Thank you to all our clients, consultants, and team members, both past and present, for making these past 35 years such a joy and success. - The Partnership
HEALTH-FOCUSED SINCE DAY ONE PHILOWILKE PARTNERSHIP grew out of a friendship between two architects passionate about healthcare design in the early 1980s. Both Dana Wilke and Roger Philo worked at a large Houston-based architecture practice and left to create a new firm dedicated to serving healthcare clients only. Known across the globe for leading both the oil industry and premier healthcare, Houston was the backdrop for this bold move by these aspiring architects in 1985. Roger was working on a high-profile hospital project in the Texas Medical Center and Dana came from a hospital management company background when they decided to follow their own path and create a new type of architectural firm. Based on strong client relationships, hands-on service, and a focus on healthcare design, they became the founders of what is now the only significant home-grown healthcare architectural firm remaining in the city of Houston.
HEALTHCARE STRONG IN THE 80’s (Opposite page) Texas Medical Center circa 1980 (Right) Dana Wilke and Roger Philo in 1985
1985
GETTING STARTED (Above) PhiloWilke’s first project was Dr. Bobby Alford’s waiting room at Methodist Hospital (Right) Roger and Dana build-out first office in 500 SF photo lab
In October of 1985, the PhiloWilke Partnership began as “Philo Architects” in a 500-SF photo lab area within Roger and his wife, Opal’s house. This humble beginning soon grew with new staff and the first significant project was for Methodist Hospital (now Houston Methodist). Working with Dr. Bobby Alford within the department of Otolaryngology, this small architectural firm continued to build upon these relationships that would sustain them for many years to come. The strategic direction of the firm began as a hands-on, service-oriented practice and not focused on growing larger. The founding partners believed that the “rightsize” was what made sense to serve their clients with their healthcare expertise. “We started the firm in October of 85. We started in a little 500-SF photo lab adjacent to Roger’s house on Joanel Street. I was the only employee for the first month, Roger stayed at Morris Architects as a consultant for the Methodist Dunn Tower.” – Dana Wilke Founding Partner
WHY HEALTHCARE? Roger worked for a mega-firm in Omaha, Nebraska when he graduated from school and healthcare soon became his focus and interest. Becoming involved in a large Memorial Hospital project (now Memorial Hermann) allowed Roger to create relationships and gain early career experience needed to eventually create the Philo Architects company. Dana’s interest in healthcare started at the beginning of his career as he worked on the management side and then moved into the more traditional architectural design world. Building upon their interests, they went on to form a partnership that would lead to the PhiloWilke Partnership we know today. HOME BASE (Above) Projects in the early days were spread across Texas (Right) The exterior of PhiloWilke’s first office on Joanel Street in Houston
FLEXIBILITY FOR GROWTH (Above) Office construction - as the team grew they began taking over the Joanel Street home. Roger and Opal were on the move again to find a home of their own.
LIFE IN 1985 “Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” - Dr. Emmett Brown
• The average home price was under $100k • “Don’t Mess with Texas” began as an anti-littering campaign • Swatch Watches were the most popular Christmas gift • Top grossing movie was Back to the Future • Live Aid concert was held on July 13, 1985, it is the largest televised event in history to date
By 1987 the firm grew beyond what the photo lab space could provide and eventually took over the entire house. With this growth came the need for an “official” company car. A Ford Van became the go-to vehicle in the fleet for traveling around Texas. “One morning in 1986, Opal went up to the kitchen to make coffee and ran into a stranger with a beard standing at the counter making copies. The search for a place to live suddenly became a top priority! By June the entire Joanel St. house was Philo Architect’s office.” - Roger Philo Founding Partner Roger and Opal Philo
WAX NOSTALGIC PhiloWilke’s first pharmacy project.
Roger was invited by a new CEO, recently relocated from Hermann Hospital in Houston, to attend a planning session at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler to discuss a new intensive care unit. That meeting began a series of projects covering the next eight years including parking structures, a medical office building, Cath Labs, Radiation Oncology, site expansion utilization studies, and many others. “We often had 2-3 people traveling to Tyler nearly every week. “ Mother Frances would prove to be one of the firm’s top clients throughout the ’80s and 90’s and their projects would continue to keep the firm busy for many years. “We burned the roads up between here and Tyler for a lot of years. We bought a van and outfitted it as an office. We had this big old ugly Ford van that was set up, drove it back and forth.” – Dana Wilke Founding Partner ROAD WARRIORS During the 90’s Trinity Mother Frances was one of our major clients.
