Contract Magazine - November 2019 - 12

EDITORIAL

Rethinking Wellness

Whenever I visit a firm's office to learn about the new projects
they are working on, I love seeing that so many designers are
breaking down the different sectors-or more likely, combining
different sector influences: Just think of the influence of hospitality
on everything these days, or the proliferation of hybridized
programmed spaces like innovation labs in dorms, cafes in banks,
and coworking spaces in hotels. When it comes to the changing
world of healthcare, many firms and their clients are working
together to rethink how healthcare spaces are making people
happier and healthier, and we are seeing the rise of micro-hospitals,
or using virtual reality to design better operating rooms. It used
to be that your only healthcare option was visiting your family doctor
or taking a trip to the emergency room. Now, we're seeing health
and wellness in all kinds of creative spaces-from one-room clinics
in mixed-used buildings to small community centers. The look
and feel of many of these spaces show the influences of residential
and wellness (resi-wellness, anyone?).
In this issue, we look at how different architecture and design
firms are rethinking and redesigning healthcare spaces. For example,
I love how ICRAVE is redesigning the waiting room, something they
call the "non-waiting room." David Taglione of ICRAVE points to

something as simple as a thoughtful suggestion on a tabletop,
or a place to put your bag down, as a set of communication tools.
An approach that is second-nature in hospitality can also have
positive effects in healthcare when done with an empathetic
approach. We also examine how some workplaces are approaching
wellness to make workers happier, healthier, and more productive,
so we highlight how a corporate energy company in Texas added
a preschool to their corporate campus, and also how SOM
transformed the rooftop of a Los Angeles office building into
an amazing outdoor gym and meeting place.
Also this issue: We celebrate the recipients of the 2019
Healthcare Environment Awards in partnership with the Center
for Health Design. We honor eight of best new healthcare spaces
across a range of typologies that feature innovative architectural
and interior design solutions. This year, winning firms include HKS
Architects, ESa, EwingCole, and CAMA, while Perkins and Will receive
awards in two categories. Hannah Shultz of Clemson University
and Neeti Menon and Jessica Stark of the University of Illinois
at Urbana Champaign were recipients in the student category.
The projects were selected by a panel of judges, including Lilliana
Alvarado, design principal, UPHEALING; Robert Henry, founding
principal, Robert D. Henry Architects; Debra Levin, president and
CEO, The Center for Health Design; Lionel Ohayon, founder, ICRAVE;
and Arnold Swanborn, AIA, LEED AP, design principal, CO Architects.
The winning projects are impressive and together, a true example
of where healthcare design is headed. We hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Paul Makovsky
Editor in Chief

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NOVEMBER 2019
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Contract Magazine - November 2019

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