Parkhill Names Steven Holmes as First Specifications and Materials Practice Leader
Parkhill has appointed Steven Holmes, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP, LFA, as the firm’s first Specifications and Materials Practice Leader, a newly created role designed to strengthen project quality, improve collaboration, and establish firmwide standards for specifications and material selection.
Steven brings eight years of experience at Parkhill, where he has led the design and planning of commercial facilities as a project manager. In his new role, he will partner with teams across the firm to align specifications and material decisions with client expectations, regulatory requirements, sustainability commitments, and project goals.
Building a Stronger Foundation
Rather than supporting a single project, Steven will help build consistent processes and resources that benefit teams across every market and discipline. His work will focus on improving coordination between drawings and specifications from the earliest stages of design through construction, helping project teams make informed decisions sooner.
“As our projects continue to grow in complexity, this role is about creating better alignment from the very beginning,” Steven said. “It’s not one person coming in and trying to change everything overnight. It’s about working alongside teams across Parkhill, listening to what’s happening throughout the company, and helping create that vision for the future together.”
Why the Role Matters
The position reflects Parkhill’s commitment to proactive planning by integrating specifications, material selection, sustainability goals, and document coordination earlier in the design process. Steven will also help support the firm’s commitments to initiatives including AIA 2030, the AIA Materials Pledge, MEP 2040, SE 2050, and the Planning Climate Challenge.
As design teams balance an expanding range of priorities — from building codes and budgeting to resiliency, occupant health, carbon reduction, and constructability — Steven said the role will help provide practical tools and standards that allow project teams to focus on delivering successful outcomes.
Creating a More Connected Practice
His long-term vision is to shift specifications from being a task completed late in a project to becoming an integrated part of the design process, encouraging greater collaboration across disciplines and reducing downstream challenges during construction.
“In the near term, I want to make people’s work easier by providing clearer direction, better tools, and stronger resources,” Steven said. “Over time, I hope we see better coordination, fewer RFIs, cleaner construction administration, and a more connected practice around specifications and materials. Ultimately, it’s about building a stronger framework that improves productivity, elevates quality, and better supports the communities we serve.”
The new leadership role provides proactive oversight to establish scalable standards, promote practical specification and material decisions, and help improve project outcomes across the firm. By embedding these considerations into the design process earlier, Parkhill aims to deliver projects that are more coordinated, resilient, and responsive to the needs of clients and communities.