Loosveldt’s work��spans higher education��and��civic��work��for public and��private clients. An early adopter of alternative delivery methods, she has become a leader in Progressive Design-Build delivery. Her work is grounded in place and focused on creating meaningful benefits for students,��clients��and communities.��

Loosveldt’s��milestone projects include the��,����and the CCC Natural Resources Center of Excellence.��Additional��work includes the����project, Central Washington University’s Multicultural Center and��, which opens this summer.����

Within��Opsis, she has been instrumental in creating opportunities for professional growth and a welcoming, inclusive workplace culture for all staff.��She��has also been an active advocate for sustainability initiatives and a driving force behind the evolution of��firm’s��mentorship program.��

��“We’re��thrilled to welcome Lauren to our principal group. Her ability to connect with clients and AEC partners has already made her an important contributor to the growth of our practice and the evolution of our studio,” shared��Opsis��Principal Paul Kinley��in a statement. “She brings a supportive, collaborative approach to her work, and we are excited to see her continue shaping��Opsis’s��future.”��

The post Opsis Architecture Promotes Lauren Loosveldt to Principal appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Opsis Architecture Promotes Lauren Loosveldt to Principal appeared first on ������Ů.

Transitioning from his previous role as an Architect and Sustainable Design Leader, Hemsath brings expertise in high-performance design to the position. He will guide project teams from early concept through construction, deeply integrating energy performance, carbon reduction, material health, and wellness strategies into all project types. Furthermore, Hemsath will oversee the firm’s complex third-party certification efforts, bringing deep technical leadership to LEED, WELL, Fitwel, Passive House and Living Building Challenge pursuits.

A core focus of his new role will be advancing BVH’s commitment to major industry benchmarks, including the AIA 2030 commitment and the AIA Materials Pledge. By standardizing integration of the AIA framework for design excellence, internal performance modeling protocols and establishing firm-wide QA/QC standards for sustainable design, Hemsath will elevate BVH’s technical delivery and enhance design excellence.

The post Tim Hemsath named Director of Sustainability at BVH Architecture appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Tim Hemsath named Director of Sustainability at BVH Architecture appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Marina Carroll Named Principal, Practice Lead at Ayers Saint Gross appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Marina Carroll Named Principal, Practice Lead at Ayers Saint Gross appeared first on ������Ů.

The post David Zaid Appointed Superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District appeared first on ������Ů.

The post David Zaid Appointed Superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District appeared first on ������Ů.

By Lindsey Coulter��

Higher education construction is entering a period defined by financial pressure, shifting enrollment patterns and rising expectations around sustainability and student experience. Institutions are reevaluating how capital projects support long-term value,��flexibility��and campus identity, while navigating cost volatility and complex stakeholder demands. In this environment, the owner’s��representative��perspective is increasingly critical to project success.����

George Swetz,��Executive Vice President and General Manager��of Skanska Integrated Solutions,��has served in this critical role across multiple high-profile projects and��is well versed in��guiding institutions through these challenges.��Swetz��brings more than four decades of experience across program management,��construction��and real estate to higher education projects, and spoke with ������Ů (SCN)��about��how colleges and universities are prioritizing investments, managing��risk��and aligning capital projects with institutional goals. His perspective as an owner’s representative offers a behind-the-scenes view of decision-making, emphasizing long-term value, stakeholder��alignment��and financial stewardship.��

SCN:��Which types of projects are receiving the most investment today, and why?��

Swetz:��Some of the investments we see today are in projects that support student wellness, institutional��identity��and campus vitality. Facilities like the Brimmer and May School New Recreation & Wellness Center in Newton, Mass., as well as the College of the Holy Cross Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex reflect a growing emphasis on athletics, health, and student wellbeing as core components of the academic experience.����

Cultural and academic investments such as the Williams College Museum of Art have��demonstrated��how institutions are also reinvesting in assets that support teaching, community engagement, and donor interest. In each case, these projects are about strengthening the full campus, not just adding space. As��owner’s��reps, Skanska helps institutions prioritize investments that align their mission, student��impact��and long-term financial stewardship.��

SCN:��How are enrollment trends and evolving academic programs influencing capital planning decisions?��

Swetz:��Fluctuating enrollment and evolving academic priorities are pushing institutions to be more strategic in capital planning. This is where Skanska gets to help translate institutional priorities into capital plans that��remain��resilient as students’ needs and programming evolve. Owners are increasingly tapping us to better understand how they can focus on buildings that can serve multiple functions and adapt over time rather than highly specialized,��single use��spaces. At the College of the Holy Cross Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, the integration of practice facilities, sports medicine, strength��training��and shared meeting spaces reflects that need for multifunctional programming. Similarly, the Williams College Museum of Art supports academic instruction,��research��and public engagement within one flexible cultural facility.����

SCN:��How are institutions structuring partnerships to better manage risk and control costs?��

Swetz:��Institutions are placing greater emphasis on stakeholder engagement. Including faculty, athletics leadership, facilities teams, and administration has become essential to managing the project, but also its reputation.��Owner’s representatives��act as the central liaison, ensuring feedback is translated into clear project direction and risks are addressed early. This approach helps owners��maintain��control while avoiding costly changes or reputational damage.����

