Team Spotlight: Tim Black
JMA Principal Tim Black grew up as an army brat seeing different parts of the world and the many facets of American culture. His father, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, brought their family on deployments to India, Germany, Virginia, Georgia, Kansas, California, Washington D.C., and Wyoming.
Working at JMA is a full circle experience for Tim as he currently designs medical facilities (domestic and international) for the U.S. military and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was also born in Leavenworth, Kansas- just an hour from JMA’s office in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. As part of our Employee Spotlight series, Tim talks about his life abroad, the healthcare industry, and how architecture relates to the growing conversation around equity.
Growing up you lived in 3 countries and 5 states. Do you have a favorite place or memory?
I was really blessed by the opportunities that growing up in a military family gave me. While I’d have to say Italy in general and Rome in particular is my favorite place, all of my favorite childhood memories involve architecture, a sense of place, wonder, surprise, and delight. Trying to narrow it down to one is a hard task!
You have designed various facilities for the U.S. military as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs. Does this work have a special meaning to you given your father’s service?
I will say my father’s service in the military gave me a unique understanding of the users for any of the projects we work on for government clients. The military goes beyond a job or profession, and is more a calling to serve. We have an opportunity to support and care for servicemembers and their families through thoughtful, well-considered designs that meet their specific needs.
As a military brat you encountered a multitude of lifestyles and cultures around the world. How did these experiences prepare you for being an architect?
I think living among other cultures and customs taught me that there is no “right” way, only the way that meets the needs of the individual. I would like to think this expansive and accepting mindset has made me better at channeling our clients’ needs and desires into their projects.
When did you first become interested in designing for the healthcare industry?
I started volunteering in healthcare clinics when I was thirteen. I waxed floors and scraped paint off windows, and it taught me how much environment impacts how a patient receives care.
The healthcare industry is ever evolving. Where do you see it going in the future?
As equity figures into more of our conversation about a fair and just society in this country, I believe we will see a tidal shift in how healthcare organizations position themselves within the community.
Hospitals will begin shifting out as the primary centers for care, into more community-based clinics that serve as ambulatory diagnostic and treatment units. This strategy may put specific care directly into the areas that can best benefit from it. It could also allow care to become more accessible reducing barriers in location and transportation.
JMA is widely experienced in community-based clinics, clinical ambulatory surgery facilities, and diagnostic imaging centers. We are also experienced in designing facilities for adaptive reuse of existing building stock, hard to access locations, and diverse cultural requirements.
What is one way we could start to see more equity in the design process?
I think equity in architecture is about designing buildings that are good neighbors: not only meeting the clients’ needs but enhancing the fabric of the city rather than just capitalizing on the advantages of site and location. U.S. cities have become over-reliant on design boards to police the quality of architectural projects. Instead of guarding the character of the city, these boards have started to become a force of gentrification by driving up the cost of new construction and making things generally less affordable. Cities could start to follow a more organic model of urban growth to ensure appropriate access to all citizens.