Kierstyn Feldlavy, associate, architect, and medical planner, SmithGroup (Denver)
Editor’s Note: This article is part a Healthcare Design’s Industry Predictions series. Throughout January, HCD will share perspectives from respected industry voices on where the sector may head in 2026 and what challenges and opportunities are on their radar.
Kierstyn Feldlavy (Headshot: Shelli Foth, UnFound Door)
Healthcare Design’s 2026 Healthcare Design Industry Predictions series continues with Kierstyn Feldlavy, associate, architect, and medical planner, SmithGroup (Denver) and 2025 HCD Rising Star.
Here, Feldlavy discusses some of the opportunities and challenges she sees for 2026, including mentoring the next generation of industry professionals, the continued rise of progressive design-build, and accelerated schedules powered by prefabrication.
Healthcare Design: What project or shift in the industry had the biggest impact in 2025?
Feldlavy: One of the biggest forces reshaping healthcare projects is the consolidation of health systems and rise of clinical partnerships. As large systems integrate with smaller providers and physician groups, organizations are identifying opportunities to streamline operations, expand research, and reduce duplicative services.
HCD: How can these lessons inform projects or strategies going forward?
Feldlavy: These trends demand creative, strategic thinking, especially as health systems look to maximize the value of existing real estate. Often, the answer isn’t a large-scale solution. It’s reconfiguration, adaptive reuse, and rethinking adjacencies to support more beds or expanded services within the existing footprint.
HCD: What do you see as the biggest opportunity for change in the new year?
Feldlavy: The greatest opportunity for change in the year ahead lies in reimagining mentorship and teaching. Many senior professionals are approaching retirement, and the numbers tell the story: Roughly 13 percent of U.S. architects are now over the traditional retirement age of 65 years, even as the total population of architects shrinks, while only 3 percent are under 30, according to a report from National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
Without a deliberate, structured strategy for passing on institutional knowledge, we risk losing decades of hard-won expertise in project delivery and design practice.
This moment calls for formal mentorship programs, cross-generational pairing, and purposeful knowledge sharing—not just informal guidance but firm-wide onboarding and experiential learning at all levels.
By investing in teaching and mentoring systems now, firms can build resilience, retain know-how, and empower the next generation to step confidently into leadership and technical roles.
HCD: What emerging trends are you most excited about and why?
Feldlavy: I’m most excited about the continued rise of progressive design-build, phased delivery, and accelerated schedules powered by prefabrication. These approaches create a transparent, collaborative environment early in the process, enabling teams to align goals, cost, and constructability before design is finalized.
Prefab and modular strategies also allow projects to move faster, reduce waste, and minimize disruption to operations – critical in active healthcare settings. Lean practices only amplify these benefits by strengthening communication, eliminating inefficiencies, and fostering high-trust, high-performance teams.
We saw this first-hand with the UC Davis Health 48X Complex—one of the largest and most technologically advanced outpatient surgery centers in the United States. Delivered through a progressive design-build approach, it proves what is possible when collaboration, speed, and smart planning converge.
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design and can be reached at [email protected].