A DECADE OF RURAL HEALTHCARE Within the first five years, the company grew to about 19 staff. This was another important milestone for the firm as the name changed to PhiloWilke, LLP to reflect not only Dana’s contributions but to also provide more structure to the growing practice. The 1990s ushered in a decade of boom and bust for PhiloWilke. The firm had little work in Houston but began to work for many other clients throughout Texas including Trinity Mother Francis in Tyler. This put the Ford van to good use traveling around Texas for many of these early projects.
HOUSTON TO TYLER As a relationship based firm, our founders showed us the importance of high quality documents and service.
BUILDING OVER & OUT Trinity Mother Frances Sky-bridge
1990
PATIENT-CENTRIC DESIGN UTMB Galveston Patient Room Renovation
LIFE IN 1990 “Anything less than the best is a felony” - Vanilla Ice
•
Ice, Ice Baby was the first rap single to reach No. 1
• The Americans With Disabilities Act was signed
The firm continued to grow and prosper with over 20 staff until the mid 90’s when the economy, especially within the healthcare industry, came to a screeching halt. The federal government began to examine ways to reform the industry and most healthcare systems put essentially all of their projects on hold.
• Ghost was the top grossing movie of the year
By about 1995, the firm reduced its staff back down to
• Cheers was the number one TV show
the house they were working out of and move to a new
• On August 6, 1990 Iraqi troops invade Kuwait beginning the Gulf War
Dana, Roger, and Dana’s wife Lynette. They decided to sell office on in the popular Galleria area.
By the late 1990s, the firm began to grow once again and added key people in the future growth of the company. Vic Gelsomino and Kevin TenBrook both became partners in the success of PhiloWilke. Kevin brought deep experience from owning his own company within the architectural technology sector and worked at the same large architectural firm as Dana and Roger as well. He provided early adoption and expertise in drawing tools such as AutoCAD and Cadvance, along with extensive construction documentation experience. “Healthcare facilities are one of the most complex building types that exist. The challenges of ever-changing technology, innovation, codes and clinical operation models are what drew me to the specialization. Doing what I can to create positive environments for healing is very rewarding and meaningful to me. ” – Steve Schultz ALL THAT PAPER The office is the 80’s was filled with surface space for both drafting tables and computers to run Cadvance.
Partner since 2002
THE THREE AMIGOS Dana Wilke, Kevin TenBrook, and Roger Philo meeting in the Sage office.
1995
DESIGNING FOR FUN Vaughn Construction office design in 1999
TECH SAVVY ARCHITECTURE In the early days of technology adoption within the design industry PhiloWilke was at the forefront of implementation. It gave the firm a competitive advantage that is still evident within the marketplace today. Kevin did not follow the herd, but rather helped create a new path based on customizing the smartest technology available within the drawing, database and web-based software industries. By the late 1980s, virtually 100% of the firm’s work was in CAD except for some hand-drawn design presentations. In 1992, P&W Architects adopted Cadvance, the very first CAD software system for Windows. While the market focused primarily on the use of AutoCad, PhiloWilke continued to improve Cadvance for years to come and eventually migrated to the 3d Revit platform. Again, the firm took the lead within the market by adopting Revit from the beginning and quickly customizing it to provide their client’s outstanding documentation and improved schedules. THE OG OF LAPTOPS PhiloWilke’s first computers were the Compact Suitcase
Vic Gelsomino’s background was in the design of modern laboratory and research facilities which naturally complemented the healthcare clients being served by the firm. By 1998 the firm outgrew the space in the Galleria area and moved to a new location on Richmond near the Beltway out on the west side. This provided the additional space and quality of life the partners desired since the commute to the Galleria area Sage office was not a big hit. In 1999, Roger decided to retire, leaving an
LIFE IN 1995 “To infinity and beyond!” - Buzz Lightyear
• The top song was Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” • Postage stamps costs 32 cents • The first Toy Story movie was released, making it the year’s top movie
indelible mark on the firm’s culture and
• Russian space station Mir greets first American in space
continued success. Dana’s vision carried on the duo’s original goals of providing focused design services for healthcare and research clients.
•
Windows 95 was launched, Forbes called it “the most important operating system of all time”
MENTORING & COLLABORATION From the beginning the firm placed importance on continuing education. Vic Gelsomino was a strong advocate and mentor.
