Kristen Ambrose
Stories
Case Studies
News, Announcements and Events
Gordon Gn
Stories
Projects
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Project Cura Day Surgery at Camden Medical Center
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Project Confidential Wellness Center
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Project Skyiera Mixed-Use Master Plan
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Project Confidential Outpatient Clinic
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Project Resorts World Sentosa Island Resort Master Plan
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Project The Boulevard
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Project Rabat Ibn Sina Hospital
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Project Taikang Medical Group Acute Care Hospitals
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Project Laumes International Motor Racing Circuit
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Project Nustar Casino & Resort
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Project ParkwayHealth Gleneagles Shanghai International Hospital
Awards
News, Announcements and Events
Timothy Logan
Stories
Case Studies
Josh Tooill
Reports
Stories
Case Studies
News, Announcements and Events
Kevin Vandeman
Case Studies
Camilla Moretti
Reports
Stories
Case Studies
Awards
News, Announcements and Events
Learn About HKS Idea Fellowship
Upali Nanda, PhD
Reports
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Report Getting to a Brain Healthy Workplace
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Report Enriched Environments for Brain Health that Foster Creativity, Promote Positivity, and Reduce Stress: A Neurogenesis Hypothesis
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Report FleXX Hospital Surge Scenario
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Report From Temporary to Transformative: Work from Home Insights
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Report Community-BLOC: A Framework for Healthy and Pandemic-Resilient Communities
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Report Reboot Readiness: A Primer on How to Design for Contagions
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Report Steps for Welcoming Your Hotel Guests Back after COVID-19
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Report FleXX: A Study of Flexibility in Outpatient Settings
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Report Sensory Well-Being for Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities: Creating (and Testing) a Sensory Well-Being Hub
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Report Designing Cancer Care Facilities of the Future
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Report Clinic 20XX: Designing for an Ever-Changing Present—The United Kingdom Patient Survey
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Report Healthy Choices = Healthy Campuses: Point-of-Decision-Design
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Report Pop-Up Sensory Design Lab
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Report Clinic 20XX: What do Boomers and Millennials Want from Clinics?
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Report A Value Analysis of Lean IPD: Lessons Learned in the Development of a Framework
Stories
News, Announcements and Events
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news
HKS' Dr. Upali Nanda Uses Neuroscience to Understand Buildings as Living Organisms
Read More
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news HKS' Upali Nanda Explains Design Flexibility in Healthcare Design Magazine
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news HKS' Upali Nanda and Ben Gonzalez Explain How Design Can Impact Lifestyle and Promote Health
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news HKS' Upali Nanda Explains That Art in Health Care Facilities Can Help People Heal
Case Studies
Awards
Kate Renner
Stories
Case Studies
Awards
News, Announcements and Events
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Event Why Health Equity in the Built Environment Matters
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Event Join HKS at the 2022 ASHE PDC Summit
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Event Five HKS Design Leaders to Speak at 2021 HCD Healthcare Design Expo
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Event Seven HKS Health Design Leaders to Speak at the HCD Healthcare Design Virtual Conference
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news Kate Renner of HKS Talks "Smart" Hospitals in BD+C 2019 Healthcare Giants Report
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news HKS' Kate Renner Discusses Ramifications of Being Unprepared for Major Flooding Event
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Event Join HKS at the Healthcare Design Conference & Expo
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news HKS' Kate Renner Is an HCD Magazine Rising Star
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Announcement HKS-Designed AdventHealth Hospital for Women Offers First-Time Specialty Services
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news HKS Designers Kate Renner and Kaitlyn Badlato Explain How Collecting Data Can Help Shape the Design of Health Care Facilities
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news George Mason University Potomac Science Center Officially Open
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Event HKS Health Leaders Share Insight at 2017 ASHE PDC Summit
Angela Ramer
Reports
Stories
Case Studies
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Project A Family-owned Hotel Chain Explores Ways to Reposition its Portfolio
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Project CyrusOne Headquarters
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Project CoreLogic
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Project Confidential FinTech Regional Office
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Project A Future-thinking Office Refresh Embraces a Digital-Forward Strategy
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Project UC San Diego Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood
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Project The Assembly
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Project Whole Foods Market South Regional Office
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Project Globe Life Field
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Project UC San Diego North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood
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Project HKS Chicago
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Project Confidential Lean Executive Headquarters
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Project OneSource Virtual
Optimizing the Outpatient Environment

