects in various organizations, including health systems, startups, and non-profits. Among his independent work, Elliott has worked as a Director at Cleveland Clinic and within the Design and Innovation team at Sutter Health. Wortham is based in Taylor Design’s San Francisco office.
“I applaud Taylor Design’s initiative and willingness to seek additional and alternative ways to help their clients succeed,” says Wortham, who holds abachelor’s in Sociology, a master’s in healthcare administration, and has studied design at Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design. “We’re formalizing a valuable service that Taylor Design has performed for its clients for many years, and our goal is to expand its benefits to more projects and healthcare systems. I’m honored to lead this ambitious journey and to be part of this exceptional firm.”
Other recent Taylor Design key hires include:
Jessica Schmitzberger, RA, NCARB, Project Director and Operations Manager, Science + Technology Studio. With over 17 years of experience as a Project Director and Design Manager, Jessica will collaborate with the Science + Technology Studio to develop a strategic plan for the growth and success of the practice. She will manage the Science + Technology Studio operations across the firm.
Eric DeMott, NCARB Senior Project Manager, Healthcare. Eric joins Taylor Design’s Orange County office with more than 30 years’ experience working on healthcare projects ranging from small, specialized facilities to large hospital infrastructure. His portfolio includes major healthcare systems such as UC Irvine, County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He excels at collaboration, including working closely with construction professionals in the field. This has helped Eric develop a keen sense of how healthcare buildings go together, which greatly informs his design and project management abilities.
Arsalan Gharaveis, AIA, Ph.D., NCARB, EDAC, Senior Medical Planner at Taylor Design’s Los Angeles office, will support the firm in the design and planning of a wide variety of healthcare projects across the firm. Most of Arsalan’s work has been concentrated on the integration of healthcare delivery and physical planning based on comprehensive assessments and explorations. As an architect, healthcare planner/designer, educator, and researcher with 15 years of experience, Arsalan’s effort brings together the possibilities of cutting-edge design and programming with considerations of human behavior and environmental psychology to strengthen Taylor Design’s robust evidence-based design and planning practice.
Robyn Bisbee, AIA, NCIDQ, LEED AP, Senior Project Architect, Science + Technology Studio. Working from Taylor Design’s Los Angeles office, her technical skills will bolster our Science + Technology Studio’s ability to continue providing highly technical, efficient and beautiful spaces. Robyn’s meticulous attention to detail and partnership with all project team members is in perfect alignment with Taylor Design’s culture and ethics. Robyn will be collaborating with other team members to improve and streamline our processes and standards. This will, in turn, translate into better and more efficient project delivery for our clients.
Joseph Dasilva, AIA, DBIA, PMP, LEED AP, NCARB, Senior Project Manager. Joseph joins Taylor Design’s San Diego office with over 20 years’ experience focused on the Healthcare, and Science +Technology markets. A licensed Architect in California, Arizona, Colorado, Washington and British Columbia, he has an extensive background in traditional and alternative project delivery methods, including Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Integrated Project Delivery and Construction Management.
About Taylor Design: Taylor Design is an architectural design, interior design, planning, and design strategy practice. The firm has five offices across California and has been honored for the past six years (2018-2023) as the top Architecture firm in the Zweig Group Best Firms to Work For Award competition. Since 1979, Taylor Design has built a national reputation in the healthcare, science + technology, higher education and senior living sectors. Taylor Design works with clients to discover, develop and design solutions for the built environment. Clients include Caltech, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Hoag, Providence, UC Irvine, UC Davis Health, UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, as well as others throughout California.
For more information on the firm, please visit www.WeAreTaylor.com.
The full content of this article is only available to paid subscribers. If you are an active subscriber, please log in. To subscribe, please click here: SUBSCRIBE
