When Carl Daniel and his wife, Betty, packed their bags in Houston back in 1990, they had a very specific exit strategy: move to El Paso, complete two healthcare projects, and head back to the Bayou City within 24 months.
Thirty-five years later, Carl is still here. And El Paso is better for it, as Carl and his team are now working on new facilities resulting from the University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) bond initiative.
What started as a temporary professional detour turned into a lifelong love affair with the Borderland. Today, Carl Daniel Architects (CDA) stands as a fixture of the local landscape. Carl himself has become a familiar face—not just in design boardrooms, but on the local tennis courts and in the cockpit of his airplane, soaring through the high desert skies he now calls home.
For Carl, he realized his two-year plan quickly evolved to a family affair with El Paso. The draw of El Paso wasn’t just the work; it was the “family-oriented culture” and the rugged beauty of the Franklin Mountains. The “two-year plan” dissolved as the roots went deep for Carl, professionally and with his family. Eventually, the couple’s daughters followed them to El Paso, and now, a new generation of grandchildren is growing up under the same desert sun.
“We moved to El Paso with the intention of staying two years and returning to Houston,” laughed Carl. “But we fell in love with the area. We found we truly enjoy the high desert climate and the mountain culture. Now, I’m in my 35th year here, and even my grandkids call El Paso home.”
While some architects seek the spotlight of shimmering skyscrapers, Carl found his calling in the intricate, high-stakes world of healthcare design. His firm is bringing that expertise to UMC, working on new facilities that will serve the community for decades to come.
Designing a hospital isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a complex puzzle of logistics, technology, and human empathy, according to Carl.
“Designing healthcare facilities is very challenging,” Carl explained. “It’s a specialty sector of architectural practice. We enjoy the information sharing with healthcare administrators, hospital staff and physicians because, in the end, our work contributes to the well-being of patients.”
Success in architecture is rarely a solo effort with Carl. CDA has grown into a robust team of 15 employees, acting as a hub for El Paso engineers, interior designers, and contractors.
“There is something very rewarding about walking through a project your firm has contributed to the design,” said Carl. “Through my career in El Paso, CDA has had a contributing role in numerous healthcare projects with important innovations. It’s about more than just buildings; it’s about the people we consult with—the engineers, the contractors, and the suppliers right here in our community.”
As he looks toward the upcoming bond projects at UMC, Carl Daniel isn’t just an architect working on a building; he’s a neighbor invested in the health of his city. Houston may have been the starting point, but El Paso is—unmistakably—home.
Learn more about UMC’s bond initiatives and how they will shape the future of healthcare in El Paso. Explore updates on the Bond Watch site.
