New Portland-based healthcare leaders establish a regional team backed by HMC’s firmwide expertise and resources

HMC Architects is expanding its healthcare practice into the Pacific Northwest with the addition of Principal-in-Charge Justin Brooks, AIA, LEED AP, and Project Architect Teresa Kruse, AIA, NCARB, CSI, CDT. Based in the firm’s Portland office, Brooks and Kruse are the first team members of a growing regional healthcare team serving clients throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

The expansion marks an important step in HMC’s continued growth in the Pacific Northwest. Since acquiring Bassetti Architects in 2025, HMC has been building upon the Portland and Seattle studios’ longstanding strengths in education, civic, and community-focused design. The addition of Brooks and Kruse establishes dedicated healthcare leadership in the region, pairing their local relationships and experience with HMC’s decades of expertise in designing hospitals, outpatient facilities, specialty care, and other complex healthcare environments.

“HMC has a significant opportunity to bring its healthcare knowledge and resources to a region where Justin and Teresa already have deep experience and strong professional relationships,” said Daniel Perschbacher, HMC’s healthcare practice leader. “This is more than the addition of two talented people. It is the foundation of a healthcare practice designed specifically to serve Pacific Northwest clients, supported by the expertise and capabilities of our firmwide team.”

Brooks brings more than 20 years of experience designing healthcare, research, workplace, and civic environments. His portfolio includes Legacy Health Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon; the UCSF Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building; and the Stanford University Biomedical Innovation Building. His work is grounded in a human-centered design approach that supports healing while balancing patient and staff needs, operational performance, environmental responsibility, and a strong response to place. His experience with mass timber and other high-performance design strategies also complements Bassetti’s longstanding commitment to architecture that is both enduring and sustainable.

As principal-in-charge, Brooks will guide the strategic growth of HMC’s Pacific Northwest healthcare practice, cultivate client relationships, and connect regional opportunities with the firm’s healthcare leaders and resources across the organization.

“The Pacific Northwest’s healthcare organizations are navigating tremendous change, from evolving models of care and workforce pressures to aging infrastructure and growing community needs,” Brooks said. “HMC brings the depth and specialized knowledge to help address those challenges, while our Portland-based team brings an understanding of the region and the people who call it home. We are building a practice that combines firmwide healthcare expertise with deep regional knowledge, a focus on long-term relationships, and design that genuinely improves the human experience.”

Kruse brings 28 years of architectural experience, with extensive work in healthcare planning, design, technical documentation, and project delivery. Throughout her career, she has led projects for hospitals, clinics, behavioral health facilities, emergency departments, pharmacies, imaging suites, and other technically demanding care environments across Oregon, Washington, and beyond.

Her recent work includes projects for Legacy Silverton Medical Center, Samaritan Health Services, Mercy Medical Center, and Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. She has also been an active member of regional healthcare organizations, including the Oregon Society for Healthcare Engineering, Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineering, Women in Healthcare, and The Center for Health Design.

“Advancing health and healing through architecture is more than a professional philosophy for me; it is what motivates me every day,” Kruse said. “The work begins with careful listening and grows through close collaboration and trust. I am excited to bring HMC’s healthcare expertise to the Pacific Northwest and help create environments where patients, families, care teams, and communities can flourish.”

HMC’s Pacific Northwest healthcare practice builds upon the firm’s regional healthcare experience, including a medical office building in Beaverton, Oregon. With Brooks and Kruse in place, HMC is positioned to pursue a broader range of healthcare work and steadily grow a multidisciplinary regional team.

The expansion also advances HMC’s larger Pacific Northwest strategy, which combines local leadership and market knowledge with the resources of a national design practice. Brooks and Kruse will collaborate closely with colleagues in Portland and Seattle, as well as HMC healthcare teams throughout the firm.