Optimizing the Outpatient Environment
- Camilla Moretti
- Steve Jacobson
- Lisa Adams
As part of HKS’ Idea Fellowship, our team comprised of architects and designers in our Detroit and Chicago HKS offices asked: what if we thought differently about outpatient clinics and measured the impact of our design? By conducting a yearlong analysis of a new HKS-designed outpatient center in Sylvania, Ohio, this team of idea fellows learned that standardization leads to measurable savings in time and money for outpatient clinics, and even improves patient satisfaction.
We began by examining the influence a clinic’s physical design has on organizational efficiency. Once we understood that relationship, we developed innovations that improve clinical workflow and productivity.
What We Did
Our team created a case study of the ProMedica Health and Wellness Center project in Sylvania, Ohio. The center consolidated 11 ProMedica physicians into a single location. The study was conducted in two phases: existing and post-occupancy. View project summary.
The Business Case
ProMedica aimed to create a collaborative practice and care model by leveraging the building’s support spaces, effectively optimizing the usage of real estate.
The Challenge
Our team was tasked with the design of a building that could house a collaborative care model for practices that did not share staff, space or a consistent operational model. We completed design diagnostics of existing clinical environments through interviews, shadowing, behavior mapping, environmental analysis and spatial analysis. The result was a standardized layout that maintained a consistent workflow for all clinical teams.
Walking Distance
36% REDUCTION – Average overall clinical team walking distance was reduced by 36 percent, or 1 minute and 55 seconds per patient encounter. That’s a difference ranging from 28 minutes to more than an hour during an average clinical day.
91% REDUCTION – Discrepancy between clinical team walking distances were reduced by 91 percent between clinical teams A and B.
Standardization and Modularity
Clinic modules are standardized and connected, allowing flexibility and growth. ProMedica will be able to increase overall clinic utilization 47-80 percent within the same physical space by leveraging the schedules of current physician as well as potential new hires.
- 86 percent overall satisfaction
- Patient satisfaction increased by 2.2 percent on average
Consolidation/Collaboration Model
When compared to the existing practices, the collaborative model of care reduces the space requirements of the combined physician practice by an average of six percent, saving the system about $641,000 in construction cost.
What the Findings Mean
- Standardized and modular building layouts create spaces that are adaptable, flexible and efficient.
- Design has a substantial and notable impact on optimizing a staff’s workflow.
To learn more about this study or any of our research, contact us at [email protected].
Holistic Design Workflows

What is the Aim
Challenge
We researched the effects of advanced digital technologies on the architectural design, delivery and construction process. Challenges to implementation of technological advancements include: establishing a digital culture, understanding the economic benefits of digital advancements, establishing protocols for digital collaboration, loss of information and design intent under current processes, and streamlining design to fabrication.

Aim
Improve how architects work with engineers, consultants and contractors at each stage of the design process by integrating new methodologies that exploit digital techniques and manufacturing methods.
What We Did
Approach
What do other industries (aerospace, automotive, naval, infrastructure, manufacturing, transportation, robotics) that deal with design, engineering and manufacturing challenges have in common? How can we bring interdisciplinary knowledge together?
How can we bring interdisciplinary knowledge together?
Method
We performed an extensive literature review of computational and analytical methods. We analyzed existing proven approaches that exemplify architectural innovation. We designed the Pavillon de l’eau, a pilot project of a metro station canopy in Washington, D.C. (Done in collaboration with SG+H to research cross-disciplinary integration of design and engineering analysis.)

What We Found
The use of next-generation platforms and tools had a significant impact on the design of our case study project. Collaboration with our engineering partners was optimized through our workflow.

