The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) has selected the recipients of the AIA National Healthcare Design Awards program. The program showcases the best healthcare building design and healthcare design-oriented research. Projects exhibit conceptual strengths that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of a hospital.
Recipients were selected in four categories:
Category A: Built, Less than $25 million in construction cost
Category B: Built, More than $25 million in construction cost
Category C: Unbuilt, Must be commissioned for compensation by a client with the authority and intention to build (No projects were selected in this category this year)
Category D: Innovations in Planning and Design Research, Built and Unbuilt
(All images courtesy AIA. Click photos to enlarge. Click project names for more information and images.)
Category A
Kaiser Permanente, Kraemer Radiation Oncology Center | Anaheim, CA | Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design
The design for this LEED Gold radiation therapy building provides a highly supportive environment for the treatment and care of cancer patients. The challenge was to create an environment that reduces stress for patients and families and provides the best current technological infrastructure. The approach focused on the needs of cancer patients and their treatment schedules, which typically occur five days a week for five to eight consecutive weeks. The design provides a calming experience through the use of natural light, organic forms, outdoor views to nature, soothing interior colors, and an internal “Zen Garden” with a vibrant living wall garden.
Planned Parenthood Queens: Diane L. Max Health Center | Queens, New York | Stephen Yablon Architecture
For its first center in Queens, Planned Parenthood sought a facility that provided state-of-the-art care for one of the most diverse communities in the world. Since opening, the facility has ranked in the 99th percentile for patient satisfaction when compared to similar hospitals. The building’s contemporary design contrasts with its brownstone neighbors, establishing itself as a welcoming community institution. The sleek and light-filled interiors are uplifting and easy to navigate, reducing patient stress. A bold color system aids in orientation and livens up the center.
Category B
Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Regional Ambulatory Cancer Center | West Harrison, New York | EwingCole
The efficient layout reduces the cost of healthcare delivery and supports both short- and long-term expansion possibilities at the West Harrison site for Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Regional Cancer Center. The challenge for the design team was converting what was a 1950s office building, with dated brick and metal panels and large floor plates, into a modern cancer center. The building not only accomplished LEED Gold status but also implemented healthy-building initiatives, such as specifying PVC-free products for both construction and design.
The Christ Hospital Joint and Spine Center | Cincinnati | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
The Christ Hospital sought to unify its main campus through a model for integrated, patient-centered joint and spine care. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill worked with patients, medical professionals, and hospital staff to design the new Joint and Spine Center. Inside the hospital, spaces for patients are filled with daylight, outside views are maximized to support well-being, and quiet spaces for family and staff are programmed with comfortable furnishings for conversation and rest. The building is LEED certified. Since opening, the facility has ranked in the 99th percentile for patient satisfaction when compared to similar hospitals.
Photo: Nick Merrick / Hedrich Blessing Photographers
The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center | Phoenix | ZGF Architects LLP
The 220,000-sf UACC is intended to deliver care within an evidence-based, multidisciplinary model, using the most modern technologies. The building program includes spaces for radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, endoscopy and interventional radiology, and exam and procedure rooms, along with a support and wellness center, a clinical pharmacy, and a healing garden. The building was designed to integrate the natural beauty of the landscape and address the needs of the UACC staff and patients for years to come. An exterior shade system and chilled beams greatly contributed to the sustainability of the facility.
University Medical Center New Orleans | New Orleans | NBBJ
University Medical Center provides New Orleans with critical safety-net care in a 1.5 million-sf facility built to withstand natural disasters. Features include inpatient services, cancer care, behavioral health and a Level 1 trauma center. The design promotes holistic healing, from landscaped courtyards to all-private inpatient rooms with natural light and in-suite bathrooms. Wide double-bays and sliding breakout doors enable swift action in treatment zones. Floor-to-ceiling windows in public spaces create transparency and uplifting views, while custom artwork and graphics throughout the hospital to honor New Orleans’ rich heritage. The project is Louisiana’s largest teaching hospital and training facility for physicians, nurses and allied health professionals.
Category D
Seattle Children's Hospital, South Clinic | Seattle | ZGF Architects LLP
Seattle Children's South Clinic advances the hub-and-spoke model of healthcare that brings outpatient services closer to patients in their communities. It offers more responsive care while reducing demand for acute care services. The clinic was designed with a focus on patient flow so providers can serve patients efficiently.
Located in the Seattle suburb of Federal Way and within a shopping center, the design adapts a former Circuit City store into a 37,000-sf outpatient clinic that houses urgent care, and occupational and physical therapy.
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Apr 7, 2016
Redevelopment plan announced for Chicago’s historic Cook County Hospital
The century-old, Beaux Arts architecture-inspired hospital will transform into a mixed-use development.
Industry Research | Apr 7, 2016
CBRE provides latest insight into healthcare real estate investors’ strategies
Survey respondents are targeting smaller acquisitions, at a time when market cap rates are narrowing for different product types.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 11, 2016
Report: Hospitals’ fossil fuel use trending downward, but electricity consumption hardly declining
A new survey from engineering firm Grumman/Butkus Associates examines electricity, fossil fuel, water/sewer, and carbon footprint of healthcare facilities.
Office Buildings | Mar 9, 2016
CBRE: Workplace wellness on the rise
As insurance premiums and deductibles continue to rise, both employees and employers are evaluating options to improve their wellbeing, writes CBRE Healthcare Managing Director Craig Beam.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 7, 2016
Can 'active' building designs make people healthier?
The new high-performance Kaiser Permanente facility in Anne Arundel County, Md., uses the built environment to improve the overall health of its occupants, writes GS&P's Terrance Perdue.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 4, 2016
Building a home where Alzheimer’s patients can thrive
Skanska recently completed Abe’s Garden in Nashville, Tenn., a memory care community designed to improve the lives of those affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Skanska's Senior Project Manager Jeff Elpers has more on the facility.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 1, 2016
Christ Hospital in Cincinnati brings its joint and spine care services under one roof
The opening coincides with agreements that make this center a preferred provider for several employers with self-funded healthcare plans.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 24, 2016
Healthcare providers must retool operations in post-ACA world
As healthcare organizations make the transition from sick care to well care, they’re learning how to stretch their resources and make smarter decisions about real estate.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 19, 2016
U.S. House moves to give Army Corps of Engineers management of V.A. projects
Bill would also put restrictions on planning and design funding.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 19, 2016
Early trends in healthcare for 2016
Fighting cancer, Design-Led Construction (DLC), and health sciences education are among the new efforts and developments, writes Cannon Design's Deb Sheehan.