Name: Kristi Ennis

Award: 20 Making A Difference, 2007

Then: Sustainable design director, Boulder Associates Architects (Boulder, Colo.)

Now: Principal and sustainable design director, Boulder Associates Architects

What she’s been up to: Became a principal in 2008 and has since served on the Boulder Associates’ board of directors and the executive committee, and leads the firm’s efforts to give back to local communities where its offices are located.

What’s one thing about the evolving healthcare design landscape that excites you?

New opportunities, created through such vehicles as 3P and the WELL Building Standard, to engage in meaningful conversations with clients about their daily operations, which decisively inform design in ways we’ve never seen before.

What’s one of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the design of healthcare spaces since you won your award, and how has it affected what you do?

The growth and emphasis on outpatient care and facilities as a response to the cost of inpatient care. Particularly in primary care, the greater focus on population health, care coordination, and team-based care has seen the rise of the patient-centered medical home model.

How has the conversation about sustainability in healthcare design changed since 2007? What would you still like to see happen?

As evidenced by the many participants in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a preponderance of healthcare facilities are now talking about sustainability and making efforts in areas such as waste reduction. My experience, however, is that the initiatives remain compartmentalized (with the exception of a few shining examples such as Gundersen Health System). I would like to see them broaden to the point that everyone who works at a facility is aware of them and is encouraged to contribute.

What’s on your radar screen in 2016?

I’ll be working on revamping the way our firm tracks and reports on our internal sustainability metrics.

For more Q+As with past recipients of Healthcare Design’s professional awards programs, check out “Master Class.”