The inaugural Legacy Project Awards, organized by the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA), honors health care architecture that has and continues to demonstrate superior planning and excellence in design performance over an extended period of time. A five-person jury decides on the recipient of the annual award.

“A legacy is a gift that is passed down from one generation to another. A health care building that exhibits high-quality designs and encourages high-performance functioning with minimal upkeep is a legacy to those who inherit the building,” said Connie McFarland, FAIA, FACHA, president of the ACHA, in a statement.

The jury found that Griffin Hospital was ahead of its time, and the facility’s North Wing has required virtually no changes due to the hospital’s forward-thinking design. The consistent and innovative design of Griffin Hospital ensures that there are no “haves” and “have nots,” according to jurors. The S/L/A/M Collaborative of Glastonbury, Conn., served as the architect of record for Griffin Hospital.

“Griffin represents an extraordinary translation of a culture and philosophy into a design. Its legacy is that Griffin successfully demonstrates how a project can directly and positively influence human behavior,” said ACHA Juror Philip E. Tobey, FAIA, FACHA, senior vice president of Detroit-headquartered SmithGroup, JJR.

The DHMC integrated a medical school, hospital, clinic and the co-located Veteran’s Administration to serve their patients. The facility has maintained patient focus through a 65 percent increase in surgical cases and a 40 percent increase in admissions. W. Mason Smith III is the architect of record for the health care facility.

The inaugural awards were given to two very different projects and jurors hope that this conveys a meaning to future nominees.

"We felt that this sends a message that any project can be worthy of this award. We don’t want to make a habit of it but did want to demonstrate that both large and small projects could merit consideration, as well as projects that aged differently could demonstrate lasting impact,” said ACHA Juror David Allison, FAIA, FACHA, director of Graduate Studies in Architecture + Health at Clemson University.

The post Legacy Project Award Recipients Announced appeared first on HCO News.