Certificant Profile-Brenna Costello

Brenna Costello, AIA, ACHA, EDAC
Principal/Healthcare Studio Leader
SmithGroup
Denver, CO

How has ACHA certification enhanced your career in healthcare architecture and/or design?
Each year, we’re seeing more RFPs which require ACHA for key individuals on the team.  I feel that I offer our firm and our clients a level of expertise in healthcare design by being an board certified healthcare architect.

What would you say to anyone interested in the field?
Healthcare architecture is an incredibly rewarding field knowing that you can make a difference on someone’s clinical outcomes through the design of space.

What led you to becoming ACHA certified?
As a Clemson University Healthcare Master’s graduate, I’m so incredibly fortunate to have had multiple healthcare architecture mentors in my career.  Each mentor shared with me the value of ACHA certification to my career growth and client recognition.

About You

Education: Master of Architecture (and Health) – Clemson University
Bachelors of Architecture – Clemson University

Brenna has more than 15 years of healthcare-focused experience in planning, design, and project delivery, starting with a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Architecture. She is a recognized expert in the planning and design of advanced rehabilitation centers, including the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, MD, a world-class facility devoted to military veterans recovering from traumatic brain injuries, Craig Hospital, a world renowned Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury rehabilitation hospital, and Rancho Los Amigos just outside LA. She consistently seeks to advance the profession through research and post-occupancy evaluations which was recognized by Building Design and Construction as a 2016 40 Under 40 award winner. 

Accomplishments

2016 BD+C 40U40 recipient
2016-2022 AAH Board member; 2021 AAH President
Women in Healthcare Denver Founder (2016) and President 2016-2019