REACHING OUT Cornerstone Regional Hospital in Edinburg, Texas
At about the same time, the firm decided to buy RC Johnson Architects, Inc, an architectural practice of five staff. This new group included Cathryn Horan who would go on to become a partner in the firm and still is today. Ronald Johnson went to work for St. Luke’s Hospital and PhiloWilke turned the page as it entered the 2000’s as a strong and growing firm within the healthcare market. Regular fishing trips were continually interjected among the on-going work as the company built upon its relationships within the industry. “Challenging yourself is the only way to grow and truly love what you do. Through our leadership and thoughtfulness, PhiloWilke has gained a reputation for our ability to successfully solve the most challenging issues in health design. We truly love what we do.” – Cathryn Horan Partner since 2009 SALT LIFE Dana Wilke’s got it in the bag
HEALTH SCIENCE ARCHITECTURE The first decade of the new century would prove to be a time of continued growth and positive changes for PhiloWilke. Teamed with industry partners, the firm pursued projects around the Houston area, as well as around the state. PhiloWilke worked in rural markets on many hospitals such as Cornerstone in the Rio Grande Valley as well as work in El Paso. The South Campus Research Building No. 1 and No. 2 (SCRB 1) buildings with MD Anderson were the first significant research lab projects for the company and were awarded to the firm based upon the reputation it had created by doing many small projects there over the years. PhiloWilke continued to build upon this project as well as other one-of-a-kind installations such as an unshielded cyclotron (say that fast three times!) and a cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Process) facility. LEADERSHIP EXPANDS Frank Marquez, Cathryn Horan, Stephen Kolkmeier, and Fred Nordquist celebrate Associate Partnership.
HEALTH-SCIENCE SURGE The firm’s first significant research-focused project, SCRB 1.
2000
LIFE IN 2000 “Your mission should you choose to accept it...” - Mission Impossible
• Top New Story: The Texas 7 prisoners escape and start a month long crime spree through Texas • The Los Angles Laker’s won the NBA Championship • Mission Impossible was the top grossing movie • 537 votes decide race, George W. Bush elected 43rd President
TROPICAL WAVES The team hunkered down and braced as Tropical Storm Allison wreaked havoc on the City of Houston.
This experience led to other research projects outside of the traditional medical sector such as device manufacturing, incubator laboratories for start-ups, higher education, and teaching environments. Examples of these complex projects include the Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) for the University of Houston, Texas State University, and JLabs at the Texas Medical Center (Johnson & Johnson, Incubator Laboratories). This additional expertise gave PhiloWilke the capability to provide design services in patient care, health education, as well as research and development for front line therapies and treatments. A HOLE IN ONE Well almost, Peter Stojkovic, Kristen Kautz, Vic Gelsomino and Steve Schultz enjoy a day on the course.
CATCH OF THE DAY Staff fishing trip circa 2004
Key staff joined the firm in this era, including Steve Schultz coming over from Texas Children’s Hospital and Vicki Seely as the company bookkeeper. Both have been integral parts in making the company as successful as it is today. Having worked along side Roger and Dana, they continue to impart wisdom and experience to the firm today. And did we mention that fishing was a part of the history of PhiloWilke? Dana Wilke grew up enjoying the outdoors and fishing has always been one of his greatest passions. Inevitably, it became an integral part of the cultural DNA of PhiloWilke. In the firm’s early years and through close friendships other industry partners, these annual fishing excursions would become very popular. Today, we continue to involve ourselves in numerous events from golf and sporting clay tournaments, to fundraising gala’s and our annual Cars and Crawfish and Cars charity event. The importance of building and maintaining long-lasting relationships with our community has helped to define our culture of service, quality, teamwork, and trust. QUEEN PINS Vicki Seely, Lynette Wilke and Serena Etie attend AGC Wacky Bowl tournament
ON THE MOVE Mammoet Headquarters
The firm continued to grow and do healthcare work around the state including in Jacksonville in east Texas. They also became known for taking on unique and complex projects along the way, such as the headquarters for Mammoet, a global leader in heaving lifting and transport. Mammoet worked with PhiloWilke to design a new multi-level office headquarters building near Houston, and once built, it was moved to its final location on the site located in Rosharon, TX. “Getting into healthcare design was purely by accident... but once I was involved I was hooked. I love knowing that I am contributing to healing people by providing a positive and memorable environment.” – Greg Johnson Partner since 2011
MAKING BIG MOVES The Mammoet design team jokes at the new offices relocation day. Pictured John Smart, Michael Cox and Andy Palmer
The strategic direction of the firm continued to not grow for growth’s sake but to focus on the client’s needs within the healthcare and research markets. As the first decade came to a close, the firm had built a reputation around the state as a no-nonsense company with a strong technical staff. However, the firm soon built upon this strength by becoming known as providing outstanding design as well under the direction of John Smart. For example, the project below highlights the design quality that combined with this technical expertise to create a truly unique healthcare design firm within the market.
