Based in New York, Murphy collaborates with project teams worldwide to advise on healthy, sustainable materials and bespoke design solutions.
HOK has appointed Candon Murphy, LEED GA, as its new firmwide material resource manager.
Murphy brings extensive experience in sustainable design and material selection from her interior architecture background. In this role, Murphy guides HOK teams in specifying products and materials that meet sustainability goals while drawing on her expertise in color theory, trend forecasting and material finishes to enrich the aesthetic quality of design solutions.
“We’re excited to welcome Candon to the HOK team,” said HOK Director of Interiors Tom Polucci, FIIDA, AIA, LEED GA. “Her knowledge about healthy, eco-friendly materials is crucial as we systematically specify more environmentally responsible products and finish materials across our unique design solutions.”
Murphy takes a holistic view of sustainability, prioritizing human and environmental health, carbon impacts and ethics. Her passion is empowering designers to make informed choices that drive meaningful sustainability gains while crafting better, more diverse designs.
“Sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint,” Murphy said. “Start with one material or product you can impact and research sustainable options. Build knowledge over time. Focus on human and environmental health, embodied carbon, ethical manufacturing and regional sources—while always balancing sustainability and aesthetics.”
Before HOK, Murphy was a sustainability advisor, assisting with green building certifications and deep green materials. Her experience includes roles as a design lab manager, materials specialist at a global architecture firm, and design librarian and sustainability coordinator at a major international retailer.
Murphy actively engages the design community as a frequent speaker and writer. She has been a contributing writer and speaker for I+S Magazine since 2020 and spoke at the 2023 AIA Dallas COTE Conference and NeoCon 2023. Murphy was also a panelist on ThinkLab’s Sustainability Giants Digital Seminar. Career highlights include winning the AIA Dallas LGBTQIA Alliance design competition as team co-leader, serving on the Cornish College Alumnx Advisory Council, advising on the I+S “Purpose Awards,” leading Seattle Design Festival installation teams for three consecutive years and being named to Design:Retail Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list.
Murphy holds a BFA in Interior Design from Cornish College of the Arts and a Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building certificate from Parsons School of Design. She also has an extensive educational background in industrial design.