Architecture in Healthcare 2025
COMMITTEE CHAIR BIOS
Chair
Ken Downing, AIA
Associate Consultant, Light Build Design
Ken started his career as a residential designer in 1999 working with San Francisco clients such as the Getty and Shorenstein families. His interest in sustainability next led him to specialize in panelized construction and this passion for innovation continued during his decade with Luceplan where he contributed to the development of the world’s first series of sound-absorbing acoustic lighting. Since joining Light Build Design in 2022, Ken has focused on supporting lighting designers and architects across Southern California working globally. He has judged the IES lighting awards three times and his commitment to healthcare and education is deeply personal. Ken is dedicated to continual learning and inspiring others always seeking to improve client comfort and health through industry leading lighting solutions.
Alison is a licensed architect and Senior Associate at CO Architects. She uses her diverse experience in higher education, science & technology, and K-12 projects to design and manage large healthcare projects across Southern California. A dedicated leader, she enjoys efficiently guiding complex projects to completion while creating impactful healthcare environments through innovation in project delivery, team building, and sustainable practices. She is also passionate about mentoring the next generation, promoting inclusivity in the profession, and using architecture to connect the greater Los Angeles community. Originally from South Carolina, Alison received her Master of Architecture degree from Clemson University, relocating to LA in 2016.
Past Chair
Kevin Staten, AIA
Medical Planner, CO Architects
Kevin is a medical planner and licensed architect. He enjoys using his background in both residential design and commercial architecture to critically plan healthcare spaces from individual exam and operating rooms to department planning to full-scale master planning. He uses his expertise in BIM to coordinate the medical planning aspects of a project with all other project disciplines, including interior design and MEP coordination. He has his masters in architecture from the University of Kansas and is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He relocated to Los Angeles in 2022 in an attempt to permanently skip miserable Midwest winters.