SKETCHING FROM THE START (Left) John Smart had a knack for sketching projects and giving Owners an idea of the end result prior to rendering software. (Right) Memorial Herman’s Heart and Vascular Institution
2005
LIFE IN 2005 “Tom Cruise lost his mind on Oprah” • YouTube was launched with 1.95 million people streaming content by end of year • Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans • Top News Story: Iraq War continued to dominate news coverage. First parliamentary election was held in Iraq • Jamie Foxx won an Academy Award as best actor for his portrayal of Ray Charles
AIA SANDCASTLE Fun in the sun and out of the office the team bonded many years at the AIA Sandcastle event. Kevin TenBrook goes down in history as PhiloWilke’s master carver.
“I always thoroughly enjoyed PhiloWilke’s Sandcastle efforts. Participating in the event was much like managing a design project, and brought out the same skills in those engaged. We always considered Sandcastle to be an employee-led and managed event. I was merely one of many participants, settling in typically as a carver after several years of doing the photography and videography. Anyone remember Windows Movie Maker? Those were good days, and I still have the movies!” - Kevin TenBrook Partner 1997-2018
20 YEARS! Cathryn Horan, Stephen Kolkmeier, and Lynette Wilke at Oktoberfest themed 20th Anniversary celebration!
LAB FOCUSED, HEALTH SCIENCE MD Anderson Cancer Center South Campus Research Building 3
SHIFTING TO THE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL PhiloWilke has been designing small hospitals in Texas since the firm was founded in 1985. These early hospitals generally specialized in outpatient and limited inpatient surgical services and were themselves an evolution of the freestanding ambulatory surgery center (ASC), which was still in its infancy. The first small hospital we designed at PhiloWilke was started in 1996, and as a healthcare delivery concept, it was quite new. Later, in 2007, PhiloWilke was fortunate to meet a group of forward-thinking emergency room physicians. They asked us, “What would it take to expand our facility to meet the licensing regulations for an acute care or specialty hospital?� That group of physicians founded the company Emerus, now the largest operator of community-hospitals in the United States.
NATIONWIDE Over the past 10 years our portfolio has expanded across the nation.
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY HEALTH-FOCUSED ARCHITECTURE By the second decade of the new century, the firm continued to grow its reputation as top-tier healthcare and research architectural firm throughout Texas. PhiloWilke opened an office in El Paso in 2010 and developed several projects in the region, including the new Medical Center of the Americas building. During these years the firm also continued to build upon the strong relationships within the Houston region as well as across the United States. Micro-hospitals became an important part of the portfolio, as well as many other larger projects to complement the steady stream of smaller projects. The firm continued to expand its work on ambulatory surgery centers, new greenfield hospitals, equipment change-outs, and freestanding emergency centers.
ENJOY A COLD ONE Roger and Dana remain involved with company events to this day.
THINKING SMALL Bayside Community Clinic design set a new direction in the firm’s exterior design approach.
2010
Recognized as a company that has the flexibility to handle projects of all sizes, PhiloWilke continued to build upon its multi-decade legacy. The firm continued to push the boundaries of the use of technology by transitioning completely from AutoCAD to Revit as a documentation platform. The firm grew to have numerous partners who helped build a strong and sustainable future.
EYE ON THE TARGET Partners Steve Schultz and Kevin TenBrook at a clay shoot.
A CUT ABOVE Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital
LIFE IN 2010 “Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof” • Facebook reaches 550 million users only seven years after launching • Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010 causing the largest marine spill in history • Apple released the first iPad on April 3, 2010 • Top News Story: January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the island nation of Haiti
TECH TAKE-OVER As technology evolves the PhiloWilke team learns and grows - we take each advancement in the tools as an opportunity to better serve our clients.
