JENNIFER KARLS

Bio:

Jennifer is an architect specializing in the design and renovation of healthcare facilities. Her portfolio includes projects ranging from small-scale renovations to large medical campuses. She has led all phases of design and construction, including strategic planning, medical planning, and all phases of documentation.

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How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?

At 10, I moved from a town with historic character to a suburb surrounded by sameness. That year, an architect came to class and asked us to draw beyond what we see, allowing me to express how the built environment affected me. I never looked back.

What do you do?

I am a healthcare architect and planner. I lead medical planning efforts and manage healthcare projects through design, drawings, and construction. Projects range from renovations to new, major medical campuses.

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What excites you in the work you do?

Every day, client and project is different. I may spend days with clients or quietly sketching. While my work has brought me all over the world, I still have many projects in my own backyard. The variety keeps me interested and always learning.

Who or what inspires you professionally?

Over the years, a few “bosses” have become mentors, even into retirement. It inspires me seeing their passion still alive after decades in the profession, and they always inspire me to look at the bigger picture rather than the current speed bump.

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What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

My strong-willed Grandmother stayed in a hospital I had completed the year before. I saw first- hand how the room design, down to the handrails we fought to keep, allowed her to be more independent.

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Featured Project Name: 

Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center

Featured Project Location: 

Omaha, Nebraska

Featured Project Completion Date: 

8/4/2020

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Role in Featured Project: 

Project Architect

Featured Project Description:

Honoring military veterans, Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Clinic is the first VA healthcare facility funded in part by private donations. The architecture symbolizes their acts of gallantry and heroism, and expresses values of freedom, duty and honor. Spaces provide comfort, refuge and reflection. Abundant daylighting streams into the 157,000-sf facility, which features eight primary-care clinics, including a separate clinic for women-veterans. Artworks inside were commissioned from local veterans.

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Photography Credit:

AJ Brown Imaging