DALLAS – H. Ralph Hawkins, FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP,current chairman, president and CEO, named Dan Noble FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP, his successor as president and CEO, effective January 1, 2014. Noble will serve in this role for HKS, Inc., one of the top six architectural/engineering firms. Hawkins will continue to serve the firm as chairman for the transition.
“This leadership transition has been part of an eight-year plan,” said Hawkins. “When selecting the next president, I looked for someone who reflects our HKS values, has extensive success designing and managing projects, possesses good people skills and demonstrates a level of authentic, servant leadership. My selection of Dan Noble was based on these criteria, and more.”
As president and CEO, Noble’s responsibilities will include directing the 28-office, 1,000-person firm’s administrative, financial, management and strategic planning services. Under his leadership, the firm will continue to be a global leader, providing the highest level of professional design services, technical expertise and business performance to continue to create environments that enhance the human experience.
Noble, a 32-year veteran of the design industry, is a widely recognized international leader in the practice of architecture; a sought-after designer, planner, educator and practitioner both nationally and internationally; and a thought leader on conceptual design, evidence-based design and healing environments.
Noble has collaborated with nationally and internationally prominent architectural, research, strategic and healthcare consulting firms. He has been responsible for more than 125 projects representing more than 30 million square feet, 10,000 beds and over $5 billion in construction cost – working with some of the world’s most prestigious clients such as Emory Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Hadassah Medical Center of Jerusalem, University of Miami, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Sanford Health, RadioShack, Fina and JC Penney. His projects have received multiple awards from associations and publications.
Noble is dedicated to excellence in the architectural industry. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA). He is the immediate past president of the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) and currently sits on the national boards of the ACHA and the AIA/AAH – the only person serving on both boards. Noble has demonstrated leadership on a national level, creating and developing the national AIA/AAH Design Awards as well as developing the AIA Dallas Art by Architects event, which has grown into Architects’ Week including Retrospect and other events.
A writer and speaker, Noble represents HKS speaking worldwide on topics of conceptual and evidence-based design, innovation and the direction the design and construction industry is heading. He lectures throughout the U.S. and has published numerous articles on many additional design-related issues. In addition, he participates on national and local design award juries and contributes as a guest critic and lecturer with many universities.
He also is a devoted community advocate. He helped develop the HKS Design Fellowship, HKS Green Week and other community initiatives. He currently is working with The University of Texas at Arlington to provide a collaborative architectural studio in the firm’s Dallas headquarters.
Noble joined HKS in 1983. Beginning as an intern architect, he moved up the ranks through the commercial and healthcare design studios. In 2001, he was elected a principal and shareholder. In 2009, he was elected to the HKS Executive Committee. He served as the director of design for the entire firm from 2001 through 2013.
“His leadership as director of design has been exemplary in terms of emphasizing design in our practice,” said Hawkins. “During his tenure, HKS has garnered more AIA design awards than any other design department leader in the history of our firm. In addition, he has actively shaped the firm through his participation on the HKS Executive Committee and Management Council.”
Noble earned a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from North Dakota State University. He was honored by the North Dakota State University Alumni Association with the 2010 Alumni Achievement Award. He and his wife, Ann, have two children and live in Dallas.
Stouffer succeeds Beale as director of healthcare practice
In other news, Craig Beale, FAIA, FACHA, FACHE, has named Jeff Stouffer, AIA, his successor as director of HKS’s healthcare practice, effective January 1, 2014. Beale, who has served as director for the past 12 years, will continue to lead the firm as part of its four-person Executive Committee and oversee its international healthcare practice.
As director of the healthcare practice, Stouffer’s responsibilities include directing group’s administrative, financial, management and strategic planning. Under his leadership, the firm will continue to be aglobal leader in professional healthcare design services, providing the highest level of services, design, technical expertise and business performance to continue to create environments that enhance the human experience.
As the practice leader for academic and pediatric health facilities, Stouffer has been responsible for master planning, programming and design of regional and national projects totaling over $10 billion in construction. By integrating Lean process improvement principles, applied in-house research and lessons learned from past projects our team’s designs maximize the value of our clients’ facility assets, raise patient/staff satisfaction and help improve patient outcomes.
HKS, Inc. is a leading architectural design firm ranked among the top six architectural engineering firms, according to Building Design+Construction magazine. Since its founding in 1939, HKS has completed construction projects totaling more than $75 billion in more than 1,263 cities located in 80 countries. The firm operates from 28 offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.hksinc.com or contact Trish Martineck at tmartineck@hksinc.com.
Related Stories
Green | Nov 13, 2022
NREL report: Using photovoltaic modules with longer lifetimes is a better option than recycling
A new report from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) says PV module lifetime extensions should be prioritized over closed-loop recycling to reduce demand for new materials.
Green | Nov 13, 2022
Global building emissions reached record levels in 2021
Carbon-dioxide emissions from building construction and operations hit an all-time high in 2021, according to the most recent data compiled by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction.
University Buildings | Nov 13, 2022
University of Washington opens mass timber business school building
Founders Hall at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, the first mass timber building at Seattle campus of Univ. of Washington, was recently completed. The 84,800-sf building creates a new hub for community, entrepreneurship, and innovation, according the project’s design architect LMN Architects.
Architects | Nov 10, 2022
What’s new at 173 architecture firms for 2022
More than 295 U.S. architecture and architecture-engineering (AE) firms participated in BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 survey. As part of the Giants survey process, participating firms are asked to describe their most impactful firm innovations and noteworthy company moves in the past 12 months. Here is a collection of the most compelling business and project innovations and business moves from the 2022 Architecture Giants.
Giants 400 | Nov 9, 2022
Top 30 Data Center Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
HDR, Corgan, Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, and Gensler top the ranking of the nation's largest data center architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 8, 2022
Top 110 Sports Facility Architecture and AE Firms for 2022
Populous, HOK, Gensler, and Perkins and Will top the ranking of the nation's largest sports facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Industry Research | Nov 8, 2022
U.S. metros take the lead in decarbonizing their built environments
A new JLL report evaluates the goals and actions of 18 cities.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 8, 2022
6 hotel design trends for 2022-2023
Personalization of the hotel guest experience shapes new construction and renovation, say architects and construction experts in this sector.
Green | Nov 8, 2022
USGBC and IWBI will develop dual certification pathways for LEED and WELL
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) will expand their strategic partnership to develop dual certification pathways for LEED and WELL.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Nov 8, 2022
Renovation work outpaces new construction for first time in two decades
Renovations of older buildings in U.S. cities recently hit a record high as reflected in architecture firm billings, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