THE EVOLUTION OF DESIGN NO SURPRISES! The PhiloWilke “integrated” approach to design is one that is both methodical and collaborative while evolving over the decades. A successful project requires a team approach that involves all stakeholders including the owners, staff, users, and consultants. Before the generation of any design, questions are asked, user and staff surveys are taken, vision sessions take place, sites are analyzed, and building forensics are performed. The design team takes this information and develops a unifying concept, based upon the client’s needs. This defines the theme that will run throughout the design, both on the building itself and the site upon which it sits. It is here that all the consultants and the design team combine their talents to produce a cohesive, integrated project. PWP ANGELS Partner, Jennifer Young and staff Cristal Lozano and Diane Griffin bond during a mentor tribe session
PhiloWilke’s unique approach to design became even more powerful during this time-frame. Our belief that everyone in the firm has an important responsibility in the design of the project continued to improve our reputation. This “No Silos” and “One Studio” philosophy firm structure creates an environment where everyone is accountable and an important part of the process. Utilizing the most advanced 3D software, listening with educated ears and insisting on client participation are the foundations of the PhiloWilke Way. This simple yet time-proven design approach provides our client’s with NO SURPRISES. “At PhiloWilke, we certainly know how to have a good time but we also know how to buckle down and put out a good product.” – Larry Gawloski Partner 2014-2020
SKETCHY TIMES Sketching is an important part of our culture and the team meets weekly, while Larry Gawloski teaches everyone a thing or two about wine. Photographed with Associate Partner, Robert Babb and Ricardo Cuellar
SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE Medical Center of the Americas Cardwell Collaborative Building
2015
In the spirit of the companies easy-going mentality, we have “Bring your pet to work Fridays” once a month, an annual gingerbread house competition, and many other internal team-building exercises. The PWP team also gives back to clients and other important organizations – The annual Crawfish and Cars event has grown over the years with outstanding attendance and cool cars. This event’s purpose is to let clients know how much the firm values their loyalty and friendship, while also including an artistic fundraising element for a local charity. “I learn something from the partnership every day, there are a lot of different experiences, different expertise so if one of us doesn’t have the answer somebody else does and you’ll learn from it and build upon it.” – Melissa Edwards Partner since 2016
ITS A FAMILY AFFAIR (Right) Associate Partners Luke Christen, Kenneth Olson and spouses dressed up as Poison for our 80’s 30th anniversary celebration. (Left) PhiloWilke team takes first place at 2017 Product Runway competition.
LIFE IN 2015 “John Snow died?” - Game of Thrones
• Top TV show Empire spawned an instant cultural phenomenon • Memorial Day Flood devastating storms flood most of Houston with more than 11 inches of water in 9 hours • The Rise of Netflix: 2015 saw a massive surge in online only platforms, with Netflix securing the No. 1 spot for original content • Top News Story: Paris attacks and the growing threat of ISIS
400,000 SF OF TILT-WALL DESIGN Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital
NEVER STOP LEARNING THE PHILOWILKE WAY! One of the key ways this culture has been embedded within the entire firm is our unique mentoring program. In 2015, “The PhiloWilke Way� mentoring program was formally established to incorporate both formal and informal mentoring tactics to increase the speed by which young professionals gain knowledge. This program encourages every person to become leaders, productive contributors, and clear communicators within the project team. Based on five core values, the team stands behind the principles of teamwork, innovation, communication, accountability, and integrity. MENTORS IN THE MAKING Zach Mitchell, Julie Holder, Julen Arruti and Partner, Jennifer Young
BEST IN SHOW 2016 Canstruction Houston our team donated over 5,000 cans of food.
DESIGNING FOR COMMUNITY Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital Outpatient Center
Our mentor program has allowed us a platform upon which to define goals while developing leadership skills and utilizing individual strengths to foster the encouragement of others. PhiloWilke leaders continually work towards solidifying relationships and inspiring others towards accomplishing a shared vision, while promoting the next generation of leaders. “The PhiloWilke Way” not only defines the path by which we enrich and develop our team, but it has also become the foundation of our company culture. “Our mentor program isn’t just a person or a place, it is an extension of our culture. A collaboration of our leadership by which to provide a resource for younger professionals to find answers, grow their skill sets and develop longlasting relationships. Mentoring welds our team together into a collaborative family.” – Jennifer Young Partner since 2017 STEELING A SMILE Shelly Bettenhausen, Shane Daves and Partner, Greg Johnson at Houston Methodist Baytown Outpatient Center topping out.
The company still keeps the same can-do culture to this day and continues to expand its connections and contributions to the community. Our dedicated staff and leadership regularly participate in charities such as the Houston Canstruction event which provides food for people in need throughout the region. We participate in various Client-oriented Fun Runs to raise awareness of health issues affecting us all. Our holiday events include donating toys and essentials to families around the Houston area. As we close out the second decade of the new century, PhiloWilke still believes that the best way to serve our clients is to listen with educated ears while integrating the most advanced technologies available today. We look forward to the decades to come and our continued service to our clients.
PHILOWILKE PROUD Partner, Melissa Edwards proudly represents PhiloWilke while attending a conference.
EXPANDING REACH Memorial Hermann The Woodlands South Tower Addition
2020
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