Pickett Design Associates

10/20/2025

Stephanie and Michelle of PDA had the pleasure of visiting Jeff Tanaka's studio to see the Adventist Chapel pews in construction. Gaining insight into Jeff's craftsmanship was an enriching learning experience, and the visit added meaningful perspective to the final design. We are excited to see the vision start to come alive!

09/15/2025

Pickett Design Associates had the pleasure of touring the UC Irvine Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences alongside fellow architects and interior designers.

A special thank you to Michelle McCoy (Senior Director, Space Management, UC Irvine) and Brian Pratt (Campus Architect, UC Irvine) for leading such an inspiring two-hour tour and sharing their deep knowledge of these remarkable spaces. Their dedication to sustainable design is evident — yet another LEED Platinum building on the UCI campus!

We also extend our gratitude to Martha Ball (Principal, HED) and the talented S/L/A/M team for designing a facility that so beautifully supports education, research, patient care, and integrative health.

And of course, we are incredibly proud of our own Stephanie Ramirez, Studio Director at Pickett Design Associates, who led the interior design of the UC Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute — a project that embodies biophilic, uplifting, and innovative design at its best.

09/11/2025

The designers at PDA had a great time visiting the Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) site to see construction nearing completion. On our last visit, the interior framing had just been finalized and the vision for interiors was beginning to take shape. Now, with ceiling and wall treatments, art, graphics, signage, and furniture systems being installed throughout, we’re thrilled to see the design coming to life.

A huge thank you to the Pankow team, and Juan Ortiz (QDG), for leading the way.

08/26/2025

PDA's Principal, Christine Hardin, had an enriching experience at AIA Purposeful to prepare for our upcoming behavioral health projects. AIA's 7th Annual Purposeful event, Prevention, Attention, and Intervention: Linking Modalities of Behavioral Health, challenged conventional approaches to behavioral healthcare facilities. Speakers invited attendees to reimagine design strategies that increase patient accessibility and dignity, family involvement, and community integration. We are excited to apply this knowledge to new projects - especially needed during this time of public health cuts and rapid expansion of needs.

08/20/2025

The more our PDA team researches the psychological impact of the built environment in behavioral and mental health spaces, the more we believe in the value of good design.

As a support to our ongoing resource, Center for Health Design, we encourage participation in the following webinar:

Transforming Mental & Behavioral Health Spaces
Join tomorrow for a full day of insightful, inspiring, and impactful presentations focused on the future of behavioral and mental health environments. Architects and designers narrow their focus on reshaping care, safety, and stigma through evidence-based, empathetic design.
Register now → https://loom.ly/uQirfvw

07/25/2025

At Pickett Designs, we’re endlessly inspired by projects that challenge the status quo, especially when architecture, wellness, and sustainability intersect in bold new ways.

The newly opened Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, AR, is more than a medical school. It is a transformative space that reimagines how doctors are trained and how environments can support healing from the ground up.

Funded by philanthropist Alice Walton, the school reflects her deep personal belief in preventive medicine, the idea that health care should focus on keeping people well, not just treating illness. That vision comes to life in a curriculum centered on whole health, nutrition, mental well-being, and lifestyle-based care.

Architecturally, the campus is just as forward-thinking. Nestled in the Ozarks next to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, it features rooftop gardens, woodland trails, and immersive green spaces that echo the school’s mission. It’s a model for how thoughtful, human-centered design can elevate education and healing.

As designers, we’re excited by what this signals: a future where buildings don’t just serve a function, they inspire wellness and resilience.

07/14/2025

Pickett Designs continues to marvel at the innovations possible, especially ones with a sustainability focus that yields deforestation reduction. Enjoy the read below to learn more about lab-grown wood from plant cell cultures.

"In cutting-edge laboratories nestled in British Columbia, Canadian scientists have achieved a transformative breakthrough in sustainable materials science: wood grown entirely in lab conditions without requiring trees to be felled. This biofabrication process produces sheets of wood with customizable shapes, grain patterns, and mechanical properties, all grown from live plant cells cultured in controlled environments, effectively decoupling wood production from deforestation.
The process begins with isolating cambium cells—the vital growth tissue from tree trunks responsible for wood formation. These cells are embedded within nutrient-rich hydrogel matrices and stimulated with carefully timed pulses of growth hormones that replicate the natural signals trees receive during their development. Over a period of weeks, the cells proliferate and differentiate, synthesizing lignocellulose fibers that self-organize into dense, sheet-like structures mimicking the natural grain and texture of wood.

The implications for global forestry are profound. By removing the need to cut living trees, this technology could drastically reduce habitat loss, protect biodiversity, and slow climate change. It signals a future where humanity harnesses the building blocks of nature directly, growing materials with precision and care rather than extracting and destroying." -Michael Wilds

06/13/2025

We had a great time touring the new UCI Health - Irvine Medical Center, which is on track to become the first all-electrical hospital in the nation. The building is designed to coalesce with the neighboring San Joaquin Marsh by strategically designing buildings to create animal buffers and bird safety, while ensuring proper runoff treatment. The facilities also provide scenic views of the marsh. The medical center is a brilliant example of sustainable design built by Hensel Phelps and designed by CO Architects. We enjoyed the chance to tour with many familiar faces. Thank you to the UCI team, including Campus Architect Brian Pratt, and AIA LA Healthcare for hosting this event!

06/11/2025

Barlow Respiratory Hospital opened its doors in 1902 as a dedicated tuberculosis treatment center. Today, it's a leader in respiratory health and specializes in helping patients transition off mechanical ventilators. Pickett Designs is proud to collaborate with Zakian Woo Architects on a complete renovation of Barlow's first floor, and we recently visited the site to observe the work in progress and coordinate with the team. We're excited to see the work come to life!

05/01/2025

05/01/2025

A unique project sometimes requires a unique approach, so here's a peak into our design process--sometimes you've got to see an installation at full scale to see how it will look!

04/23/2025

Happy belated Earth Day! This article lays out how crucial it is for interior designers to design with sustainability as a priority. It's important for the industry as a whole to commit to environmentally-friendly practices as we design spaces intended to be used by future generations.

A new report by the IPCC warns that sweeping changes must be made now to control global warming. Architects and interior designers can impact climate change by employing more ...