USA – Reflections on the Making of an Architecture for Health

This presentation will examine the evolution of healthcare environments over the past half century and the universal and fundamental forces that drive the design of healthcare architecture today and into the future. These forces include the following:

1.         The need to promote and protect the safety and health outcomes of patients along with the health and wellbeing of care providers, the local community, and overall global health.

2.         The need to optimize the healthcare experience for patients, families and caregivers

3.         The need to optimize the operational efficiency and effectiveness of patient care and treatment

4.         The need to optimize the ability of healthcare settings to be resilient and accommodate both sudden and evolving needs, practices, technologies and forces impacting healthcare over the life of a project.

5.         The need to address the above based on an ever-expanding body of evidence and knowledge in the discipline.

Finally, it will identify a series of design strategies framed to respond to these forces based on evidence and recognized best practice case studies.

David Allison FAIA, FACHA is an Alumni Distinguished Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Architecture + Health at Clemson University. He is a Licensed Architect, Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture, founding member and board-certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Architects [ACHA]. He received its 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award, serves on its Board of Regents and is currently the 2025 ACHA President. Healthcare Design Magazine identified him in 2007 as one of “Twenty Making a Difference” and again in 2009, 2010 and 2012 as “one of the most influential people in healthcare design.” Design Intelligence Magazine named him one of the 30 Most Admired Design Educators in 2013-14 and 2019. He was also recognized as the 2019 Center for Health Design Changemaker.