The American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Health has selected the recipients of the AIA National Healthcare Design Awards program. The AIA Healthcare Awards program showcases the best of 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 different 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
Category D: Innovations in Planning and Design Research, Built and Unbuilt
Jurors for the 2014 National Healthcare Design Awards include: Eric Goodfriend, AIA (Chair), Mahlum; Roger Call, AIA, Herman Miller for Healthcare; Jim Lennon, Lennon Associates; James C. Lord II, AIA, KGA Architecture; Mark Patterson, AIA, SmithGroupJJR; Mark Tortorich, FAIA, Stanford University and Shane Williams, AIA, Array Architects.
Category A
Legacy ER – Allen; Allen, Texas
5G Studio Collaborative
Photo © Michael Moran/OTTO
Legacy ER operates a hybrid program offering urgent and 24/7 state-licensed emergency care services within a freestanding building. Conceptualized as a potent reflection of the organization’s identity, the architecture captured the duality of the emergency medical professionals' character, projecting outwardly the knowledge, skill, precision, and decisiveness necessary for the competent practice of emergency medicine and expressing inwardly the gentle, empathic, and humanistic qualities of the persons beneath the robe, realized simply through montaging sharply folded exterior robe of zinc and softly sculpted interior plastered planes. Points of admission of natural daylight and views create apertures that elucidate intersecting tectonic moments.
Lightwell: Greater Boston Orthodontics; Waltham, Massachusetts
Merge Architects
Photo: John Horner Photography
A hundred-year-old storefront and warehouse on Main Street in Waltham was gutted, creating an open plan orthodontic clinic – including reception and treatment areas flanked by semi-private offices, toothbrushing stations, exam rooms, and a staff coffee area. The double-height treatment space is framed by an 18-foot-tall backlit translucent wall curving down in section to frame and light the open treatment area. CNC-cut plywood ribs skinned with thin polycarbonate panels funnel light from skylights above. The front waiting space is defined by a custom seating area and digital media bar, wool felt applied to walls, a custom light pendant, and bright custom wall graphics to provide wayfinding.
Category B
Lancaster General Health Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute; Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Ballinger
Photo: Peter Aaron / ESTO
The new 100,000 square foot Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute is developed around a progressive model for cancer care and employs an interdisciplinary and patient-centric approach. Focused on regeneration and reconnection to living systems, the building’s radial form derives from an existing elevated, curvilinear arrival / parking court which has become a central courtyard healing garden. The expanded oncology program is arrayed around the garden on two levels. Glazed skins and multiple points of access provide a continuous dialogue between interior and exterior, creating a visually open environment that reduces anxiety and stress for patients and their families.
Mount Sinai Hess Center for Science and Medicine; New York City
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Photo © Eduard Huebrer / Archphoto
Envisioned as a place of discovery and healing, the striking Mount Sinai Hess Center for Science and Medicine is shaped by its translational research mission and urban context. Located in Upper Manhattan, the center places researchers, clinicians, educators, and patients in an integrated environment with state-of-the-art technology. The 420,000 square foot facility is specifically designed to foster multi-disciplinary interaction through a network of formal and informal settings. The primary design objective was to craft a flexible environment that would be inspiring and supportive for employees while gracious and dignified for patients and their families. Inside, natural light and a warm, simple material palette puts cancer patients at ease.
Rush University Medical Center New Hospital Tower; Chicago
Perkins+Will
Photo © James Steinkamp
As part of Rush University Medical Center’s 10-year, $1 billion Campus Transformation Project, Perkins+Will planned and designed a new 840,000 square foot state-of-the-art hospital building. Crowned by a butterfly-shaped bed tower designed to minimize steps between staff and patients, the new hospital is comprised of 304 acute and critical care beds, 72 neonatal intensive care beds, and 10 labor and delivery beds. The emergency department contains one of the country’s few bioterrorism preparedness facilities, and is designed to handle large-scale health emergencies. The hospital is one of the largest in the world to be certified LEED Gold.
Category C
Children’s Hospital of Richmond Pavilion (CHoRP); Richmond, Virginia
HKS, Inc.
Courtesy HKS
At the gateway to the medical campus, the Children’s Hospital of Richmond Pavilion consolidates existing pediatric clinics into a compact vertical urban pavilion. The facility is dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare for children and adolescents and contains a surgery level, three levels of pediatric clinics, a faculty/research floor, and seven levels of parking. Adjacent to some of the city’s most important civic structures, the design establishes a signature identity that embodies VCU’s objective of becoming the region’s premier pediatric academic medical institution. Drawing inspiration from natural elements that are unique to the City of Richmond, the design is intrinsically tied to its location. Themes of sky, water, and forest bring nature to the heart of this urban campus.
