HKS Wins 2020 Outstanding Organization Award from Healthcare Design Magazine

Healthcare Design magazine has named HKS Outstanding Organization of the year.

The editors of HCD annually honor industry members across 10 categories of nominees that celebrate the broad spectrum of outstanding professionals in our industry. Specifically, the program recognizes accomplishments over the 12 months prior to the nomination period.

In a year forever marked by COVID-19, when health environments took center stage for history-making events, HKS stood out for its global contributions to health design. From the design of the 1277-bed Taikang Tongji hospital at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China – a hospital that was fast-tracked to respond to the pandemic; to the Generations of Care Tower at ProMedica Toledo Hospital where parametric modeling and applied research dramatically increased staff time with patients; to Texas Health Hospital Frisco and UT Southwestern Medical Center Frisco where the HKS team created an innovative health and wellness campus that provided better access to specialized care — over the last 12 months HKS has delivered environments designed to respond to changing needs and focused on optimizing and measuring real outcomes for patients and caregivers alike.

Jeffrey Stouffer, Principal and Executive Vice President at HKS, says: “Every HKS project is infused with a distinct sense of place, a connection to the surrounding community and a recognition of the healing properties of nature.” Elaborating upon the structure of our practice, Stouffer notes, “HKS’ cross-disciplinary, research-led practice matched with specialized areas of expertise such as workplace strategy, sustainable design, emerging technologies/methodologies and financial and operational modeling has created a body of knowledge that has been applied to health environments resulting in places that are innovative, sustainable, economically viable and flexible.”

Every HKS project is infused with a distinct sense of place, a connection to the surrounding community and a recognition of the healing properties of nature.

Telehealth, infection control and surge capabilities are topics of major interest in today’s world. HKS Principal and Director of Health, Jason Schroer, explains, “HKS has developed in-depth protocols that assist health care providers deftly navigate our COVID-19 response. In addition, the firm has mobilized rapid response units and worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and local governments to analyze and adapt non-health care facilities — a convention center in Michigan; a prison in Maryland — into critical care units. HKS has also worked with educators, hotel owners/operators and entertainment venue owners/operators to adapt their facilities for the post COVID-19 world.”

Relevance to the health care profession is not just demonstrated by creating high-performing environments, it is also proven by applying design thinking to solving current and future challenges.

Ana Pinto-Alexander, Principal and Director of Health Interiors, elaborates: “HKS has led with knowledge in myriad ways over the last 12 months. Through webinars, conferences, reports, articles and one-on-one conversations, the firm has explored new areas of inquiry and shared knowledge with clients, peers and the general public with one goal in mind — to help our clients to restore the sense of safety lost during these unprecedented times.”