Paul Sabal Joins HFA as Principal and Healthcare Practice Leader

Sabal, with more than four decades of industry experience, joins HFA to lead a growing team focused on challenging design norms in the healthcare industry.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HFA Architecture + Engineering has expanded its healthcare design team with the addition of Principal and Healthcare Practice Leader Paul Sabal (AIA, ACHA, NCARB, LEED AP). 

Sabal is a registered architect and interior designer with more than four decades of experience in healthcare design and construction. He is board-certified in healthcare architecture from the American College of Healthcare Architects. 

"HFA is uniquely positioned to provide innovative healthcare clients with project design and delivery strategies that lower costs, improve quality, automate processes and increase speed to market," Sabal said. "I am confident we will build HFA into the leading provider of such solutions for the U.S. healthcare industry."

Sabal has cultivated an innovative and strategic approach to healthcare facility planning and design services for the in-patient and ambulatory healthcare markets. At HFA, his focus includes helping healthcare clients better adapt to rising construction material costs, skilled labor shortages and supply-chain stresses.

"As a former business partner, Paul used his mastery of healthcare planning and design to help drive the success and vigorous growth of our previous firm, which sold just before the pandemic," noted HFA Vice President Steven Warlick (LEED AP). "He brings to the table an unparalleled understanding of post-COVID challenges in the healthcare design arena. We are poised for acceleration as Paul steps onto the 'launchpad' at HFA, leading the way with innovative solutions for our client partners."

Sabal will be integral to the success and expansion of HFA's Healthcare team, which was instituted in 2023, with the appointment of Warlick and Don Ness (AIA, NCARB), who serves as Director of Healthcare. 

"It's thrilling to welcome someone of Paul's caliber and expertise to our team at HFA," said HFA CEO Dave Wilgus (AIA, NCARB). "Paul brings his talent, experience and a transformative energy that elevates us to new heights. Paul is more than a mere addition to HFA's healthcare team; he is a next-level multiplier. We're excited to have him on board, and we look forward to the remarkable contributions he'll undoubtedly make in the future." 

Sabal, who has lived in the West County area of St. Louis for 27 years, spent the past five years as Director of Architecture for St. Louis-based Vestal Corporation. From the outset of his career, starting with his first job out of college for a design-build company in Austin, he has advocated alternative project-delivery methods and accelerated design and construction schedules.

In particular, he stresses the value of interdisciplinary collaboration among clients, designers, engineers, contractors, subcontractors and trades—an approach that yields better quality, faster schedules and lower costs.

Concludes Sabal, "At HFA, our goal has to be to provide our clients, not only with innovative and creative healthcare designs, but also with pioneering project-delivery solutions that preserve budgets, standardize quality and increase the speed-to-market of their projects."

Media Contacts: At Jaffe Communications, Elisa Krantz, (908) 789-0700, [email protected].

SOURCE HFA Architecture + Engineering