As the year 2022 comes to end, we are reflecting on the new members we have added to the Wilmot Sanz Team! James Galante, Deborah Abimaje, Jack Garretson, Claire Beins, and Haoye Xu are all Architectural Designers that have joined this team over the last year, and we are so grateful to have them!
James Galante
Q: What is your role at Wilmot Sanz?
- Architectural Designer
Q: What work do you typically focus on / your area of expertise within the company?
- Since I am a new hire, I don’t have an expertise within the company yet, but am working on developing a site model, and 3D printing the surrounding context.
Q1: What led you to a career in architecture?
- I’ve always been obsessed with building things, which led me to trying out both architecture and engineering courses in college. After my first two years of school, I realized that while I loved engineering, it wasn’t the career I saw myself doing long term, so I focused my education into architecture.
Q2: What led you to a career in Healthcare Architecture
- I had a handful of professors during my college education that worked in the architectural healthcare industry which influenced my desire to work in this industry. I also love the idea of designing spaces that help people in need to heal and get back to spending time with loved ones.
Q1: This past year you have joined the Wilmot Sanz team, can you talk a little bit about what brought you here? Whether it be a previous career in architecture, personal connection, or schooling, what made you choose Wilmot Sanz?
- I chose to work at Wilmot Sanz after having a great conversation with Jason at the career fair at The Catholic University of America back in 2020. At the time I was applying to be an intern, but due to covid that never happened. I then tried applying to be an intern the following year, but again due to covid I was unable to. Thankfully after almost two years of my initial discussion with Jason I was completed with school and applied for a full-time position which I am very grateful to have received.
Q: What are you most excited to learn about from Healthcare Design?
- I most excited to learn about the layout of operating rooms and nursing stations, and how small changes to the design can have a large effect on response time and saving lives.
Q: What aspects of the industry excite / entice you?
- Lately I’ve been really interested in the WELL building standard and how that effects the healing process.
Q: Give a little background about yourself so the firm and other can get to know you better outside of an office / work environment!
- A few things I love are reading and going to the movies. My favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction. When it’s warm out I love to play a game called disc golf with my friends which is basically golf but played with a frisbee. I love building models and painting various miniatures.
Q1: Who inspires you daily?
- My fiancée Erin O’Connell. She always pushes me to be the best I can be, and I aspire to be caring and generous as she is.
Q1: What (outside of the office) are you passionate about?
- My two main passions are my family and my faith
Q2: Do any of these passions influence the work you do as a designer?
- I think both of my passions influence me as a designer, especially my faith. I don’t think I design around my faith specifically but rather when I design, I ask myself is this good, or how does this design better the world.
Q: If you could say you had one superpower, what would you say that is?
- I would say that my superpower is that I am a great listener. I think I’m very good at not only listening to what is being said, but also nonverbal ques.
Q: What has been your favorite memory at Wilmot Sanz?
- I don’t have many memories yet at Wilmot Sanz, but getting lunch the other day with Claire, Valerie, and Dorris was nice, and made me feel very welcomed to the team.
Q: List some fun facts about yourself!
- I have been to Ecuador twice
- I once won a pair of Bose headphone after being in the top 3 Bose salesman on the entire East coast during my time at Microcenter.
- I’m getting married in May 2023!!!!
Deborah Abimaje
Q: What is your role at Wilmot Sanz?
- Architectural Designer
Q1: What led you to a career in architecture?
- My love for Art and Engineering, I believe Architecture is a merge of both.
Q2: What led you to a career in Healthcare Architecture?
- The desire to be more morally responsible, using my architectural skills to improve community health.
Q1: This past year you have joined the Wilmot Sanz team, can you talk a little bit about what brought you here? Whether it be a previous career in architecture, personal connection, or schooling, what made you choose Wilmot Sanz?
- For the sole purpose of the impressive history and excellence associated with the firm.
Q: What are you most excited to learn about from Healthcare Design?
- How design of spaces adversely or positively contributes to the quality of treatment in the healthcare industry. I am also interested in the technological advancements that have been developed as a result of the global pandemic.
Q: What aspects of the industry excite / entice you?