Deliverable
We created a report on our research and findings including case study projects and our pilot project that we used to test interdisciplinary collaboration techniques. View project summary.
What the Findings Mean
Application
Apply these techniques and methods to projects where the greatest potential for this workflow can be achieved.
Future
This research did not focus on determining a prescribed workflow for use in future projects. The workflow used should be developed for a project with the goal of achieving the most efficient cross-disciplinary collaboration from the earliest stages of design through construction.
Acknowledgments
Team Members:
Kevin Vandeman
Daniel Inocente
Research Partners:
HKS
Simpson Gumpertz + Heger – Structural Engineering
Win
Funding:
2016 HKS Idea Fellowship
Gen Z: Coming to a Workplace Near You

What is the Aim
Challenge
Workplace design continues to change or evolve as quickly as the generations that pass through them. And often the work style preferences of tomorrow’s talent pool rarely match the spaces created for them today by corporate management. With the Gen Z population on a trajectory to be 30% of the U.S. workforce by 2025 and significant disruptions to the concept and context of “work,” we’re at the intersection for another wave of change in workplace design. It’s more than “will there be desks?” but rather, “what will be considered work and what kind of spaces and experiences support those activities?”
Aim
This study sought to anticipate generational preferences; identifying and prioritizing design solutions for this population as it enters and establishes the next generation within the workplace over the next decade.
- Who is Gen Z and how do their characteristics compare to other generations in the workplace?
- What are the top priority workplace needs for Gen Z?
- How can we address these via design solutions?
- To what extent do Gen Z’s current, expected and desired workplace experiences vary?
What We Did
Approach
We took an inductive approach to questioning by exploring “work” and “working” and differentiating experience both in and outside of class time. The idea is to use academic behavior as a proxy indicator of preferences for knowledge workers. Many questions differentiated current and ideal/future work environments and experiences. Findings intentionally highlight factors able to be influenced directly by design.
Method
From September 2015 to July 2016, an international and interdisciplinary team of HKS designers and researchers conducted an extensive review of previous research to inform the development and deployment of an online panel survey of 452 Generation Z-aged students (born between 1995 and 2000) with respondent representation from 47 U.S. states.
It’s more than “will there be desks?” but rather, “what will be considered work and what kind of spaces and experiences support those activities?”
What We Found
Preliminary Generation Z preferences highlight the following emerging (and surprising) insights:
- Gen Z self-identify as social, tech-savvy, independent, adventurous and status-focused. Reserved, altruistic, intuitive and sustainable were the least common attributes (less than 3% of respondents selected) and suggest that the workplace is expected to be more about work experience and professional development.
- Flexible work hours is the most significant factor impacting work productivity (79%) and overall satisfaction (83%).
- Face-to-face collaboration is the main reason to come on-site (on campus/in the office) when they could otherwise work remotely (88.3% of Gen Z reported). Gen Z reported wanting the flexibility of work location (54%), flexible work hours (55%), and work-life balance (59%).

- While many Gen Z would prefer an entrepreneurial employment style, they still look to have 2-4 employers in their career (30%). Only 22% said they’d prefer “one, if I find the right fit” and fewer than 7% would choose to be a free-agent/self-employed.
- More than 20% of our respondents said they “don’t care” if they have an assigned seat; this generally mirrors another 20% of respondents who would prefer to work from home.
- The remaining majority of our respondents looking for traditional employment in a typical office setting voiced a desire for workplaces with assigned seating.
- No matter the location, overall, ideal work settings are described as open, clean, comfortable, calm, spacious, at home (69%), and organized (51%); they are not elegant/lavish (<1%), utilitarian (<1%), or loud (<1%).
- Common distractions include others conversations (85%) and (electronic) device alerts (50%). The most common way they deal with these distractions is to move to a different space.

- Common collaboration challenges highlight spatial constraints: lack of space for teaming (23%), rooms/areas too small (21%) and work surface too small (16%).
- Privacy and focus spaces are prioritized over collaboration—most likely, a result of collaboration being an ingrained part of their educational experience and vocabulary. Privacy was selected the most frequently as a factor for productivity, suggesting Gen Z equate privacy with focused work.

