Anchor Districts: Research and Innovation Districts, partnerships between community, higher education and healthcare
A return to the home field My visit to the UC Davis Edwards Family Athletic Center (EFAC) and the UCD Health clinic became an unexpected homecoming—professionally and personally. But first a little about this striking facility. I had the chance to tour the new Gensler-designed facility with James Maus from Read more…
In September 2025, we visited University of California, Merced for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Shared Resource Laboratory project. Between tours of the campus and research facilities, our team (Uta Grieshammer, Susan Swift, Dan Eriksson) kicked off this exciting project that will expand with the research core facilities Read more…
History Repeats Image above: Beckman Institute, City of Hope, Duarte California. When the NIH rejected a grant for synthetic insulin in the 1970s, researchers led by Arthur Riggs proceeded without federal funding. The rest is history. And history repeats itself. Construction Progress Despite federal changes, committed California institutes and researchers Read more…
A Decade in the Making The project started in earnest over a decade ago with a vision. Mark Romney, with his experience with AURP, was instrumental in championing revisioning a planned academic research zone at the Med Center in Sacramento. For proof of concept, we brought on experts in academic Read more…
After over a decade of visioning, leadership and delivery, Sacramento’s Innovation District is on the horizon. The SwiftEnvirons team is grateful for a visit to the Aggie Square project. Thanks to Claire Drummond of Wexford Science and Technology hosted our tour. Our focus for this visit was Wexford’s ConnectLab at Read more…
A time for reflection on 2024 and focus on building 2025 Like every snowflake, every year is a unique, beautiful point in time. Celebrate 2024 and prepare for 2025
“I won’t retire but I might retread” – Falling from Above, Neil Young Just over three years ago Joel retired from almost three decades of public service in California, notably with the University of California and County of Placer. This afforded Joel the opportunity to help Susan set up SwiftEnvirons Read more…
People have asked “what have you been doing for the past three years since retiring?” True, Joel retired from public service after 29+ years at the University of California and County of Placer, California. But, as Neil Young sang, Joel says “I won’t retire, but I might retread”. That retread Read more…
This image captures client satisfaction wih the Project Chair Dr. Diana L. Farmer, M.D. Chair of the UC Davis Department of Surgery. She is testing the public space at the Children’s Surgery Center at the UC Davis Children’s Hospital on the Sacramento Campus. The broader picture is one of the Read more…
A little background. In my history at the University of California, Davis – Healthcare, I had the rare opportunity to lead not only planning, design, construction and operations of multibillion dollar programs. My role also included the highest level of QA of the AHJ and Fire Marshall for critical care, Read more…