HKS Expands Health Practice Leadership

Arthur Brito and Wael Batal take on expanded roles in the design firm's health practice across the West.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in People

Global design firm HKS has expanded leadership of its Health practice, naming Arthur Brito Partner and Regional Practice Director and Wael Batal Vice President and Senior Designer. The changes extend the firm's health work across the West, including California.

Why it matters

The expansion adds leadership capacity to HKS's health design work for hospital and institutional clients in the region. It signals the firm's effort to deepen its partnerships with health organizations across the West.

Arthur Brito brings 25 years of experience in strategic master planning, while Wael Batal has worked on more than 40 projects across 20 countries. The announcement does not detail how these figures will translate into new contracts or revenue.

The players

HKS

HKS is a global design firm with a large architecture practice serving health care and institutional clients.

Arthur Brito

Arthur Brito is a healthcare architect with a background in hospital administration who now leads HKS's regional health practice.

Wael Batal

Wael Batal is a senior designer whose work spans more than 40 projects across 20 countries.

The details

HKS named Arthur Brito Partner and Regional Practice Director, a role with a background in healthcare architecture and hospital administration. Wael Batal was named Vice President and Senior Designer and will advance design excellence for health care and institutional clients across California and the West.

November 2, 2026: HKS announces the Health practice leadership expansion.

Market Landscape

Large architecture firms have increasingly built dedicated healthcare design practices to compete for hospital and institutional commissions. HKS's leadership expansion follows that pattern by deepening its regional health leadership across the West.

Health organizations in California and the West may see HKS offer more dedicated leadership for hospital and institutional design projects. The change does not alter pricing or availability for patients or the public directly.

The takeaway

Leadership changes at major design firms can signal where they plan to focus future health work. Readers tracking healthcare construction in the West may watch for project announcements that follow this expansion.