- I am interested in the relationships developed between end users and designers as this relationship determines the result of most projects. I am also fascinated with the structuring of the Healthcare industry, it has been an eye-opening experience realizing that the healthcare industry is facilitated by donors, especially does who have lost someone dear to them. I have always been fascinated with the intersection of
Q: Give a little background about yourself so the firm and other can get to know you better outside of an office / work environment!
- I am a first-generation immigrant to the United States, I migrated from Nigeria my home country almost 10 years ago. I moved originally to complete my educational journey but decided to “set up shop”.
Q1: Who inspires you daily? (doesn’t have to be work related but its fine if it is!)
- My small family of 4 inspires me to be the best each day
Q1: What (outside of the office) are you passionate about?
- I have a passion for making comics and would like to be a children’s book author and illustrator.
Q: If you could say you had one superpower, what would you say that is?
- Super focus and attention to detail
Q: What has been your favorite memory at Wilmot Sanz?
- I would say getting hired, I am sure down the line I will have some more.
Q: List some fun facts about yourself!
- I play the drums
- I love horror movies
- I am a fan of electric cars
jack Garretson
Q: What is your role at Wilmot Sanz?
- Architectural Designer
Q: What work do you typically focus on / your area of expertise within the company?
- At the moment, Revit population and basic sheet markups. I’m hoping one day to be able to create models from the ground up, though!
Q1: What led you to a career in architecture?
- As silly as it may sound, playing with Lego bricks as a kid. The idea of creating something tangible just stuck with me.
Q2: What led you to a career in Healthcare Architecture
- This ties into what I said about making something tangible; to create something that has an immediate, noticeably positive impact on someone, i.e., a hospital, seemed really fulfilling to me.
Q1: This past year you have joined the Wilmot Sanz team, can you talk a little bit about what brought you here? Whether it be a previous career in architecture, personal connection, or schooling, what made you choose Wilmot Sanz?
- They were the only healthcare firm who seemed to be personable and interested in me as a person, rather than a Revit monkey. My internship last summer cemented that for me.
Q: What are you most excited to learn about from Healthcare Design?
- How to take liberties and design within such constricting parameters and guidelines. I like working within a framework and trying to push the boundaries given rather than have a blank canvas.
Q: What aspects of the industry excite / entice you?
- Being able to affect a community indisputably positively through architecture.
Q: Give a little background about yourself so the firm and other can get to know you better outside of an office / work environment!
- I’m (unsurprisingly) a giant nerd. Games, Legos, Transformers, the whole gamut. I’m a bit of a collector, but my girlfriend may say I’m a hoarder. I’m thinking it’s a little bit of column A, a bit of column B…
Q1: Who inspires you daily?
- My girlfriend of over five years now is probably the hardest working person I know, and the ways she supports me while pushing me to be my best self absolutely blow me away.
Q1: What (outside of the office) are you passionate about?
- The history behind toys and video games. Frivolous mediums which have so much thought put into them that we forget to recognize the genuine passion going into something we, as adults, can rarely appreciate.
Q2: Do any of these passions influence the work you do as a designer?
- You would think it would be Legos, but it’s Transformers. They’re kind of like puzzles, with a limited amount of space to accomplish some very specific tasks. Taking note of different ways to accomplish a very compact goal like that teases my brain like filling in a floor plan while meeting ADA guidelines.
Q: If you could say you had one superpower, what would you say that is?
- The ability to chug Dr. Pepper Cream Soda.
Q: What has been your favorite memory at Wilmot Sanz?
- Hear me out: I really, sincerely, genuinely was blown away the first time I used a laser measurer on a survey. I have no idea why that stuck with me, but the fact it goes to within 1/32 inch across such a vast distance was so cool.
Q: List some fun facts about yourself!
- I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, play tennis, and, if I’m being generous, was taught to play classical guitar for about 7-8 years.
Claire Beins, WELL ap
Q: What is your role at Wilmot Sanz?
- Architectural Designer
Q: What work do you typically focus on / your area of expertise within the company?
- As of right now, I don’t have a specific area of expertise, but I am mostly involved with the planning side of things in the office. From larger renovation masterplans to small test fits I have gotten the opportunity to work on all of it!
Q1: What led you to a career in architecture?
- I always dreamed of being able to design my own space and one day my mom asked me if I ever thought about architecture as my college major. She than set me up with a friend that was an architect and I loved it, and the rest was history!