Category D
Cincinnati Children's Family Pet Center; Cincinnati, Ohio
GBBN Architects
Courtesy Cincinnati Children's Hospital
The Family Pet Center expands the hospital’s pet therapy program with a 250-sf pavilion and lawn areas that accommodate patients whether on foot, in a wheelchair or on a stretcher. In this 8’ by 10’ enclosure, kids reunite with their own pets. Positive effects begin with anticipation days in advance, the visit itself, and the lingering effects of memories or storytelling afterwards. Based on research on the healing benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), this pavilion addresses the medical needs of the children and the physical dynamics of pets. Especially for cancer patients, who deal with high levels of stress, pain, and long hospital stays, AAT contributes to recovery by improving the quality of life for patients.
GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Center (CTC); Port-au-Prince, Haiti
MASS Design Group
Courtesy CTC
The first permanent facility in Port-au-Prince, the CTC provides an aggressive model for cholera treatment, while creating a healing space that promotes a dignified patient experience. Both the CTC’s layout and placement of amenities optimize staff and patient flow. The design tackles unique site conditions, including the lack of reliable piped water and lack of sewer system connection, by providing off-the-grid services. The roof collects rainwater, which is stored in cisterns, chlorinated, and then used for showers and sinks. The facility also decontaminates waste on-site and is designed to achieve 99.99% removal and inactivation of Cholera vibrio and other pathogenic organisms. The façade blends the use of the most advanced technology, using parametric modeling to optimize apertures for daylighting, ventilation, and privacy, with deploying analog techniques for local fabrication. The CTC will not only establish new standards for cholera treatment, but also new standards for quality construction in Haiti.
The video provides more information.
Building Better Builders from MASS Design Group on Vimeo.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | May 16, 2023
Legislators aim to make office-to-housing conversions easier
Lawmakers around the country are looking for ways to spur conversions of office space to residential use.cSuch projects come with challenges such as inadequate plumbing, not enough exterior-facing windows, and footprints that don’t easily lend themselves to residential use. These conditions raise the cost for developers.
Headquarters | May 16, 2023
Workplace HQ for party clothing company Shinesty celebrates its bold, whimsical products
The new Denver headquarters for Shinesty, a party clothing company, was designed to match the brand’s fun image with an iconic array of colors, textures, and prints curated by the design agency, Maximalist. Shinesty’s mission, to challenge the world to live more freely and “take itself less seriously,” is embodied throughout the office interior.
Office Buildings | May 15, 2023
Sixteen-story office tower will use 40% less energy than an average NYC office building
This month marks the completion of a new 16-story office tower that is being promoted as New York City’s most sustainable office structure. That boast is backed by an innovative HVAC system that features geothermal wells, dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) units, radiant heating and cooling, and a sophisticated control system to ensure that the elements work optimally together.
Life of an Architect Podcast | May 15, 2023
Life of an Architect Podcast Ep. 125: What Makes a Great Employee?
How do you define a great employee? The answer is most likely dependent on who is attempting to respond: the employee or the employer. Life of an Architect's Bob Borson, FAIA, and Andrew Hawkins, AIA, talk about the traits and characteristics of great employees.
K-12 Schools | May 12, 2023
In Virginia, a new high school building helps reimagine the experience for 1,600 students
In Virginia, the City of Alexandria recently celebrated the topping out of a new building for Alexandria City High School. When complete in 2025, the high-performance structure will accommodate 1,600 students.
University Buildings | May 11, 2023
New ‘bold and twisting’ building consolidates School of Continuing Studies at York University
The design of a new building that consolidates York University’s School of Continuing Studies into one location is a new architectural landmark at the Toronto school’s Keele Campus. “The design is emblematic of the school’s identity and culture, which is centered around accelerated professional growth in the face of a continuously evolving labor market,” according to a news release from Perkins&Will.
Sustainability | May 11, 2023
Let's build toward a circular economy
Eric Corey Freed, Director of Sustainability, CannonDesign, discusses the values of well-designed, regenerative buildings.
Hotel Facilities | May 9, 2023
A new camping destination near Utah’s Zion National Park offers a variety of all-season lodgings and amenities
Outdoor lodging brand AutoCamp has opened a new camping destination near Utah’s Zion National Park. A 16-acre property, AutoCamp Zion is located between the Virgin River and the desert of Southern Utah.
Headquarters | May 9, 2023
New Wells Fargo development in Texas will be bank’s first net-positive campus
A new Wells Fargo development in the Dallas metroplex will be the national bank’s first net-positive campus, expected to generate more energy than it uses. The 850,000-sf project on 22 acres will generate power from solar panels and provide electric vehicle charging stations.
Regulations | May 8, 2023
Supreme Court case likely to have huge impact on Clean Water Act
A case before the Supreme Court will likely determine how the Clean Water Act is interpreted and the ruling could open up new areas for development within or adjacent to wetlands.
