Search
中文

HKS Partners with IOA and ROAM to Design Anya Chair for Health, Hospitality and Commercial Environments

HKS Partners with IOA and ROAM to Design Anya Chair for Health, Hospitality and Commercial Environments

By Ana Pinto-Alexander

Our team at HKS, IOA health care furniture company and ROAM hospitality interior design studio joined forces to create a new seating option, Anya, that is well-suited to variety of environments – from hospitals to hotels.

As a health care interior designer, I’ve long been inspired by hospitality furnishings. Cleanability is essential in health facilities, but the features that make health care furniture cleanable can make it look hard and uninviting. When the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, I saw people becoming more concerned about cleanliness in all sorts of environments, beyond health facilities. I wanted to build a team of designers with diverse expertise and set them loose to create a piece that combined the cleanability of health care furnishings and the softness of hospitality interiors.

I reached out to IOA President Fabio Delmestri to gather a team together – remotely – to design something that would work well and look inviting in almost any environment.

The Anya design team brought a range of experience to the project, to craft a piece that is cleanable, comfortable, durable and beautiful. Available as a single lounge chair or love seat, Anya has a curving armrest and an 18-inch seat depth with multi-density foam for comfort, as well as clean-out spaces for ease of maintenance, inset legs and a 500-pound weight capacity.

The interdisciplinary team of designers included Adam Gregory, Director of Design, IOA; Nicholas Tedder, Design Director of HKS’ Health Interiors practice; Zach Weihrich, Project Interior Designer, HKS Commercial Interiors; and Elena Oatman, Senior Designer, ROAM.

The Anya design team reunited online recently to talk about their design process and inspirations, and the value of creative collaboration.

What did your team’s multidisciplinary expertise contribute to the design of the Anya chair?

Nicholas Tedder, HKS Health Interiors: As a team, we all come from different backgrounds, and we’ve all encountered different facilities. But as interior designers, we all observe how people use space. We see how spaces are utilized or not utilized, and that influences our perspectives on, say, how a hotel lobby is inhabited verses how a health care waiting room is used, or a corporate lobby or an education facility. And we want to make things better through product design and interior design.

Elena Oatman, ROAM: A multidisciplinary approach allows us to see the same piece of furniture in different ways, for different environments and settings. In hospitality we always must think about aesthetics and comfort, not just the functionality of the piece, which is also very important.

What ideas inspired your design for Anya?

Zach Weihrich, HKS Commercial Interiors: There was a lot of emphasis on humanity, on compassion, on empathy. The big starting point was: how could this chair meet people? How could this chair take care of people? That was a little bit of a different way to approach the design, rather than as just an object or function.

Oatman: We wanted to create a chair with soft curves, inspired by the organic shapes found in nature and the comforting embrace of a cocoon.

Gregory: We definitely see that in health care in general, if you put a curve on something rather than just a square arm, people are more likely to think it’s going to be comfortable and gravitate toward it. So, the curves were important. And multiple seating postures – this chair is not just a sit-up-straight chair. You can sit sideways and put your foot up and lean into the arm. It’s inviting and user friendly.

Tedder: We wanted to design something that would fit as comfortably in a health care setting as it would in a hospitality setting or a corporate setting. That idea really started to influence the shaping and the scale and some of the forms we considered.

There were a lot of parameters that we put together that influenced what we shaped: how it’s cleaned, the cut outs that are needed for a health care setting (for cleanability) versus how the arms are shaped for durability and accessibility. 

We also looked at the scale. We didn’t want to increase the footprint, but we want the chair to feel generous to people of different sizes. That played into the shape of the seat and the tilt of the back, and the design of the arms. We wanted to instill confidence, so that if someone looks at the chair, they know they’ll fit comfortably in it. That allowed us to beef up the legs and make them look really substantial and structural.

What was your collaborative design process like?

Tedder: We started out doing some internal visioning sessions around the idea of future needs. We also looked at what was happening in different markets, from fashion to furniture.

Weihrich: Those early brainstorming sessions were really neat because everybody was coming from different perspectives, but there were very clear through lines.

Gregory: We got everyone’s take on the direction we wanted to go, then we started on 3D digital models. Next, we narrowed it down to which sketch we liked and what scale we liked and started making samples. We probably made three or four full-on chairs. That’s where the pitch came in, and the leg size, just refining the overall shape.

Then we went into final mock-ups and prototypes. We started talking about the upholstery, stitch details, trying to figure out how to make the leg look like it was molded into the shape rather than just bolted on. I would take pictures of the physical model and hand sketch over the top so we could come up with the final lines.

Why are design partnerships important?