Deliverable
This project resulted in an executive summary, overall research report and two recorded presentations. View project summary.
What the Findings Mean
Some conservative and inconsistent responses suggest Gen Z isn’t as radical in their views of an ideal workplace or employment style as expected in terms of a low number of employers throughout their career. Flexibility appears to be a key issue as 20% of respondents would prefer to work from home and responses were nearly evenly split between preferring an assigned vs. unassigned seat. Providing spaces to retreat for focus will be a crucial satisfier. They voice a strong desire for employment certainty but with more generous work policies related to remote working and flexible location and/or hours.
Preferences illuminate a work experience (rather than a workplace) ecosystem starting with factors that directly impact recruitment and hiring: high priority intangible, organizational characteristics of employers (e.g., talented employees, good culture, flexible work hours, workplace cleanliness and acoustics). These relate to and must be supported by equally high priority, physical elements (e.g., network speed, hardware/software, in-office mobility) that may relate to work satisfaction and retention.
Preferences illuminate a work experience (rather than a workplace) ecosystem starting with factors that directly impact recruitment and hiring.
Workplace design should celebrate diverse employee identities. Gen Z is still discovering itself in terms of life stage and workplace presence. Fewer than 6% of survey respondents identified explicitly as Gen Z while 28% identified as a Millennial, the second most frequent choice behind “I don’t know” (44%).
Be sure to provide rather than sell basic expectations as benefits, e.g., collaboration, laptops, high-speed Wi-Fi, etc. Selling these things as perks can come across as out-of-touch. On the other hand, don’t focus on just the fun stuff with outrageous amenities. Gen Z isn’t looking for the lavish (<1% of respondents).
While our survey respondents would prefer to come to work to be with others—they find aspects of a collaborative workspace enjoyable—they prefer to work both independently and privately. Virtual connectivity has led our future generations into a nearly constant state of virtual connectivity, but the virtual realm is best realized in quiet, private settings. Perhaps this is why among our top descriptors of an ideal workspace were “calm, quiet and comfortable.” Our survey revealed that, just like everyone else, it is difficult for them to curb distractions in a chaotic, open workspace environment.
Gen Z value and, to some degree, expect variety and mobility. They value being present in their workplace and in-person communication, but they also need quiet focused space. Position the concept of focus to meet their self-reported needs for privacy. These can be phone (1-person) and focus (1-2 people) rooms shared within the workplace rather than private offices or working from home.
Show value by investing in orientation and onboarding experiences. This helps set the tone and workplace experience for all the organizational values that they came to the company. Similarly, provide programmed professional development opportunities. This more on-demand and pre-arranged model allows for new employees to work on their work and instead of extra-curricular efforts.

Top 10 Workplace Priorities for Generation Z*
- Fast Network
- Talented Employees
- Hardware/Software
- Competitive Benefits
- Flexible Schedule
- Good Culture
- Daylight Access
- Cutting-edge Technology
- Environmentally Responsible
- Short Commute
*Of the 19 attributes assessed within Physical, Organizational or Amenity categories, surprisingly on-site wellness facilities, on-site fitness, health features and urban location did not make it on the Top 10 list as part of the Physical and Amenity features category.

Future
What fuels the fire of Gen Z? Ethics, sustainability and philanthropy will play an increasingly important role in competitively recruiting top talent as this generation expects the values of their future organization to align with their own. Based on our survey findings, if Gen Z workers are not able to find an employer offering matching values and practices, they may decide to go off on their own.
Understand that professional development will most likely involve a diverse range of experiences beyond traditional classroom training, conferences and networking happy hours. Consider offering or encouraging more experiential learning opportunities like pro-bono work in the community or external boot camp technical training.
Also, consider further study of educational environments from which these new hires have as experience as they will use as a reference when gauging the success of their transition into the workplace environment.
Acknowledgments
Team Members:
Angela Ramer
Donna Sharpe
Lisa Adams
Elisa LaPaglia
Josh Tooill
Funding:
HKS Idea Fellowship