The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) is honoring 10 projects in the 2023 Healthcare Design Awards.
These awards honor innovative designs that address aesthetic urban, civic, and social issues while being sustainable and functional. Projects eligible for consideration include designs for healthcare facilities, health planning, healthcare facilities, and research with a focus on design.
This year’s winners were selected by a jury of six:
- Eurico Francisco, AIA, (Chair), Callison RTKL, Dallas
- Asia Allen, AIA, Gresham Smith, Nashville, Tenn.
- Walter Jones, AIA, Campus Transformation at the MetroHealth System, Cleveland
- Ashley Mulhall, AIA, Orcutt | Winslow, Phoenix
- Akshay Sangolli, AIA, Page Southerland Page, Inc., Denver
- Molly M. Scanlon, FAIA, Univ of Arizona Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Coronado, Calif.
Below are the 2023 Healthcare Design Awards winners by category (photos and descriptions of projects courtesy of AIA):
Category A Built: Less Than $25 Million (construction cost)
Broadway Youth Center | Wheeler Kearns Architects | Chicago
With its well-thought-out design philosophy, Howard Brown Health’s Broadway Youth Center is a comfortable and welcoming space that offers a wide range of healthcare programs and services for LGBTQ and young people living in Chicago. The center is situated in a secluded urban area and located situated at the intersection of several transportation lines, which makes it an ideal an important resource for the local community and accessible to young people in the city.
Howard Brown Health (HBH) is providing the services of Howard Brown Health (HBH) throughout Chicago since 1985. It also has its Broadway Youth Center, founded in 2004 to provide an alternative to traditional care settings, was relocated from one location across the north of Chicago. The center’s lease was due to expire, and the demand for its services and waiting times for clinics were increasing; HBH turned to the design team to create its first new, ground-up facility.
The new facility is four times bigger than the facility that was previously in use, with more than double the therapy and exam space. The facility also houses commercial kitchens as well as a multipurpose room as well as a dedicated space for the center’s transgender and nonconforming programs. With the new facility, HBH hopes to expand the number of clients it serves by 200% and will be able to serve nearly 6,000 clients who require healthcare and 4,000 clients with social needs.
The design of the team incorporates the distinctive values and identity of the center’s residents in the fabric of the building. The exterior layer is a symbolically designed facade made of a patchwork of blocks of masonry that are decorated with different hues as well as patterns that form the form of a quilt. Inside, a variety of welcoming and safe spaces are waiting for patients and visitors. The murals and accent colors on each floor mix with open spaces and comfortable furniture, creating a space that is therapeutic with a young and creative spirit.
Design principles based on trauma were integrated throughout the entire program, ensuring positive personal results and overall success. The utilization of warm wood and bright furnishings give the center an ambiance of comfort which is beneficial for those who are homeless. The safety and security of the community is enhanced by clear lines of sight that permit clients and patients to see the location they are in and to observe their surroundings.
In the rooms for clinical use that are usually windowless and sterile, light color and soft furniture create a tranquil environment. The rooms are also equipped with higher-quality filtration and high-performance glass which improves the acoustic separation from the elevated train that is nearby.
Recognizing the unique path of each person, it assists. The center is taking on health disparities and significantly improving the well-being of Chicago’s LGBTQ and youth, particularly those who are homeless. In the center, residents are provided with a vibrant and bright space that allows youth to recover and thrive.
Family Tree Clinic | Perkins&Will | Minneapolis
For more than a half-century, Minneapolis’ Family Tree Clinic has served underserved people within the Twin Cities with reproductive and sexual health services. However, in recent times the patients of the clinic, mostly BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as those who live below the poverty line, were faced with lengthy wait lists and obstacles to access to the most cutting-edge medical treatment. The new clinic is located just 1.2 millimeters from downtown Minneapolis and linked to bike sharing as well as three transit lines as well as two major interstates. It assures the patients that they are important to be seen and are taken care of.
The clinic enlisted with the team of designers in the year 2017 when it was operating from an old schoolhouse isolated from the center in the Twin Cities. Through the team’s social mission program, the non-profit clinic received professional pro bono services. The subsequent discovery phase and visioning session identified what the requirements were of both patients as well as staff, as well as establishing goals and objectives before the design was initiated.
At the beginning of the process, the team looked at various possible locations, which included retrofitting existing structures, major improvements to the existing building, and a new building. The pre-occupancy assessment found a pressing requirement for the center to operate situated in an area that is more connected to and within the LGBTQ+ community, and the site of the new clinic at Nicollet Avenue meets that goal.
From its location on an active retail corridor and a busy retail corridor, the new building provides an inviting, safe, and connected oasis for patients and those in the LBGTQand community. The brick-like structure is a reflection of the size and patterns of the surrounding area, and the team’s materials choice provides the building with the feeling of being part of the community. Murals from local BIPOC as well as LGBTQ+ artists, wrap the structure and reflect their belief in the healing power.
The structure was conceived to provide a relaxing environment for patients, as well as a secure and trauma-informed space to rest. The clinic is situated at the back of the 2nd floor for the privacy needed, while the waiting room has views of the main thoroughfare below. The first-floor houses areas for staff and community that are surrounded by glass, inviting guests to step inside. In the back, a private and secure courtyard lets daylight in the rooms and creates strong connections with the outside.
The clinic officially opened in autumn of 2021, and the impact was immediately felt. With the new clinic, the clinic will be able to expand its services due to the increasing demand and a lack of availability within the region. The clinic now treats an additional 10,000 patients per year.
Fora Health | Holst Architecture | Portland, Oregon
Integrating design that is trauma-informed with social spaces, Fora Health’s newly constructed treatment campus located in Portland assists in removing Oregonians from addiction while also doubling the capacity of the company. The new facility eliminates obstacles to treatment by bringing its administrative offices with outpatient and residential services in one location for the first time.
Fora Health was founded in 1974 by the Portland Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The organization has provided services to more than 40,000 people throughout the years. The company was considering selling its old facilities located in Downtown Portland, which had access issues and the potential for growth in the institution. The new facility will serve all of the community, from the poorest to private-paying patients, which will help ensure the future financial stability of Fora Health.
The new building provides the full spectrum of services that allows patients to receive evidence-based medical treatments as well as engage in activities that encourage expression and development of healthy lifestyles. For Health is a place where Fora Health, addiction is not seen as a lack of individual willpower but rather an issue with a medical origin that requires a caring treatment plan for life-saving services. The integration of its programs into one structure was an essential element of the integrated design method.
Integrity with purpose is evident in the massing of the building, which is surrounded by the central courtyard, which provides ample outdoor space and provides an atmosphere of hope and openness which furthers the mission of Fora Health and contributes to the lives of others. A gradual shift in the courtyard from hardscapes to natural wooded areas preserved existing trees that were on the site as well as providing an area for meditation and activity. The lobby’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the gabled ceiling, and the ethereal grand stairwell, provide a pleasant in-take experience, as well as an ethereal interior palette that creates the feeling of a spa. The lobby leads out onto the courtyard and leads patients to three main programs. The connected community room provides the possibility of dividing space to host fundraising events as well as community gatherings with up to 100 people.
The new facility includes 24 beds for managing medical withdrawal and 70 residential inpatient beds, and an outpatient service that serves more than 1,000 individuals every year. In keeping with Fora Health’s dedication to ensuring the health of every individual, the campus features an art studio, a group dining area as well as a library, a fitness center as well as a commercial kitchen. The new building also includes an elevator–a Veterans Administration requirement–allowing Fora Health to serve those living with mobility issues.