Healthcare design projects are unique by nature, each responding to the specific needs of an organization and community to support the program housed within its walls.

And that’s exactly how the judging of the Healthcare Design Showcase submissions is approached—projects aren’t weighed or pitted against one another, but rather assessed on their own merit and how well the end design provides an environment that achieves initial goals.

The goal is for the process to result in a rich diversity of winners, and this year is certainly no exception.

Here, you’ll find an orthopedic hospital situated in a forest setting in Germany that embraces biophilic design, inside and out. It’s included alongside a community health center in Brooklyn, N.Y., that brings ambulatory care to an urban center and leverages artwork to blend into its surrounds. Together, they represent our Award of Merit winners, the highest honor bestowed by our Design Showcase jury.

Meanwhile, our Honorable Mention awardees include a musculoskeletal institute that’s totally powered by renewable energy; a rehabilitation and genetics research institute and clinic that houses more than 100 services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities; and a greenfield hospital that boasts a clean post-modern aesthetic and generous outdoor connections.

And the thread that binds them is their excellence in solving the unique challenges each was presented.

All submissions to the Design Showcase were reviewed by our jury of industry professionals appointed by partner organizations The Center for Health Design, IIDA, and American Society of Interior Designers.

They were judged based on achievements in the categories of Innovation, Aesthetics, Experience, and Operational Performance.

The projects that received the highest scores in a first round of review advanced to an in-person judging event held this spring in Chicago, during which our jury determined the 2022 Healthcare Design Showcase Honorable Mention and Award of Merit winners.

Below is the list of winning projects and links to an article on each:

Awards of Merit:

NewYork-Presbyterian: Brooklyn Methodist Hospital (Brooklyn, N.Y.), submitted by Perkins Eastman

Waldkliniken Eisenberg (Eisenberg, Thüringen, Germany), submitted by HDR and Matteo Thun & Partners

Honorable Mentions:

Emory Executive Park Musculoskeletal Institute (Atlanta), submitted by HKS, Brasfield & Gorrie, and Structor Group

Munroe-Meyer Institute (Omaha, Neb.), submitted by Altus Architectural Studios Inc.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital–Venice (Venice, Fla.), submitted by Flad Architects