McFarland Architects

There is something about the falling leaves that makes a person take stock. With winter on the way, change is on the way and the deciduous trees lose their leaves to transform into skeletons that bloom into healthy foliage in the Spring.

This was an odd time to start a new Architecture Firm. It was November 1, 1988 and McFarland Architects was created with the mission of providing architecture and planning services to healthcare providers around the state of Oklahoma. That year, 1988 – 7 hospitals had closed in Oklahoma.

But with an academic approach to research, McFarland Architects used Oklahoma State Health Department public information to determine what impact the closures had on neighboring facilities and which hospitals might have plans for improvement. Starting on the Texas border on Interstate 40, McFarland stopped at every facility headed east. Before she could arrive back to Tulsa, hospitals from the eastern side of the state were contacting her for assistance in preparing Rural Healthcare Transition grants funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. These grants identified projects that could be used as demonstration projects and ushered in the transition of inpatient to outpatient services which repurposed many of the existing spaces.

Connie McFarland, FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP BD+C brought 16 years of public work experience. The largest percentage of project types was healthcare, fueled by the previous 5 years while with another firm providing healthcare planning and design for the largest hospital in Oklahoma. From 1988 to 2004, McFarland Architects carefully grew at the rate of one person per year and also expanded the service expertise into banking projects being selected to be the architect for ARVEST Banks in the Tulsa region. Public funded projects such as the Veterans Administration and the City of Tulsa Public Works were added to the portfolio.

In 2004, on one spring day, over 30 architects, and interior designers filled the space in the downtown office of McFarland Davies Architects. This was a new corporation owned by McFarland Architects and Davies Architects. The firm was successful obtaining projects in the sector of higher education buildings. A short time after settling in as a company, the Great Recession surfaced in 2007. This caused an un-merger to occur in 2010 with a positive outcome of both companies.

In 2010, continuing on as McFarland Architects, common education type projects were added to the menu of project expertise, all the while the healthcare and higher education continued. The firm’s ARVEST Bank projects expanded into Arkansas and Missouri and the ARVEST prototype projects were expanded to become very complex renovations as ARVEST purchased bank structures from other banks. These renovations were by far the most challenging, but were also quite rewarding with the final projects appearance.

Then, in 2014, McFarland Architects took off into their fourth reincarnation to add Airport Planning to the project types. Mark McFarland, FASLA, brought over 30 years of experience in airport planning to the office of McFarland Architects. At this juncture, the firm applied for and received a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification from the State of Oklahoma, and that Certification has expanded into Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. With the preference shown to increase opportunities for the small business combined with the expertise of all leaders in the organization, this translates into a formula for success for our clients and other team members who are looking for highly qualified small business partners.

All members of the organization are committed to improving the community in which they live and work. Our logo, which is created from an abstract sketch of a facility master plan, highlights our passion for planning for success of each of our projects.

Critical in the stewardship to the environment, several of team members have become accredited professionals through the United Stated Green Building Council. Many of our buildings have been registered with the USGBC.

Designs that inspire Community is our mission. We have licensed Architects and Landscape Architects along with registered Interior Designers ready to improve the environment for every client in every corner of the Central States region.