The American Institute of Architects and Academy of Architecture for Health announced eight winners for the 2015 AIA/AAH Healthcare Design Awards. The awards program showcases projects with the best of healthcare building design and healthcare design-oriented research. The recipients are divided into the following categories:
- Built, (less than $25 million in construction cost)
- Built (more than $25 million in construction cost)
- Unbuilt
- Innovations in Planning and Design Research
Jury members included Scott Habjan, AIA, jury chair, a senior designer and associate director of health and science at SOM; Michael Folonis, FAIA, director of Michael W. Folonis Architects; Charles H. Griffin, AIA, of senior principal of WHR Architects; Elizabeth Mahon, AIA, associate principal at Ballinger; Marc Marchant, AIA, vice president of LS3P Associates; Connie McFarland, FAIA, president of McFarland Architects; and Joseph Strauss, AIA, director of planning and design at Cleveland Clinic (this particular juror was recused from the review of the Cleveland Clinic, Brunswick Family Health Center Emergency Department project).
For more on each project from our ARCHITECT Project Gallery, click the link on the project name.
Category A: Built (less than $25 million construction cost)
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, by Westlake Reed Leskosky
Jury: "The minimal, almost austere design of this emergency department speaks to its urgent mission. Inside and out, the composition of elements is measured and artistically achieved with an economy of moves. The interior spaces are as successful as the exterior. Their views to the landscape, combined with the warm material palette, create a serene atmosphere for what is typically a stressful environment."
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department, Spokane, Wash., by Mahlum Architects
Jury: "In contrast to many new pediatric facilities, this building is child-friendly without being childish. Within the context of the larger medical campus, the striking, red, cantilevered volume of the Emergency Department offers a strong presence that urgently notifies and invites."
New York Hospital Queens Astoria Primary Care Clinic, Queens, N.Y., by Michielli + Wyetzner Architects
Jury: "Within an urban neighborhood setting, this adaptive re-use manages to stand out while fitting in. It is a subtle yet highly effective transformation of an ordinary building into a welcoming and attractive community clinic."
Vitenas Cosmetic Surgery and Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique, Houston, by Perkins+Will and Harrell Architects
Jury: "This design is meticulously tailored to its clientele to create an elegant and comfortable hospitality setting well-suited for this niche healthcare typology. As a boutique surgery center, the design takes the patient experience to a very high level."
Category B: Built (more than $25 million construction cost)
Bridgepoint Active Healthcare, Toronto, by Stantec Architecture, KPMB Architects, HDR Architecture, and Diamond Schmitt Architects
Jury: "This building optimizes its expansive views and an abundance of natural light to create an uplifting and restorative environment for patients and staff. The plan is clearly laid out, with strategically placed lounges and common spaces."
Category C: Unbuilt
Fifth XiangYa Hospital, Changsha, China, by Payette
Jury: "The design team's reinterpretation of the bed tower is inspiring for such a large project. Through the integration of intelligently articulated massing and innovative planning, light and views for all patient rooms are maximized while humanizing the scale of the massive facility."
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Robley Rex VA Replacement Medical Center and VBO Office Building, Louisville, Ky., by URS/SmithGroup Joint Venture
Jury: "his project should be held up as an example of what all VA facilities can and should aspire to. The building's signature space—a linear, multi-height circulation spine—effectively organizes the plan and promises to provide an uplifting and honorific space deserving of its patients."
Category D: Innovations in Planning and Design Research
Studio Dental Mobile Unit, San Francisco, by Montalba Architects
Jury: "At a time when the healthcare industry is re-evaluating methods of delivery, this project re-visions the concept of the mobile healthcare trailer with a design that could breathe new life into the typology. The trailer's unassuming and utilitarian exterior conceals a sophisticated and inviting interior with a warm and welcoming palette of materials."
