Hilary J. Bales became an architect because she wanted to apply her design skills in ways that help people. As a senior designer and healthcare planning specialist with Page, she indeed helps people through her work in creating unique healing environments.
“I got into this field because I wanted to impact people’s lives positively,” Hilary explains.
Drawing from the latest techniques in evidence-based design, best clinical practice, LEED, and Planetree principles, Hilary actively leads planning and design efforts on a variety of healthcare projects. “I have a lot of passion for what I do,” she says, “and I love that I get to work closely with clinicians, patients, and family members to help them translate our collective vision into reality.” For each project, she relies on consensus building and dynamic listening while focusing on how design decisions will ultimately affect the experience of everyone who uses the facility.
Because she’s committed to success, she’s committed to collaboration with all project stakeholders. “I am very dedicated to ensuring that what gets built realizes the design objectives we’ve established as a team,” she says.
Among her favorite completed projects is the Norman Regional Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma, because, Hilary says, “The client was fantastic to work with and it was an opportunity to create a new brand and campus for them. I think it turned out beautifully and they are very happy with the result.”
Hilary received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University with a minor in business. Registered to practice architecture in Texas, she is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), is accredited through the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) and has received her Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC).
Among her personal achievements, Hilary counts her receiving an architectural license and ACHA accreditation. She’s also proud of having graduated from AIA Dallas’ Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) in 2011 and her volunteer service as the program’s co-chair in 2012. She has spoken at conferences, and many of her projects have been featured in healthcare magazines.
When she’s not helping people with her architectural skills, Hilary enjoys baking, reading, volunteering at her church and her children’s school, and spending time with her family. Being a mother of three children, she says, has had a profound influence on her life. “It’s taught me patience and changed the way I handle situations, prioritize life, and view the world,” Hilary quips. “It’s also helped make me a master at multi-tasking and managing chaos!”
