HOK’s design for NewYork-Presbyterian’s Integrative Health and Wellbeing project was honored by the IIDA Healthcare Awards in the Ambulatory – Cancer Center category.
Excerpted from IIDA’s press release:
“With this annual competition, we witness the latest innovation and transformation within the healthcare design world,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “This year, the winning projects focused on both function and overall end user well-being, offering elegant, creative solutions to various healthcare needs.”
Entries were judged by a jury of design professionals, including Alexandra Bonner, IIDA, project interior designer, FCA; Eric Koffler, IIDA, AIA, senior associate, NBBJ; and Tiana Lemons, IIDA, senior associate, healthcare studio leader, Orcutt | Winslow.
“This year’s winners demonstrated unique approaches to healthcare design and an understanding of how spaces affect the healing and wellness of patients, staff, and visitors,” said Bonner on behalf of the jury. “We are pleased to be presenting them with this honor as they offer insight into the future of healthcare spaces.”
More about the project:
NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine established a program for integrative medicine in a three-story, townhouse-style space on the lower three floors of the David H. Koch Center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The space has its own street-level entrance and a third-floor connection to the hospital’s ambulatory care center. The program is a celebration of holistic health as an urban sanctuary in bustling New York City.
The approach addresses the whole person—mind, body and spirit—and provides an expanded range of services focused on prevention as well as psychological, social, spiritual and environmental influences on health. Many patients receive treatment here before, during and after undergoing procedures at the ambulatory care center.
The building includes spaces for exams, therapy, consulting, meetings, staff education and multipurpose activities. Wellness areas include a meditation garden, resource library, group exercise room and nourishment station. Some offices are equipped with technology that supports virtual exams so patients can consult with healthcare providers from the comfort of their own homes.
From the moment a visitor arrives, the environment feels warm and welcoming. Use of curving surfaces to guide movement, comfortable seating areas, soft indirect lighting and wall sconces entice people to return again and to be proactive about their health.
The design celebrates the influence of nature on the healing process, embracing a fusion of healthcare, hospitality and wellness spaces. Calming design elements include natural materials, greenery, vivid artwork and nature-inspired tactile elements. Wood furnishings and details call to mind forest bathing, a Japanese method of preventive healthcare and healing.