The Wellbeing Dividend: Why Human-Centered Work is the Ultimate Competitive Advantage
I’ve been with SMRT for nearly two decades. In those 19 years, I’ve had a front-row seat to a fundamental shift in how we define the workplace. In the past, offices were a backdrop, a static arrangement of furniture and floor plans, today, work environments are a high-performance tool for productivity, profitability, and people. Here…
Honoring a Legacy: Designing the Future of the Boys & Girls Club
I grew up in Maine and New Hampshire with dreams of becoming an architect. That path led me across the country and even overseas, designing people-centered spaces in all kinds of communities. But now, I’ve come full circle, back to Maine, the place that first sparked my passion for design. Some projects resonate more deeply…
Precision & Acceleration: 7 Key Design and Construction Trends Shaping Radiopharma Facilities in 2026
By Andrew Tyner, Senior Principal, Director of Life Sciences & Nutrition Practice, and Christopher McAllister, Project Management Leader of the Life Sciences & Nutrition and Advanced Manufacturing Practices The Urgency of Targeted Medicine The radiopharmaceutical sector is experiencing a period of explosive growth, driven by the shift towards highly targeted theranostics, agents that both diagnose and treat…
From Chaos to Clarity: Fixing Broken Workflows
Picture this: three weeks into a complex facility design, the owner sends updated equipment specifications for the third time. Hundreds of data points and Revit families across multiple models need adjustment, MEP calculations must be reviewed for increased equipment loads, and the deadline hasn’t moved. How can the team adapt? If this scenario sounds familiar,…
5 Steps to Balance Care and Operations in Remote Skilled Nursing Design
By Erin Anderson, Senior Principal, Director of Interior Design, and Mark Rogers, Associate Principal, Architectural Discipline Leader Designing a skilled nursing facility (SNF) in a remote or island setting, like those we’ve tackled in Northern Maine and Nantucket, is a unique opportunity. The challenges of isolation, labor shortages, and logistics serve as powerful catalysts, forcing design teams to rethink the standard…
Laying the Foundation: A Modern Design for the Future of Community Wellness at the Bangor YMCA
The spirit of community and wellness took a monumental step forward on Friday, October 17, as SMRT joined the Bangor YMCA, elected officials, and regional partners for the official groundbreaking ceremony of the new Cathy Gero Bangor Region YMCA. This milestone marks the start of construction for a vital, 80,000-square-foot community hub, designed by our…
Microelectronics Facility Design: Precision, Performance, and Purpose-Built Flexibility
Microelectronics technology touches nearly every aspect of modern life – from smartphones and satellites to medical imaging machines and wine coolers. Inside many day-to-day items we maytake for granted is a computer chip, and behind each chip is a purpose-built space, a fab, where precision and control drive performance. A typical fab has HEPA-filtered air,…
Rebecca Casey and Jessica King Share Expertise on Adaptive Reuse of Retail for Outpatient Care in Healthcare Facilities Today
Adaptive reuse of empty big-box stores is an increasingly popular strategy for expanding healthcare services in both urban and suburban settings, redefining how communities’ access crucial medical care. Repurposing these retail spaces offers a unique and sustainable opportunity to bring essential services closer to patients, often in highly visible, easily accessible locations with ample parking. …
Athletic Field Design: The 7 Most Frequently Asked Questions From Higher Ed Leaders
When a college or university considers a new or upgraded athletic field, it’s about more than grass and goalposts. These projects are complex undertakings that have to balance performance, budget, and long-term sustainability. At our firm, we’ve guided countless higher education clients through this process, and a few core questions always rise to the top….
What Happens When Expertise Isn’t Enough?
AI and the Future of Professional Services The expertise our industry is built on may no longer be a reliable differentiator. That sounds dystopian, and in many ways, it is. Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how knowledge is accessed, validated, and deployed. In a world where AI tools can generate code summaries, produce concept plans,…