Paul Strohm, ACHA, AIA
Senior vice president, director of healthcare, HOK (St. Louis)
Who he is: With 35 years under his belt as a healthcare architect, Strohm is one of HOK’s three directors of healthcare, responsible for the planning and design firm’s global practice in 12 offices across four countries. He designs and manages large-scale healthcare projects around the world, assembling and directing project teams and providing strategy for new markets and innovation. He also serves on the board of directors for HOK.
Year in review: As principal-in-charge, Strohm was at the helm of two major healthcare projects that opened in the past year. Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, which serves as the centerpiece of the city’s public health system, is an academic medical center replacement project. At 1.3 million square feet, it includes 325 inpatient beds, a 275-room integrated clinic, and faculty offices for the Indiana University School of Medicine. Achievements include a 40 percent reduction in footprint, simplified circulation and wayfinding, an integrated and interactive art program, and an impressive working farm on the facility’s rooftop. The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center opened in late 2014, a 1.2 million-square-foot, 22-story, 400-bed facility that replaces and expands the campus’s existing cancer hospital. A notable piece to The James project is a 100,000-square-foot radiation suite funded by a $100 million national grant, providing seven treatment rooms, integrated exam/clinic space, and diagnostics—all with access to natural light and views, thanks to a decision to elevate the space to the building’s third floor as opposed to traditional placement underground. The feat required significant reworking of structural and mechanical systems once the grant was secured during construction and was achieved with just a six-month shift in schedule.
What’s next: Strohm is tackling two projects for an academic health system that’s planning a new health center and regional hospital. Both projects represent an industry move toward consolidation of services in smaller, more efficient buildings and campuses, with goals of implementing innovative patient care strategies that lead to better outcomes.
The HCD 10:
  • Architect: Paul Strohm, senior vice president and director of healthcare, HOK (St. Louis)
  • Researcher: Upali Nanda, vice president and director of research, HKS (Houston); executive director of the Center for Advanced Design Research and Education (CADRE)
  • Interior designer: Christine Hester Devens, associate principal and interior project designer, AECOM (Minneapolis)
  • Association/foundation executive: Jennie Evans, 2013-2014 president, Nursing Institute of Healthcare Design (NIHD)
  • Facility manager: Sean Gouvin, director of facilities planning and engineering operations, Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.)
  • Educator: George Mann, Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, Endowed Professor of Health Facilities Design, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas)
  • Provider: Matthew Gutwein, president and CEO, Health & Hospital Corp. of Marion County, and Dr. Lisa E. Harris, CEO, Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis)
  • Building professional: Sam Moses, superintendent, Balfour Beatty Construction (Dallas)
  • Rising star: David Grandy, associate vice president and managing director of strategic innovation, HDR (Omaha, Neb.)
  • Organization of the year: ZGF Architects LLP