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WW Breakfast Designing From the Other Side of the Contract
An architect’s perspective on influence, advocacy, and design excellence in design-build. Design-build promises integration, speed, innovation, and greater certainty, but what does it ask of the architect in return? This candid conversation among experienced architects will examine how the architect’s role changes when contractual authority, commercial risk, design responsibility, and client advocacy no longer align in familiar ways. Panelists will explore where design-build elevates design, where it creates genuine tension, and what distinguishes truly integrated teams from those that are design-build in contract only. The discussion will examine the tradeoffs, behaviors, and leadership choices that determine whether design-build fulfills its promise.
Main objectives
Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of:
1. How architects create influence when they do not hold the prime agreement.
2. How owner advocacy changes inside the design-build relationship.
3. Where cost, schedule, risk, and design excellence genuinely come into conflict.
4. What authentic integration looks like beyond contractual structure.
5. How architectural practice and leadership must evolve to succeed in design-build.
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Speakers:
Heather Johnston, Senior Design Phase Manager
Heather is a Senior Design Phase Manager at Mortenson who specializes in aligning project scope, budget, and schedule during design to create a clear path to successful execution. Drawing on her background in architecture and building information modeling (BIM), she bridges design intent and construction execution, bringing together owners, designers, estimators, and construction teams to help make informed decisions early in the process and build confidence in project costs, timelines, and deliverables before construction begins. Away from work, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, particularly supporting her son’s passion for soccer. She also enjoys golfing, staying active through walks and runs, and exploring a variety of creative hobbies and interests.
Jon McGrew AIA, DBIA, an Associate Principal
Jon McGrew AIA, DBIA, an Associate Principal with Hennebery Eddy Architects, brings nearly 40 years of experience and expertise in knowledge of best practices for progressive design-build projects. Jon currently serves as president of DBIA Northwest Regional Chapter and is a founding member and past president of the DBIA Oregon Chapter. He is an expert on PDB contracting and was a contributor to the DBIA’s national “Best Practices for Progressive Design-Build” publication.
Kris Stamon, Principal and Client Executive
Kris Stamon is a Principal and Client Executive at McGranahanPBK with more than two decades of experience in architecture and project management. A licensed architect and DBIA-certified professional, Kris brings a calm, collaborative leadership style to design-build projects for educational institutions, with key design-build clients including the University of Washington and Tacoma Public Schools. His experience working with publicly funded, community-serving clients informs an approach focused on maximizing the user experience while aligning design quality, project goals, and budget. He sees design-build as an ideal delivery method for this integrated process. Kris helps owners, designers, builders, and stakeholders make informed decisions together, creating effective learning environments while maintaining accountability to project costs, schedule, and long-term community value.
Seamus Kelly, AIA, LEED AP, Principal
Séamus is an architect with a passion for crafting inclusive and high-performing educational environments from early childhood learning through higher education. He specializes in integrated project delivery, including progressive design-build and GC/CM models, and is skilled at managing collaborative teams and processes to create well-crafted learning facilities that support student development and well-being, provide reliable and efficient operations for decades, and enrich the local community. As a project manager, Séamus aligns the design effort around client values and goals, with unwavering commitment to budget and schedule performance. Projects like Blakely Elementary School, UW Bothell Innovation Hall and Washington School for the Deaf demonstrate the exemplary, award-winning results that serve as a national model for design.
Séamus has worked with multiple institutional clients on creating more inclusive restrooms, and to broaden thinking on inclusive design as a member of Mithun’s gender equity taskforce. He enjoys participating in community design-build projects and pro-bono efforts like the Quilcene Education Pavilion, Cascade Bicycle Club headquarters and creation of a natural play structure at Hilltop Children’s Center. Seamus is also a periodic speaker, sharing lessons learned from projects and studies at educational and design-build conferences and events.
Todd Buchanan, Managing Director, Principal
Todd Buchanan is Managing Director of Perkins&Will’s Seattle studio and a recognized leader in collaborative project delivery. With more than 25 years of experience leading complex projects and teams, Todd has been a strong advocate for design-build and Progressive Design-Build as tools for improving collaboration, innovation, and project outcomes. He has been actively involved with DBIA Western Washington Chapter for more than a decade and brings both a designer’s and business leader’s perspective to the evolving design-build market.