Bio:
 The great designer, Kassandra Garza is a Project Designer at IKM in Pittsburgh, PA. She has over four years of experience working on all phases of design and construction for higher education, laboratory, and healthcare design. A member of NOMA Pittsburgh since 2017, she has helped create program content for the chapter’s Project Pipeline Architectural Summer Camp and ARE Workshop series. She is also a LUMA Institute Certified Practitioner of Human-Centered Design and a 2017 Paula Maynes ARE Grant Recipient.

How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I was eight when my parents showed me my first floor plan. I was so excited that they let me help design our custom home. In high school I attended the University of Texas Summer Academy of Architecture. I knew then I wanted to be an architect.

What do you do?
As a Project Designer I am responsible for the detailed execution of the project design and documentation. I also act as a LEED administrator for projects pursuing LEED certification. Outside of work, I help develop programming for NOMA Pittsburgh.

What excites you in the work you do?
I love the complexity! My recent involvement in highly specialized lab projects to accommodate cryogenic electron microscopes led me to the Thermo Fisher Scientific facility in Eindhoven, Netherlands to see how they are assembled and tested.

Who or what inspires you professionally?
My mom Belen, who as a teen spent her summers as a migrant worker and against all odds received her nursing degree. My dad Mark, who raised two kids while pursuing his chemical engineering degree. They inspire me to create my own space in this field.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Receiving notice that the UPMC Outpatient Center achieved LEED Certification. I really appreciated that my team saw me as a valuable asset and leaned on my expertise to keep the team organized and on course with the required submission documentation.

Featured Project Name: 
UPMC Outpatient Center
 
Featured Project Location: 
Hampton Township, PA
 
Featured Project Completion Date: 
August 2017

Role in Featured Project: 
Project Designer, LEED Administrator
 
Featured Project Description:
The UPMC Outpatient Center in Hampton is a LEED Certified building that brings an enhanced, patient experience to local patients. The 3-story facility is designed to change the way primary and specialized care is brought to the area by providing a one-stop-shop to patients once burdened with visiting multiple locations for primary care services including clinical exams and imaging. It is hoped that this new UPMC center will spur new development and raise the stakes for design and quality in the area.

Photography Credit:
Ed Massery; Adam Warner