A recent “By the Numbers” report from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) paints a picture of the opportunities and challenges shaping the architecture field.
According to the 14th annual edition, the pool of candidates pursuing licensure grew by 5 percent in 2024, while the number of U.S. licensed architects dropped by 4 percent to 116,005. NCARB notes that the decline in the overall architect population last year could signal that the baby boomer generation is beginning to retire.
As that talent pool is replaced by new professionals, the report finds that there’s greater diversity in those seeking a career in architecture. Among the 39,499 licensure candidates, 49 percent are people of color (defined as anyone who identifies as a race or ethnicity other than white) while women represent 46 percent.
Within the architecture world, healthcare design has represented a specialty area, often attracting those looking to contribute to the greater good, support healing and wellness, or tackle facilities’ complexity of codes and regulations.
For assurance that this calling remains strong, check out profiles of the 2025 Rising Star awards winners in HCD‘s October issue. Here, this impressive group of emerging professionals, including architects and interior designers, shares insights into what’s driving them and the issues they aim to tackle through their work.
And while there’s still work to be done to grow the healthcare design sector, the good news is that many industry professionals and organizations are already engaged in building a larger, more diverse talent pipeline.
For example, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York) has developed its own design internship/mentoring program “to support our work but more strategically to expose students to healthcare design, as many have no awareness or knowledge about the field,” says Suzen Heely, executive director, design and construction, at the organization.
Firms are also doing their part to mentor new talent. HMC Architects’ (Los Angeles) President Kirk Rose says the firm promotes professional growth by paying for exams to obtain architecture licenses. “We encourage licensure as a positive expression of their qualification and achievement to the external world,” he says.
At next month’s HCD Conference + Expo, Oct. 25-28 in Kansas City, Mo., new and experienced healthcare design professionals can take advantage of a variety of networking opportunities to make connections and grow their network (visit hcdexpo.com for updates and events). Nurturing this industry’s next chapter of talent is something that benefits us all. See you in Kansas City!
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design and can be reached at [email protected].
