Derek Parker Dies

Architect Derek Parker passed away at his home in Tiburon, Calif., on April 18 at the age of 88.

Born in England, he earned his architecture license in 1958. After traveling the world, he moved to San Francisco where he joined architecture, planning, and design firm Anshen + Allen in 1960 (the firm was acquired by Stantec in 2010.)

In 1964, he assumed a leadership role at Anshen + Allen, which he held for nearly 50 years. During his tenure, he guided the firm to a focus on healthcare and academic design, leading the design and planning of more than 50 hospitals and biomedical facilities in 15 countries and received more than 75 awards for his achievements, according to his obituary.

Within the healthcare design industry, he significantly impacted healthcare building design, delivering breakthrough innovation in healthcare facilities and providing visionary leadership in response to changes in the industry. His projects included the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University Medical Center, San Diego Children’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s, Sacred Heart Medical Center, and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. (For more on his career, read this 2009 Q+A in Healthcare Design with Sara Marberry and Parker.)

He received multiple honors throughout his career, including on Healthcare Design magazine’s Most Influential People in Healthcare list for several years. In 2012, he was honored by The Center for Health Design with its Changemaker award.

His influence extended outside the firm, too, with Parker founding, serving as a member of, or advising more than 25 organizations dedicated to improving healthcare such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Academies. Additionally, he served 15 years as a founding member of The Center for Health Design’s board of directors, during which time he helped create The Center’s Pebble Project research initiative.

Parker is survived by his wife Nancy Patten Parker; daughter Sara Murdoch; daughter Amy Parker-Rihm and her husband Greg of Alameda; granddaughter Caitlin Murdoch; granddaughter Ayanna Parker-Rihm; and sister-in-law Dorothy Parker.

The post Derek Parker Dies first appeared on HCD Magazine.

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