SCN:��With continued cost volatility in materials and labor, what strategies are helping institutions��maintain��project budgets?��

Swetz:��Early planning and proactive cost management are critical in today’s uncertain market.��Owner’s��reps��rely��heavily on early cost modeling and tracking during preconstruction. Disciplined��change��management with the general contractor is also key to protecting budgets. The goal is not just to stay on budget today but also to avoid decisions that create financial strain on the customer.����

SCN:��Where are you finding opportunities to achieve long-term operational savings?��

Swetz:��Long-term operational savings are often realized through early design decisions. Investments in efficient mechanical systems, durable materials and programs that are the��appropriate size��can significantly reduce lifecycle costs. The Brimmer and May Recreation & Wellness Center reflects how facilities that are focused on wellness can also be designed for high performance and long-term efficiency. At the Williams College Museum of Art, Skanska is embedding sustainability through Passive House design principles and��additional��strategies that track toward Living Building Challenge certification, setting��a strong foundation��for long-term energy and operational savings. We have a team of dedicated sustainability experts who are supporting this and can help institutions evaluate these types of decisions through a lifecycle lens, not just cost.��

SCN:��How are life-cycle cost analyses influencing material selection and long-term campus planning?��

Swetz:��Lifecycle cost analysis is increasingly central to how institutions evaluate materials and overall projects. Owners��are weighing��long term maintenance and energy performance alongside��initial��construction costs. At the Williams College Museum of Art, this perspective��impacts��decisions around architectural quality and operational efficiency. At the College of the Holy Cross Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, life-cycle evaluation is especially important given the intensity of use in athletics and training spaces.��

Read more in the Higher Education issue of ������Ů.

The post Owner’s Rep George Swetz of Skanska on Navigating Risk, Cost and Change in Higher Ed Construction appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Owner’s Rep George Swetz of Skanska on Navigating Risk, Cost and Change in Higher Ed Construction appeared first on ������Ů.

With��nearly three��decades of experience in education,��Davison’s background includes college and university conduct and threat assessment, middle/high school administration, and student services leadership. She is the owner of Rocky Mountain Consulting, where she works with schools and districts throughout the United States and the United Kingdom on emergency operations planning, threat assessment, crisis communications, reunification, and prevention-focused school safety initiatives.��

Davison��also serves as Associate Director of the National Center for Prevention of Community Violence (NCPCV), supporting initiatives focused on behavior-based school safety, prevention, school climate, and violence prevention strategies.��

The post Wendy Davison Joins National School Safety and Security Services appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Wendy Davison Joins National School Safety and Security Services appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Rafael Murillo Joins Denver Office of NBBJ appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Rafael Murillo Joins Denver Office of NBBJ appeared first on ������Ů.

“On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I want to express our enthusiasm and excitement about the appointment of Chris Augostini as president,” said Robert C. Goddard III, Chair of the Emory University Board of Trustees, in a statement. “Our search generated a significant number of highly qualified candidates, but Chris’s exceptional leadership skills, distinguished record of achievement as executive vice president and COO, along with his deep understanding of Emory’s culture and community, made it clear he is the right leader for Emory,”��

Over the past nine years, Augostini has collaborated extensively with the Board of Trustees, the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors, and the university’s executive, academic,��administrative��and healthcare leaders to help enable Emory’s long-term growth and competitiveness. In his current roles, he oversees all enterprise functions for Emory, which is one of Georgia’s largest and most complex organizations and one of the nation’s top 25 universities.����

“I’m extraordinarily honored and thrilled to be named Emory’s next president,” Augostini said in a statement. “As I look across the higher education��landscape,��I��believe Emory��is positioned better than any other university to meet our current challenges and opportunities.��I look forward to beginning this new chapter in partnership with faculty, the board, students, staff, and the entire Emory community.”��������

Prior to joining Emory, Augostini served for 17 years as��Senior��Vice��President and��Chief��Operating��Officer at Georgetown University. Earlier in his career, he held senior government positions with the city and state of New York. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public policy analysis from the State University of New York at Albany.����

The post Emory University Elevates Christopher L. Augostini to President appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Emory University Elevates Christopher L. Augostini to President appeared first on ������Ů.

The architecture firm ��—��with��offices��in Santa Rosa, Calif.,��and Oakland,��Calif. —��recently advanced��it’s��2030 vision by��establishing��an office in Castle Rock, Colo.��The��nearly 80-person��firm now has three employees in Colorado��supporting��projects across the company and��as they��look to build a strategic pipeline of opportunities in��the region.��Led by Studio Director Joel��Williams,��AIA,��LEED AP, ALEP,��the team also includes��Project��Designers Joseph Puyot and Spencer Robinson.��

Williams joined��QKA in 2020��and��has more than 18 years of experience in education design, from��small classroom renovations to large-scale campus master planning projects. With a leadership��style rooted in collaboration and��communication,��he will build on his established client and��partner relationships to grow QKA’s presence in the Rocky Mountains.����

