Shannon Kraus, AIA, MBA, ACHA

Senior Vice President
HKS, Inc.

“Architecture is not just about building buildings. It is about building communities where we live, work and play.”

Focused on creating sustainable architecture that connects with its users and the community it serves, Shannon has dedicated much of his work to experiential design solutions that reinforce the clients brand, vision, and values.   With a background and education in both architecture and business, this includes synthesizing operational, technological, sustainable, and strategic market variables into affordable, integrated and implementable design solutions. Most recently his projects have been recognized for how they integrate hospitality design with healthcare design, to redefine the patient/guest experience.

With over 15 years of healthcare planning experience, Shannon has been an integral part of the design and planning of over 20 million square feet of healthcare projects throughout the United States and abroad on projects of all sizes in scope, including 15 new and replacement hospitals.   His work has included complex facilities such as freestanding heart hospitals, to replacement hospitals, women’s centers, short stay hospitals, and ambulatory care facilities.  His projects have been honored with design awards from both the AIA, and Modern Healthcare, and have been recognized in publications such as Healthcare Design and Hospitality Design magazines. 

As a result of his visionary, strategic and innovative approach, Shannon has made contributions that go beyond his individual project work.  He is a board certified healthcare architect by ACHA, is a contributing author to the FGI 2010 Guidelines for Healthcare Construction, and on Faculty with the American Hospital Association teaching seminars in hospital design.  In 2005 he served as National Vice President on the American Institute of Architects Board of Directors where he helped organize and lead the organizations knowledge and research agenda.  Additionally, he was Chair of the National Associates Committee, and has worked with both the Clemson University & University of Texas at Arlington Schools of Architecture as a studio critic and lecturer.   In 2007 he launched and founded the HKS design fellowship, focused on bringing together designers across the globe together for the purposes of providing design thinking to a community base need.

In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded young architect of the year from the AIA in 2005, and from TSA in 2006.  In 2008 he was named one of building design and constructions 40 under 40, and in 2009 was honored as one of the Dallas Business Journal’s 40 under 40 honorees.  Currently he is the chair for the 2010 AIA national convention in Miami, and continues to be active with architecture school accreditations. 

Shannon is an Associate Principal and the Healthcare Practice Leader in the DC office of HKS for the mid-atlantic and northeast United States.  Shannon resides in Washington D.C. with his amazing wife Heather and inspirational twin boys, Zach and Aaron.