Our Story
Find what you love to do! We haven’t always designed for the healthcare field.
Prior to founding GDG Architects in 2005, Jesse and Kisha Given led a firm focused on commercial and residential architecture and interior design services. From high-rise commercial building projects to high-end celebrity homes, the Givens worked with clients all across Southern California, from Santa Barbara to Newport Beach.
After establishing GDG Architects, the firm expanded from commercial and residential properties to medical and healthcare facilities. However, an experience with patients and nurses while redesigning the headwalls and interior at the pediatric center at City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Facility shaped GDG’s dedicated focus healthcare architecture:
Years ago, City of Hope contracted GDG Architects to provide a proposal for replacing the headwalls of the pediatric wing on the fourth floor of the Helford Tower. City of Hope specializes in treating pediatric cancer patients and helping their families cope with their young ones battling cancer. Nurses working in this facility need to be brave and protective of vulnerable patients and their families. On the day of our arrival to inspect the site for this project, we were halted abruptly by a nurse before entering a patient’s room, who blurted out ‘STOP! The patient is not ready to leave her room.’ A large team of architects, engineers and project managers stood motionless for a few moments, after which the nurse emerged from the room with a seven-year-old patient holding her hand. The patient looked up to the nurse and asked, ‘are they going to make my room pretty?’
We realized right at that moment, that our work has the power to make a real impact in the community. Healthcare architecture answers to a higher purpose than residential or commercial projects since there is a direct connection between every design choice and the experience of patients and medical staff. Every careful consideration in our design process – no matter how big or small – translates to improved comfort and convenience, often for patients and families dealing with the most unimaginable health challenges. It was clear to us from that moment forward, that GDG would focus solely on healthcare projects, and we rebranded as GDG Healthcare Architects.
Our Mission
Given Design Group is reimagining the future of healthcare facilities through architectural design solutions that deliver functionality and improve the patient care experience. We are committed to streamlining the process of developing healthcare facilities through decades of experience, specialized expertise in HCAI regulations and procedures, and a hands-on, personal approach from experts who understand the healthcare field.