Alumni Spotlight: Sam D'Amico, FAIA (B.Arch. '81)

September 24, 2025

ABOVE: Gansu Provincial International Medical Center provides healthcare to the region, as well as access to landscape and art to the community at large. Lanzhou, China completed 2023. Recipient of several design awards including “2023 Best Users Experience” by CHCC; Gansu Medical Center Grand Hall is the nexus of the overarching concept, the “River Gallery.” This Gallery sweeps across the site to connect various departments with daylight, nature, and art.

Name: Sam D'Amico, FAIA
Hometown: Lafayette, California
Major: Bachelor of Architecture
Graduation Year: 1981
Employer: SmithGroup
Title: Vice President, Design Director

“My designs integrate art, nature, and daylight, which are core to my design tenets to create healing environments. Placemaking ensures that every project reflects the unique identity and spirit of its community.”

Why did you choose the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design? What drew you to design?
Honestly, as a native Houstonian, I never considered any other Architecture program. I was also drawn to the five-year professional accredited Bachelor of Architecture program, which laid the groundwork for my licensure. This turned out to be the best educational decision I ever made, and I enjoyed every year. From model building to precision radiograph ink on Mylar, to that pivotal fourth-year project, “painted air,” within a cigar box. I was inspired by the power of design and the emotive aspects of architecture.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time on campus? Was there a particular professor who influenced your education?
Every year and every studio honed my skills, and they instilled the importance of precision and commitment to quality, taking pride in every project challenge. The Honors studio program was the most rewarding and impactful time at UH. In particular, John Perry’s studio with visiting critics was the most memorable. In 1979, when John Hedjuk (former dean of Cooper Union) was a visiting critic and his studio project entailed the fusion of art and music displayed in a simple cigar box. Hedjuk viewed my work, consisting of an abstracted model of a violin under a delicate shroud of translucent mesh fabric, and described it as “painted air”. This reinforced Hedjuk’s message that architecture is poetry and inspired my interest in integrating art into architecture, a key design tenet of my design approach.

ABOVE: UC Davis Health / California Tower, under construction with completion scheduled for 2030. Recipient of a National Healthcare AIA Design Award, 2024; UC Davis Health Main Entry highlights the design concept of “Confluence.” This undulating breezeway with integrated lines of light create a welcoming gesture to the diverse Sacramento community.

Tell us about a typical day in your job. Do you have a particular design or business philosophy?
As the national healthcare design director and project designer at SmithGroup, my design philosophy is grounded in understanding the unique culture and context of each client, providing the inspiration for meaningful architecture. I believe every successful client relationship begins with attentive listening. Listening is the springboard for understanding, exploration, and discovery. I take clients' messages to heart but also lead them beyond their comfort zone to discover the true essence of every project and craft an architectural response authentically reflecting their values. My designs integrate art, nature, and daylight, which are core to my design tenets to create healing environments. Placemaking ensures every project reflects the unique identity and spirit of its community.

What is one career accomplishment of which you are particularly proud? How do you feel the College prepared you for this?
One of my proudest accomplishments is being elevated to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows (FAIA) for my work in healthcare design. This area of focus is one of the most impactful building typologies directly improving health through healing environments. My interest in healthcare can be traced back to my fifth-year thesis project, “Psychiatric Health Village,” where I was awarded “Most Innovative Thesis.” This honor and reinforcement certainly set my path and career as a healthcare designer. Additionally, I am very proud of my commitment to integrating art into architecture, which I attribute to my “cigar box” studio project and the poetry of art and architecture.

ABOVE: The Concourse at the VA Louisville Medical Center in Kentucky embodies the concept of “Healing with Honor.” The Concourse provides abundant daylight and various roof gardens for a healing and uplifting environment. Scheduled to complete 2026 and recipient of the AIA/AAH Design Award 2015.

What is one valuable lesson you learned during your time at the Hines College?
Every studio certainly instilled the value of design excellence and the importance of having a strong design idea, whereby every detail reinforces your design vision. The Honors studios during my fourth and fifth years were the most formative years and taught me the importance of collaboration and attention to detail. The camaraderie and teamwork carried into my professional character and work ethic.

What advice would you give to current architecture and design students?
Persevere and follow your dreams. Approach every project as a unique challenge that responds to your client’s vision and culture and is also designed specifically to the context. Have a “big idea” that reflects the overall project vision and threads throughout the design, including the site, exterior, and interiors. This holistic design approach will yield meaningful architecture.