Q2: What led you to a career in Healthcare Architecture
- My mom was a hospital nurse for pretty much all of my childhood so I was exposed to these environments regularly and once I decided that architecture would be my career path it all kind of made sense and luckily fell into place.
Q1: This past year you have joined the Wilmot Sanz team, can you talk a little bit about what brought you here? Whether it be a previous career in architecture, personal connection, or schooling, what made you choose Wilmot Sanz?
- In the summer of 2021, I was an intern here at Wilmot Sanz and it felt like the right fit for me. Being able to design and collaborate in this office after the COVID-19 pandemic opened a whole new world of architecture for me that I never even knew existed. The technicalities of hospital design and the creativity of architecture in general has always intrigued me and I wanted to see how the spaces that can save lives are designed. Wilmot Sanz allows me to see that process and I am constantly learning new things and terminologies that otherwise would stay in the dark.
Q: What are you most excited to learn about from Healthcare Design?
- I am intrigued to learn about the balance between providing the best atmosphere for patients and the best workflow for healthcare staff. Both are very important to how the hospital functions and I have always been curious of this process from the patient standpoint.
Q: What aspects of the industry excite / entice you?
- I have always been interested in how the built environment can improve our mental and physical health and more so how our built environments can be more inclusive to all different types of people.
Q: Give a little background about yourself so the firm and others can get to know you better outside of an office / work environment!
- I love to read and cook. I grew up helping my Italian family cook a lot of meals and it has carried over into my adulthood. I love to try new recipes and different types of cuisines that I have never been expose to before. My motto for everything is I’ll try everything at least once!
Q1: Who inspires you daily?
- My sister, she is always such a bright light in my life!
Q: If you could say you had one superpower, what would you say that is?
- I wish it was Teleportation, but I would say the ability to talk to anyone!
Q: What has been your favorite memory at Wilmot Sanz?
- The fall bonfire and pig roast this past year, it was so nice to see everyone outside the office and enjoy some great food and company.
Q: List some fun facts about yourself!
- I am one of seven kids
- I love to organize
- I have 5 chickens
Haoye Xu
Q: What is your role at Wilmot Sanz?
- Architectural Designer
Q: What work do you typically focus on / your area of expertise within the company?
- Revising permit drawings and construction site visit.
Q1: What led you to a career in architecture?
- Strong interest on design and space.
Q2: What led you to a career in Healthcare Architecture
- Healthcare facilities make the most straightforward effort to improve people’s wellness. As well as my curiosity on the complex circulation that hospitals posses to function seamlessly.
Q1: This past year you have joined the Wilmot Sanz team, can you talk a little bit about what brought you here? Whether it be a previous career in architecture, personal connection, or schooling, what made you choose Wilmot Sanz?
- My interest in Healthcare Design and the office location
Q: What are you most excited to learn about from Healthcare Design?
- The process on how end users (doctors/nurses/patients/…) would use the space and how the design would make more convenience to them.
Q: What aspects of the industry excite / entice you?
- How the design is strongly related to the needs and process of medical procedures and a better design could make patients feel happier.
Q: Give a little background about yourself so the firm and other can get to know you better outside of an office / work environment!
- I was born and raised in Beijing, China. You can find me playing electric keyboard, cooking, or hiking around the city at weekends.
Q1: Who inspires you daily?
- John Hejduk
Q1: What (outside of the office) are you passionate about?
- I am a public transit fan, including trains, metros, and buses. I am mostly interested in transportation network planning.
Q2: Do any of these passions influence the work you do as a designer?
- Sure, I think these interests helps me form a better understanding of logics of space and spatial sequence.
Q: If you could say you had one superpower, what would you say that is?
- No need to sleep.
Q: What has been your favorite memory at Wilmot Sanz?
- Going to site visit. It is excited to see all the drawings come true.
Q: List some fun facts about yourself!
- Originally from Beijing, China
- My parents speak Mandarin and Japanese, but I speaks Mandarin and English.
- Collecting maps and tickets from everywhere around the world
- He was not an all-nighter in any of the Architecture School attended. He enjoys making drawings in the morning.
- He doesn’t like most of the Chinese food in the U.S., but the one he cooked.
