HKS Announces Regenerative Design Team
HKS has launched a new Regenerative Design team, deepening the firm’s commitment to a systems-thinking approach to design that aims to create net-positive impact for people, planet and ecosystems across projects and practices.
“Regenerative design reflects a necessary shift in how we think about the built environment—moving beyond reducing harm to creating places that actively restore and strengthen ecological and community systems,” said Tony Montalto, HKS Chief Design Officer. “We have an opportunity to design places that give more than they take. By establishing a dedicated regenerative design team, HKS is expanding our ability to create buildings and environments that help ecosystems recover, strengthen communities and generate lasting value for our clients and the people they serve.”
“We have an opportunity to design places that give more than they take.”
The new HKS team brings together expertise in regenerative design, net-positive projects and nature-based solutions. With their HKS colleagues, they will continue the firm’s exploration of a holistic approach to design that considers how buildings, landscapes and communities can respond to climate, restore habitats, generate clean energy, balance water cycles, sequester carbon, support material health and circularity, and expand wellness, equity and access.
“Regenerative design begins with asking better questions, those ‘what if’ questions that can lead to regenerative outcomes,” said Yasemin Kologlu, Director of Regenerative Design at HKS. “When we take the time to truly understand a place—its climate, ecosystems and communities—we start to see opportunities that traditional approaches or checklists often miss. Our goal is to translate those insights into designs that improve people’s lives while contributing to the long-term positive impact for people and the environments around.”
Rather than a one-size-fits-all formula or checklist, the Regenerative Design team will collaborate closely with HKS project teams to shape strategies tailored to each project’s context and opportunities. Their approach begins with climate-responsive passive design and extends through design and delivery by strategically aligning vision, rigor and positive outcomes through the life of a project.
Working across scales, disciplines and typologies, the team will help unlock connections between natural and built systems. With their expertise, HKS will continue to explore how design can create positive impact and contribute to healthier ecosystems, stronger communities and a more resilient future over time. The team includes:
Yasemin Kologlu, Director of Regenerative Design
Yasemin Kologlu is the Director of Regenerative Design at HKS. A recognized leader in building design and construction, Yasemin has over 20 years of experience in design and implementation of innovative and net zero energy/carbon/water/waste buildings. She adopts a holistic design approach that integrates well-being, environmental design, the latest material and building technologies to create positive impact for people and planet. Yasemin loves tackling the untackled issues in our industry and create innovative solutions with likeminded industry partners.
In addition to her role at HKS, she actively serves the building communities with voluntary elected roles such as President of Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU), Senior Fellow with Architecture 2030, Co-Chair of American Institute of Architects COTE in NY and ULI NY’s Sustainability and Climate Council.
Matthew McGrane, Senior Regenerative Designer
Matthew McGrane is a Senior Regenerative Designer with over 20 years of experience in high-performance and Regenerative Design across the Midwest. Matthew has designed some of the region’s first net-zero, passivehouse, and Living Building Challenge buildings. Working across markets and at multiple scales, the consistent thread through Matthew’s career is a deep commitment to empathetic engagement, climate justice and social equity.
Jennifer Preston, Senior Regenerative Designer
Jennifer Preston is a design leader with more than 20 years of experience integrating regenerative, high-performance, and climate-responsive strategies across architecture, interiors, and master planning. She brings clarity to complex design challenges by bridging analytical rigor with ecological sensitivity and human-centered values, while cultivating cultures of curiosity, empathy, and innovation. Her work is grounded in expanding and translating the wisdom of nature into design solutions that support resilient, adaptive, and life-enhancing environments.
Olivia Raymundo, Design Professional
Olivia Raymundo is an artist and designer from South Florida who holds both a Bachelor of Design and a Master of Architecture from the University of Florida. During her time as a student, she worked both as a Teaching Assistant and a Research Editor for the School of Architecture’s graduate publication Vorkurs. Her research centers on domestic craft as documentation, with a focus on issues of memory, ephemerality, and identity.
Amir Zarrabi, Computational Designer
Amir is a regenerative computational designer with a PhD in Sustainability who advances performance-driven design through integrated, systems-based thinking. Working at the intersection of architecture, ecology, and human well-being, he embeds energy, carbon, microclimate, daylight, water, and living systems into early-stage decision-making using parametric and AI-enabled workflows. His work supports buildings and landscapes that generate clean energy, store carbon, restore water cycles, and strengthen biodiversity and community resilience.
