Perspectives

Scott Butler, PE, LEED AP, International Director of S+T

Leading the HDR CUH2A science and technology program, Scott Butler is committed to expanding HDR CUH2A's capabilities in the design and delivery of science facilities, including specialized expertise in nanotechnology and translational research. In addition to a renewed commitment to sustainable design, he has instituted a firm-wide transition from traditional design delivery methods to integrated Building Information Modeling (BIM). His "Centers 4 Innovation" program is designed to keep HDR CUH2A experts abreast of industry trends and encourage knowledge sharing among offices and disciplines. While adding services offered by the S+T program, he is also extending HDR CUH2A's geographic reach into Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Scott is a member of HDR Architecture, Inc.'s executive management team.

Brian Kowalchuk, AIA, LEED AP, Director of Design

For the past 20 years, Brian Kowalchuk has focused his efforts on design for science and technology. Throughout his career, Brian has been inspired by the way science bridges and unites continents and cultures, by both fostering new development and strengthening international ties. He is committed to designing high-performance facilities that support science, increase productivity, and improve scientific output. He feels the architecture itself is of equal importance to functional design, and works to raise the bar on the design of research facilities, taking them to a new level to celebrate the art of discovery. He is dedicated to the design of high-performance facilities across geographic, political and cultural boundaries, and has been instrumental in the development of facilities in the United States, the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Ahmad Soueid, AIA, National Director of Critical Environments

Ahmad Soueid designs the critical environments that advance science and technology with sustainable solutions enabling leading edge research and improving the quality of life. A frequent speaker at international technical conferences, Ahmad is considered a global leader in planning, design and construction of facilities established for research or production at the nanometer scale. With over 20 years of experience in architecture, he focuses on providing creative design solutions for projects in advanced research fields such as nanotechnology, metrology, material sciences, atomic characterization and manipulation, nanofabrication, quantum computing and accelerator physics. He has led design efforts on a prestigious list of nanoscale research projects in both the private and public sectors worldwide.

Rachel Park, Director of Strategic Facilities Planning

Rachel Park is a leading expert in the latest workplace trends, planning processes and programming methodologies, specializing in large-scale site and facility planning projects. She creates strategies to align design and business objectives that improve everyday operations, productivity, efficiency, and the individual's well-being. Rachel has extensive experience in developing personnel, program and space requirements, establishing occupancy criteria and workspace standards, and developing alternative planning strategies. Rachel is a frequent seminar speaker and an active writer, penning numerous articles on strategic facility planning for publications such as the UK Science Park Association, BioExecutive International, and The Journal of Corporate Real Estate.

Jon Crane, AIA, Director of Translational Health Sciences

Jon Crane has over 25 years of laboratory and health care planning and design experience. For the majority of his professional experience he has technically planned and led laboratory projects, and worked with facilities translating scientific discoveries into health care solutions. These projects include clinical facilities, advanced imaging facilities, clean rooms, infectious disease containment laboratories (BSL-3,BSL-3Ag and BSL-4), animal facilities and basic laboratories for cancer, neurosciences, aging, bioengineering and nanoscale sciences. Expert at strategic planning for translational health sciences and biocontainment facilities, Jon has developed processes for planning facilities to take discoveries through the development process into clinical application. He has been involved in the development of national and international laboratory safety guidelines and was responsible for editing the facilities issues in the 4th Edition of CDC/NIH "Biosafety in Microbiologcal and Biomedical Laboratories."

Randy Kray, AIA, Director of High Containment

Randy Kray leads the world's most comprehensive design team for containment facilities. Throughout the industry, Randy is highly regarded for his thorough understanding of the critical science that requires containment as well as for the rigor of his approach. His expertise encompasses strategic planning for safely containing the highest level hazards, including developing regulatory agencies' guidelines and policies for facilities to handle emerging sciences. By combining his understanding of science with his passion for the engineering required to facilitate that science, Randy creates first-of-kind primary containment solutions for aerosol and FACS procedures as well as various imaging technologies. Randy tracks developments in technology and trends in laboratory design for BSL-3, BSL-4 and BSL-3Ag, recognizing that design is a dynamic process that requires customized solutions.

June Hanley, LEED AP, Senior Laboratory Planner

With over 20 years in the field, June has proven to be a leader in designing research and teaching environments to meet both traditional and new pedagogies and evolving methodologies. She is known throughout the science and technology industry for her innovative planning techniques and her ability to facilitate communication among scientists, educators, students, administrators and facility managers. Her intense focus on the laboratory environment, coupled with her communication and consensus-building skills, adds a unique specialty to the design process. June helps her clients visualize a project, working between the macro and micro levels to ensure that once the facility is occupied, the client will be "as happy as they were when they were planning it."

Jack Paul, Senior Lab Planner and Programmer

With over 24 years of experience planning laboratories for teaching, research and manufacturing, Jack Paul is a nationally recognized expert in laboratory planning and programming for the physical sciences and cleanroom users, including research at the nanoscale. When programming facilities, he works closely with the laboratory users to develop detailed and effective designs. By successfully co-locating multiple disciplines, including engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, and computational sciences, Jack is able to produce efficient, flexible laboratory designs that further collaborative transdisciplinary research approaches. His work spans across North America, including projects for higher education and research buildings, nanotechnology research laboratories, microelectronics facilities as well as several prominent Department of Energy labs.

Mike Mottet, LEED AP, Director of Laboratory Planning

Mike Mottet has over 20 years experience in the science and technology marketplace with a strong background in the planning and design of lab animal environments. Having designed over 30 vivarium facilities, he has amassed particular knowledge in vivarium design including insectaries, equipment design and installation, and engineering coordination. When designing for diverse scientific disciplines, Mike's knowledge of current research trends is invaluable. He understands how the design of a vivarium can have a significant impact not only on the lives of the animals within it, but also can impact the people who care for those animals; ensuring equipment and space is sized appropriately for the work load is vital to creating a pleasant work environment.