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By Rebekah Deponte

When faculty member Jimmy Macias steps into the studio, he’s not just teaching architecture, he’s continuing a story that began in that very same room. A two-time Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ alumnus and architect, Macias guides students through the same learn by doing philosophy that shaped his own path.

Macias is a senior project designer at HMC and a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. He leads the Healthcare Design Studio, which introduces students to the world of health and wellness facility architecture and design.

Macias’s connection to architecture began early. As a child, he was fascinated by how buildings stood, breathed and shaped human experience.

“Architecture never felt like a choice,” he says. “It was just always there.” After high school, he set his sights on Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s architecture program but wasn’t admitted on his first try. Undeterred, he enrolled at the New School of Architecture in San Diego, an experience that reinforced his desire to study at CPP. When he returned, he found a creative workaround: earning a liberal studies degree with a self-declared minor in architecture.

“I tell my students all the time, sometimes the door you want isn’t open yet,” he says. “You just have to find another way in.”

While completing his undergraduate degree, Macias took every course he could within the College of Environmental Design (ENV). By taking classes in urban and regional planning, art, and landscape architecture, he saw the value in interdisciplinary design, long before it became an ENV-wide theme.

During graduate studies, Macias (’03, liberal studies; ’08, master’s of architecture) discovered his purpose through design that serves communities, including a bus shelter project in Tijuana, an experience that connected deeply to Macias’ family roots in Mexico.

“It was powerful to see how something as small as a bus shelter could make a difference,” he says. “It reminded me that design isn’t about ego; it’s about empathy.”

While in school, Macias worked 25 to 30 hours a week, gaining experience across city agencies, homebuilders and architecture firms. He interned at Lord Architecture, Kaufman & Broad and the city of Los Angeles before landing his first full-time healthcare design role at HDR, one of the largest healthcare firms in the United States. Now as a Senior Project Designer at HMC Architects, he has contributed to major projects such as Kaiser Permanente Ontario and Fontana, and large-scale hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Shunde, China.

“Healthcare architecture immediately made sense to me,” Macias says. “You see the direct impact of your work — patients getting care, communities gaining access, lives improving. It’s architecture with a clear purpose.”

The Healthcare Design Studio that Macias leads is part of a broader ecosystem of learning and professional connection in ENV’s Health and Wellness Design Collaborative.

The collaborative grew from a shared vision between Architecture Professor Hofu Wu (now professor emeritus) and alumnus Sanford Smith (’79, architecture), who was the senior vice president of real estate and facilities at Hoag at the time and is now semi-retired and serves on the CPP Philanthropic Board and ENV Dean’s Advisory Council.

Dedicated studios provide students with PolyX learning opportunities, and the initiative links students with a multidisciplinary network of industry mentors.

Today, the Health and Wellness Design Collaborative includes professionals from Hoag, Kaiser Permanente, LPA, and others who help bridge academia and practice.

As a faculty member, Macias blends creativity with professional experience. His studio covers the spectrum of healthcare design from conceptual visioning to spatial organization, human experience and technical delivery.

“In the first half of the semester, I tell students there’s no budget,” he says. “That’s their chance to think big, to dream. After midterm, we start layering in structure, systems and materials. They’re learning how to actually build what they’ve imagined.”

That big picture approach brings a level of professionalism and depth that sets his studio apart.

“He has significantly enhanced our learning by sharing his personal projects and providing in-depth analysis of their development and collaborative strategies,” says student Marvin Alexander, who adds that Macias’ encouraging teaching approach helps students understand the material.

Last fall, Macias led a field trip to the Monterey Ohana Mental Health Facility, a landmark project designed around principles of healing, sustainability and compassion. For many students, it was their first time experiencing a completed healthcare environment that embodies the design ideas they discussed in class.

Standing in sunlit courtyards and therapy rooms, students saw how architectural choices like light, material and circulation influence emotional and physical recovery.

“The trip brought everything full circle,” Macias says. “It gave students a chance to see that the principles we talk about — patient experience, wellness, dignity — can and should exist in real buildings.”

For Macias, teaching is a privilege and a responsibility to give back to his mentors and the profession. “I had professors who saw something in me, even when I was still figuring it out. Now I get to do the same for my students. That’s the best part,” he says.

“Every time I walk into studio, I remember being in their seat. It’s a reminder of how far determination can take you and how important it is to give back once you’ve made it through the door.”