The winners of the AIA National Healthcare Design Awards program

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) showcases the importance of healthcare building design. Projects were selected in four categories that address aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of the buildings.



The Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) aims to spread a design-oriented idea to improve healthcare facilities and to plan healthy communities by encouraging design concepts for healthcare buildings that address the concepts of aesthetics, interaction with the urban space, social aspects and not least, the functional and sustainability concerns of architecture. 





This is because the design of a hospital, or a rehabilitation centre, has deep social repercussions, in addition to the mere architectural impact, because it has a huge influence on patient recovery. In this context, the word sustainability has an even broader significance.





So, the AAH set up four categories with 8 winners: Category A (Built, Less than $25 million in construction cost ): Cleveland Clinic, Brunswick Family Health Center Emergency Department; Cleveland (Westlake Reed Leskosky), Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department; Spokane, WA (Mahlum), New York Hospital Queens Astoria Primary Care Clinic; Queens, New York (Michielli + Wyetzner Architects), Vitenas Cosmetic Surgery and Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique; Houston (Harrell Architects, LP); Category B (Built, More than $25 million in construction cost ): Bridgepoint Active Healthcare; Toronto - Planning, Design and Compliance Architects: Stantec Architecture / KPMB Architects - Design, Build, Finance and Maintain Architects: HDR Architecture / Diamond Schmitt Architects. Category C (Unbuilt, Must be commissioned for compensation by a client with the authority and intention to build) Fifth XiangYa Hospital; Changsha, China (Payette), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Robley Rex VA Replacement Medical Center and VBO Office Building; Louisville, Kentucky (URS/SmithGroup Joint Venture) and in Category D (Innovations in Planning and Design Research, Built and Unbuilt) Studio Dental Mobile Unit (Montalba Architects, Inc). - a true architectural jewel on wheels - namely a 23-metre long trailer with 23 interior square metre accommodating a mobile dentist's studio with a unique visual impact.

Christiane Bürklein

Images: 
Bridgepoint Active Healthcare - Sam Javanrouh
Cleveland Clinic, Brunswick Family Health Center Emergency Department, Photography by Kevin G.Reeves 
Astoria Primary Care Clinic Photography by: Alexander Severin/RAZUMMEDIA 
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department, Benjamin Benschneider
Vitenas, Gary Zvonkovic
Find out more:: www.aia.org