Press Releases September 9, 2025

Perkins&Will Expands Advisory Services and Research Expertise in New York and Philadelphia

The firm welcomes four experts in regenerative design, community-based research, and healthcare strategy.

NEW YORK and PHILADELPHIA—Architecture and design firm Perkins&Will is growing its advisory and research teams through four strategic hires to drive excellence in regenerative design, community-based research, and healthcare strategy.

In New York, Breeze Glazer and Yash Akhouri join the firm’s team of regenerative design specialists, helping clients translate sustainability goals into actionable plans and design strategies. Joining them in New York is Danielle Baez, a community-based planner, researcher, and urban designer, who steps into the role of senior researcher on the firm’s Human Experience team. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, healthcare strategist Kam Kaur will advise regional healthcare clients on strategy and operational design to advance patient care and innovate care models.

“Perkins&Will is unique in that our practice is informed by rigorous research and the experiences of individuals who have worked in the same fields as our clients,” says Robert Clemens, managing director of Perkins&Will’s New York and Philadelphia studios. “Our researchers and strategists work hand-in-hand with designers to assess project goals and innovate ways to achieve them. We’re thrilled to welcome Breeze, Yash, Danielle, and Kam to the team.”

Smiling man in a suit against a dark background, portrait photo.

Breeze Glazer

Smiling person in a black coat with a blurred background, showcasing a confident and approachable demeanor.

Yash Akhouri

Sustainable and Regenerative Design

Glazer returns to Perkins&Will after founding LeapStep, a sustainable design and engineering consultancy with a specialized expertise in healthcare. His prior tenure at the firm spanned 11 years, during which time he worked closely with former Perkins&Will health practice leader Robin Gunther to improve the building and occupant health of medical facilities such as the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, which achieved a LEED Platinum rating. He has authored dozens of articles and white papers on next-generation sustainable healthcare design, with work featured in Healthcare Design Magazine, Architect Magazine, and the HERD Journal. Glazer will work from the firm’s New York studio on projects around the country.

“I’m motivated by the challenge of bringing regenerative design strategies to healthcare, a building type with notoriously high operational energy demands,” says Glazer. “I believe that we’ve entered a new era, where the benefits of reducing carbon and contributing to regenerative systems are well-understood; now, we need to lead in implementation and execution. The earlier in the planning and design stages that we can have these conversations, the better.”

As a new sustainable design advisor at Perkins&Will’s New York studio, Akhouri will help implement Living Design solutions across practices—the firm’s holistic approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. He is currently working on the BATWorks innovation hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, a co-working, incubation, lab prototyping, and trial assembly facility for clean-tech and green energy start-ups.

Research and Medical Planning

As a research-based firm, Perkins&Will focuses on five core areas of inquiry: Human Experience; Resource Circularity; Performance Optimization; Construction Innovation; and Physical-Digital Experience. Baez joins the Human Experience team, specializing in confronting systemic inequities and increasing community resilience. Her work integrates spatial analysis, feasibility studies, and deep community engagement to help frontline communities build regenerative futures. This research informs design and planning projects, and she is currently working on Salem High School in Salem, MA, a public school with a focus on career and technical education, and a health clinic for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, in partnership with Hartford Healthcare.

“My professional mission is rooted in helping communities plan for themselves once we step away at the end of the project,” says Baez. “Through open-source research, engagement strategies, and research-based tools like PRECEDE, we can leverage Perkins&Will’s time and resources in a way that co-benefits the communities we’re designing for. We can learn from them, and they can learn from us to take their spaces to the next level after we’re gone.”

Perkins&Will’s Advisory Services practice employs planners and strategists across a range of expertise areas including workplace strategy, branding, and business and operational services. In the field of healthcare design, former health workers and medical planners help translate clinical insights into spaces of care. Kaur joins the firm as a senior strategist specializing in healthcare and operational planning and brings experience in the implementation of new technologies like AI and robotics. Based in Philadelphia, her role will support clients in the Northeast.

“I’ve seen many sides of the healthcare industry,” says Kaur. “From supply chain operations to real estate decisions, there are dozens of behind-the-scenes considerations that can impact a healthcare provider’s ability to serve patients adequately. Medical institutions are also workplaces, businesses, and community pillars. I look forward to helping our clients in the Northeast navigate the changing face of healthcare to continue providing world-class care.”

Smiling woman in a blue jacket outdoors, with blurred green background.

Danielle Baez

Woman smiling at the camera in a cozy indoor setting, wearing a white top and beige cardigan.

Kam Kaur

Insights

Why are these healthcare professionals working in architecture?

Given the expertise required, former frontline healthcare workers are valued members of design teams, translating clinical insights into comforting spaces.

Four clients share perspectives on their contributions.

Perkins&Will Expands Advisory Services and Research Expertise in New York and Philadelphia

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