Cleveland Clinic breaks ground on Avon campus expansion. August 19, 2026 3 Mins Read AVON, Ohio | Cleveland Clinic leaders, caregivers, elected officials and community members gathered recently to celebrate the groundbreaking of a transformative $322 million expansion of Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital and the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center. The multi-phase project will significantly increase the size of the campus and enhance access to advanced, patient-centered care for Lorain County's growing population. The expansion reflects Cleveland Clinic's continued commitment to meeting the region's healthcare needs by increasing capacity across emergency, inpatient and outpatient services while introducing new capabilities and modernized facilities. "This marks an important milestone for the future of healthcare in Lorain County," said Rebecca Starck, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer of Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital. "As the community continues to grow, this investment ensures we can provide greater access to the high-quality care our patients deserve. This project will enhance nearly every aspect of the patient experience while supporting the needs of our caregivers and the communities we serve." Key components of the project include: * Expansion of the Emergency Department to increase capacity and improve patient flow. * Expansion of imaging services, including advanced MRI, CT, and other diagnostic capabilities. * An expanded Cancer Center with enhanced treatment and infusion space and the addition of two new external beam radiation oncology machines. * Growth of surgical services, including additional operating rooms at Avon Hospital. * Expansion of the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center to support increased outpatient care. * Increased medical-surgical capacity with additional inpatient beds. * Growth of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to support higher-acuity patients. * Construction of a parking garage Upon completion, the project will add approximately 250,000 square feet of clinical space across the hospital and health center, along with a new parking garage to accommodate increased patient and visitor demand. Together, these enhancements will strengthen Cleveland Clinic's ability to deliver seamless care across emergency, inpatient and outpatient settings while improving access, efficiency and the overall patient experience. "We are proud to be investing in our west submarket," said Neil P. Smith, D.O., president of Cleveland Clinic's West Submarket. "We have seen sustained growth in demand in this area, and this project will support complex and high-quality care that's convenient for patients in these communities to access." Avon Hospital opened in 2016 as a five-story, 126-bed facility and has seen sustained growth in demand for its services. There has also been a growing need for outpatient services at the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center. Opened in 2011, the facility currently provides advanced specialty and primary care, an outpatient surgery center, a chemotherapy infusion center, an imaging center, and a large physical therapy area with two pools for aquatic therapy. The expansion is expected to be complete in 2029. The buildings were designed by HKS architects in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Buildings + Design and key clinical stakeholders. The construction manager on the project is Gilbane Building.

HKS Hospitality appoints Julian Cross as principal and Regional director of hospitality EMEA. WORDS BY Pauline Brettell * August 4, 2026 Interdisciplinary global design firm HKS Hospitality, a leading authority in global hospitality design, has announced the appointment of Julian Cross as Principal and Regional Director of Hospitality EME... A registered architect accredited by the ARB and RIBA with over 30 years of experience in architecture and design, Cross will lead HKS Hospitality from its London studio, driving the creative vision, strategic growth, and execution of hotel, resort, and branded residences across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Cross brings award-winning expertise, adding to a strong bench of talent currently designing high profile projects in Egypt, the Maldives, and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea. Highly experienced in leading the delivery of residential, hospitality, high-end mixed-use developments, and large-scale urban masterplans from inception through to completion, Cross' portfolio spans complex, design-led projects for leading international clients including PIF, Aldar, Kerzner International, Pafilia, and British Land. His London portfolio includes landmark developments such as The Knightsbridge, the Bvlgari Hotel, the Earls Court Masterplan, and Kings Court in Covent Garden. His work for St. Mary's School Library in Wiltshire was shortlisted for a WAF award, AJ Award, and Building Award in 2021. "It's a real privilege to be joining HKS's London Hospitality studio, working alongside such a talented team whose designs are making an impact both in London and internationally. I'm looking forward to bringing my own hospitality experience to the studio, combining it with the team's design prowess, and helping to grow something truly special across Europe and the Middle East." - Julian Cross, Regional Practice Leader, HKS Hospitality "Julian's appointment reinforces the world-class expertise in hospitality design that we have in our Fitzrovia studio. Julian will lead our outstanding team of designers in London, building on our reputation for delivering exceptional projects while driving continued growth across London, Europe, and the Middle East. We are excited to welcome his leadership as we expand our impact in these key markets." - Luis Zapiain, Global Practice Leader, HKS Hospitality Since 2000, HKS has been shaping hospitality design through a combination of deep expertise and creative vision, consistently delivering innovative projects that set a new benchmark for the world's leading brands. HKS Hospitality draws on decades of expertise and the collective insight of its international teams to deliver a portfolio of inspiring spaces for global brands and independent owners. Main image credit: HKS Hospitality

HKS improves specification coordination and process with VisiSpecs(R). Portland, Maine (August 4, 2026) - HKS, a globally recognized architecture and design firm, evaluated and chose VisiSpecs(R), the Visual Specification System, developed by Chalkline, Inc., to improve specification coordination, streamline documentation workflows, and support project delivery across its diverse portfolio. With offices around the world and expertise spanning healthcare, sports, hospitality, education, data centers, and commercial projects, HKS relies on coordinated documentation to support multidisciplinary design teams. By using VisiSpecs, HKS can integrate construction specifications with BIM workflows while working within the familiar Microsoft Word environment. VisiSpecs's intelligent Doc Key Filtering gave HKS the ability to create a simple checklist with linked paragraphs and optional text to automate the editing process. This facilitates consistency and higher quality across the organization on the various projects HKS designs. Then, the familiar Word interface, QA reporting, collaboration, and publishing streamline the spec editing process. Next, HKS is evaluating the BIM integration with their specs to further coordinate the models and specifications to improve quality and design. "VisiSpecs has helped us improve consistency throughout our specification process while allowing our teams to continue working in Microsoft Word," said Karl Sonnier, Principal Architect at HKS. "The Doc Key Filtering functionality has streamlined specification editing, making it easier to produce accurate, coordinated documents and establish a more efficient workflow across our projects." "We're proud to support industry-leading firms like HKS as they continue to advance innovation across the AECO industry," said Seamus McGrady, COO of Chalkline, Inc. "HKS is a leader in the market and look forward to their continued design integrated process using VisiSpecs. Founded in 1939, HKS is one of the world's leading architecture, design, and planning firms. With more than 1,400 professionals across offices in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, HKS delivers award-winning projects in healthcare, sports and entertainment, hospitality, education, commercial, aviation, and civic markets. The firm is recognized for its commitment to design excellence, sustainability, and innovation, consistently ranking among the world's top architecture firms. About Chalkline, Inc. Chalkline is a developer of architectural and engineering specification software designed to visually document, coordinate, and verify BIM models and project specifications. VisiSpecs(R) is a suite of applications that includes VisiWord, VisiRevit, and VisiWeb. VisiSpecs is a software as a service (SaaS) cloud solution where its desktop and mobile applications store and access the model and specification data on the company's cloud servers for easy access and collaboration among distributed team members. Built on familiar applications already in use by most in the market, VisiSpecs requires minimal training and setup time. Users can easily integrate their own masters and project documents with the project models to accomplish true BIM integration without learning to use complicated model applications and without a lengthy integration process. Chalkline also developed the VisiSpecs BPM Program to enable easier research, selection, and collaboration with manufacturers while in the project design process. For more information, visit www.chalklineinc.com.