San Francisco-based KMD Architects is beginning two projects, each of which will highlight the group’s focus on sustainable design and forward-thinking building. The first of which is Pier 27 International Cruise Terminal, a ship station in San Francisco, and the second is Kiemyung University Medical Center, to be located in Daegu, South Korea.

The LEED-certified terminal will allow boats to berth emissions-free, making the project a strong investment for the port. The project will also include a two-acre public plaza. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2012, and should be wrapped up by 2014.

“Our goal is to create an animated space within the framework of the historic armature and existing buildings of the waterfront that we all love and respect,” says Ryan Stevens, design principal and director of design at KMD. “Our focus will also include the use of the public space as a destination to enliven the city and attract visitors and residents to the waterfront.”

In Daegu, the 1.2 million sq.-ft. hospital will contain 1,000 beds and will include the relocation of a state-of-the-art medical school, nursing college, and a medical science and research building. When finished, the medical center will be one of the leading facilities in South Korea. Completion is expected in 2014.

“KMD Architects’ design inspiration for the Keimyung Medical Center was conveying ‘care’ in a symbolic sense,” Stevens says. “The two large towers are designed to articulate the gesturing of two cradling hands. We placed them together, with nature sliding through the center of the building, and created ‘fingers’ of green throughout the building giving it a sense of openness and permeability that you don’t often find in larger hospital facilities.”

KMD, founded in 1963, has offices in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.