kmd’s Chris Buchanan is dedicated to community building. In Spokane, Washington, he led an expansion of the NE Community Center as a volunteer with AmeriCorps. While working for the nonprofit East Tennessee Community Design Center, he provided team leadership for a new Public Library in Tellico Village. The project earned LEED Silver certification by retaining existing structures and trees, landscaping with rain gardens, cisterns and using sustainable materials. Lastly, Chris still finds time to organize meetings for an architectural community board on meetup.com with over 900 members.
Chris joined kmd as a Production Manager and Architect at our Seattle office in 2018. He holds an NAAB in Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and is a certified LEAN Practitioner with over 12 years of experience in new construction and tenant improvement of commercial, residential, and healthcare projects. Chris has a diversity of experience as a Construction Administrator, Project Manager, Facility Manager, Community Designer, Urban Designer, and Master Planner, allowing him flexibility, focus, and diplomacy as a project leader.
Tellico Village Public Library. Chris led design efforts for this built project while with the nonprofit East Tennessee Community Design Center. Image: Smee+Busby Architects
Since joining kmd, Chris has provided exemplary team leadership in the Construction Administration of several projects including the Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital and an Emergency Department Expansion to MultiCare’s Allenmore Hospital, both in Tacoma, Washington. Currently, Chris is working on a new Critical Care Unit at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, Washington which includes Airborne Infectious Isolation (AII) Patient Rooms and a uniquely designed Air Flow Mechanical System to handle pandemics such as COVID-19.
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Emergency Department Expansion | Tacoma, WA
When he is not spearheading a large-scale, ground up project, tenant improvement or energy-saving renovation to medical facilities, community buildings, and multi-family housing, Chris loves going on Hiking and Sightseeing trips with his wife Marilyn and three-year-old daughter Zoë. During this period of Work From Home, he has constructed a large backyard wooden playset for Zoë. It has been a thrill for his child to swing and slide again after public playgrounds have been closed in the Seattle area for several months.