After more than five decades shaping the future of healthcare architecture—including over 30 years helping lead Wilmot Sanz—we are honored to celebrate the extraordinary career and well-earned retirement of Curt Mugge, AIA.
A Lifelong Commitment to Healthcare Design
A proud graduate of Iowa State University’s Class of 1975, Curt began his career at the intersection of architecture and healthcare, drawn to the opportunity to improve lives through better environments for care. In the late 1980s, while working for Marriott International, he first crossed paths with Wilmot Sanz through Marriott’s growing network of senior living facilities—a connection that would soon define the next chapter of his career.
In 1991, Curt joined Wilmot Sanz and quickly became a cornerstone of the firm’s evolution. His technical precision, deep understanding of healthcare operations, and innate ability to balance function and empathy set him apart. Over the next three decades, he helped shape Wilmot Sanz into one of the nation’s leading healthcare design firms, trusted by health systems across the country to deliver projects of exceptional quality and impact.
Transforming Campuses and Inspiring Colleagues
Curt’s work has left an indelible mark on dozens of hospital campuses, encompassing millions of square feet of new development and thousands of patient beds. From large-scale replacement hospitals to specialized renovations, his leadership and attention to detail ensured that each design decision supported the ultimate goal—safe, efficient, and healing environments for patients, families, and care teams.
Yet, beyond the technical excellence, Curt’s true legacy lies in his mentorship. Known for his steady guidance, generosity with his time, and passion for the craft, Curt has helped nurture and inspire generations of architects and planners within Wilmot Sanz. His influence can be felt not only in the firm’s built work but also in the professional growth of those who had the privilege to learn from him.
A Legacy That Endures
As Curt enters this next chapter, we celebrate not just a career but a legacy of leadership, integrity, and care. His fingerprints can be found across the country—in patient rooms, clinical corridors, and entire campuses—but his spirit endures most vividly in the culture of excellence and collaboration he helped build here at Wilmot Sanz.
Please join us in congratulating Curt Mugge, AIA, on an extraordinary career and a well-deserved retirement.
Thank you, Curt, for your decades of dedication, mentorship, and friendship. You’ve helped shape who we are today—and inspired how we’ll design tomorrow.