“This��expansion is a natural extension of our community-minded work in��California and��offers great��opportunities to build our talent pipeline in a��highly desirable��region to live and work,” Williams said.��

Williams, who will also share his insights at the ������٠(SCN)��Design & Construction Symposium��in August, spoke recently with SCN to explain why Colorado is a compelling market for K-12 design, and how architecture can help schools do more with limited resources.��

SCN:��Colorado has seen significant growth and voter support for school bonds. How do you see those market conditions shaping the next generation of school design in the state?��

Williams:��Colorado voters approved��nearly��$6 billion��in new school bond funding in the 2024 election cycle, with��additional��measures��anticipated��on the 2026 ballot. That sustained community investment reflects the same conviction��we’ve��seen across the Bay Area: that well-designed schools are worth funding, and that communities will��back��that commitment at the ballot box.��

The policy landscape is similarly aligned. Evolving energy codes in both states are driving demand for schools that prioritize efficiency, renewable generation, and reduced fossil fuel reliance. Sustainability strategies that were once aspirational—daylighting, natural ventilation, solar generation, stormwater management—are now baseline expectations in both markets. The frontier of the conversation has moved upstream, from operational energy use to the embodied carbon inherent in the materials and processes��required��to build and renovate in the first place.����

The key distinction between the two markets is demographic. California enrollment is��largely stable��or slightly declining, while Colorado’s population growth is driving enrollment increases and expanding housing development across the region. That translates into demand for both new campuses and significant modernization of existing ones.��

SCN:��Many districts are balancing enrollment growth, aging infrastructure, and budget pressure. How can architecture help schools do more with limited resources?��

Williams:��There is no universal answer to the gap between funding and��need��that every public school district faces. Sometimes a creative renovation is the right investment; sometimes demolition and replacement of an aging facility is the better long-term decision. What matters is that the solution fits the place.��

In every case, the goal is the same: buildings that meet today’s needs while��remaining��adaptable, and that incorporate systems district facilities staff can��actually operate��and maintain effectively. Architecture helps schools do more with limited resources when��it’s��rigorous about long-term cost of ownership, not just first cost—and when��it’s��honest about which investments will still be paying dividends in 20 or 30 years.��

SCN:��Colorado districts vary widely—from fast-growing suburban systems to rural communities. How should education design adapt to��very different��local needs rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions?��

Williams:��Every project starts with active listening. Before we reach for a solution, we work to understand what a particular district, campus, and community actually��need. We have decades of experience in school design, but we focus more on bringing that��expertise��to creatively respond to a client’s goals than on telling them what they should think. The best designs respond to the constraints that make a school community and site unique—not necessarily those with the largest footprint or the biggest budgets. Across a state as varied as Colorado, that posture��isn’t��optional;��it’s��the only approach that works.��

SCN:��You bring��nearly��20��years of education design experience. What are the biggest shifts��you’ve��seen in learning environments over that time, and how will those lessons influence your Colorado work?��

Williams:��The biggest shifts��haven’t��been in classroom layout or building configuration;��they’ve��come from the systems, technology, and construction methods that make schools work��over time. As I mentioned previously, this is��apparent��in the shift in priorities��regarding��sustainability strategies. As certain strategies become the baseline, we can move to��focusing��more on concerns like embodied carbon.����

That whole-lifecycle thinking, developed through years of California work, is a direct asset as Colorado districts make long-term infrastructure decisions. Our Colorado presence��isn’t��designed to function as a stand-alone regional office; the vision is a distributed studio model—one firm,��operating��across multiple geographies, carrying the same design standards, technical rigor, and culture that have defined QKA for four decades. For Colorado districts, that means access not just to a local team, but to the full depth of QKA’s institutional knowledge, built project by project, district by district, over 40 years.��

The post Joel Williams on Leading QKA’s New Colorado Office and Taking on a New K-12 Market appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Joel Williams on Leading QKA’s New Colorado Office and Taking on a New K-12 Market appeared first on ������Ů.

“I was drawn to Wells because of its��growth��momentum, industry leadership, and the quality and breadth of solutions delivered to clients,” said Orvis. “The culture and interactions throughout the interview process were a tipping point. I walked away from every conversation believing this was a team where collaboration, trust, and enjoyment in the work truly mattered.”����

Orvis joins Wells with more than eight years of experience in the building-services industry, following earlier leadership roles in large-scale distribution environments. He brings a strong background in industry processes, prioritizing how technology supports execution,��performance��and scalable outcomes.��A graduate��of Bethel University, Orvis holds��degrees��in��business and��marketing. His career also includes unique supply-chain leadership experience, offering firsthand insight into how high-performing organizations��operate��and scale effectively.��

“Rob brings a strong track record of technology leadership within complex organizations, along with the practical experience needed to help scale our business for the future,” said Ryan Stroschein, Chief Corporate Officer at Wells. “As Wells continues to grow, we are investing in innovation to strengthen our operational capabilities. Rob’s leadership is instrumental in advancing our technology strategy.”��

The post Rob Orvis Joins Wells as Chief Technology Officer appeared first on ������Ů.

The post Rob Orvis Joins Wells as Chief Technology Officer appeared first on ������Ů.