Weihrich: No one has the best ideas all the time. I always think about biodiversity – the healthiest ecosystems are the most diverse. There’s just so much benefit to everybody.

Gregory: As designers, we’ve all taken this path because we want to make things better. We want to make things easier and simpler and cleaner and more functional. When we all walk into a space, we each see different details and notice different things. That’s what we do – we see how people use things and figure out how to create new ones. Having so many eyes on this project was a big plus. Different approaches, different mindsets were really helpful. I think we meshed well as a team, and Anya turned out to be a great piece.

A New Generation’s Needs are Driving Student Housing Design

A New Generation’s Needs are Driving Student Housing Design

By
  • Renae Mantooth, PhD
  • Jeff Larsen

As higher education enrollment rates climb, an urgent need for quality student housing is pervasive on college campuses. Along with the demand for more on-campus units and beds, learnings from the pandemic have caused universities to understand and prioritize the student experience differently. 

HKS education designers have created student housing environments on campuses large and small, resulting in more than 58,000 beds across the United States in an evolving higher education development landscape. Beyond simply delivering housing units, our teams conduct extensive pre-design and post-occupancy research and engagement efforts to create design solutions that provide what students really want and need in their living environments. 

To help us align with university partners on how to center the student experience and positive outcomes throughout the design process, our team has developed coalition research and a framework that comprises twelve student needs. 

Three of the most foundational student needs we’ve identified are privacy, socialization and comfort. These needs might seem basic in nature. But designers must intentionally create diverse spaces to fulfill these needs and contribute to each student’s well-being and sense of belonging. Our team implements design strategies that range in scale from the individual unit to the larger campus plan, so students can thrive personally and academically in their entire living and learning environment.

By balancing efficiency and affordability with an elevated student experience in our design approach, we seek to create built environment solutions that support students’ varied and overlapping needs including — but certainly not limited to — privacy, socialization and comfort. 

Creating Options for Privacy in Student Housing Design

Every student arrives on campus with a different perspective on privacy. Some may come from households where they were the only child or where they had their own room, while others may come from larger families where they shared bedrooms or lived with intergenerational relatives. Prior living environments shape students’ expectations for privacy in their on-campus housing.  

Today’s student housing is increasingly designed with apartment and suite arrangements that provide students with more privacy and personal space than traditional residence hall models that feature shared bedrooms and common bathrooms and lounges on every floor. Universities and designers have adapted to meet the evolving needs and desires of today’s college students, understanding that providing more privacy in these intimate spaces can be better for students’ holistic well-being. However, shared rooms inherently enable socialization and can lead to many benefits, including decreased isolation and higher retention rates. For these reasons, we work with universities to balance their offerings.

Through our design research, we’ve learned that privacy isn’t something that can or should be limited to the design of bedrooms and bathrooms. Providing many options for how and where students can retreat within the larger campus goes a long way in enhancing their well-being, too.

Small “Zoom” rooms in residence halls at UC San Diego Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood offer students options for privacy.

One design strategy our teams have implemented to support privacy in projects such as UC San Diego Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood (TDLLN) are “Zoom” rooms. Online and hybrid learning hasn’t gone away since the pandemic eased, even though many classes are face-to-face for on-campus students. Students often collaborate with others or connect with professors remotely, and having private spaces in housing buildings for them to do so provides options for virtual, private connections.

At UC Davis’ Shasta and Yosemite Halls, which include a variety of small and mid-size lounge and study areas, our design research revealed that students are using the exterior bridges connecting each building to make private phone calls. The bridges are conveniently located down the hall from student rooms, and many students said they often stopped on the bridge to finish conversations before returning to the space they share with their roommate. This example demonstrates that privacy is something students want and need, and that can be found in unexpected places. However, the notion of “right-sizing” these shared spaces for increased utilization is key. As we learned in our post-occupancy study, the mere presence of a glass door can signal territoriality, limiting the number of students who use a shared space.

Enhancing On-Campus Socialization Opportunities 

While on-campus living is by nature a social experience, meaningful social relationships often take time, effort and energy for students to develop. Students have different approaches, expectations and needs when it comes to making friends. Some students move far from home for school and may not know anyone on campus, while others attend a school close to home, where they are more likely to know many fellow classmates. It’s important for us to tend to varying degrees of social relationships, so that we meet all the diverse needs of socialization — including those that happen online, one on one or in a group setting.

A student’s potential social relationships include those with roommates, floormates, others in their building or other on-campus residences and with the entire campus community at large. The design of student housing can help foster students’ abilities to forge and maintain bonds with others in ways that work for them.

We’ve learned that it’s important to provide spaces and furnishings that support different modes of gathering. Common rooms and lounges are a tried-and-true type of space in student housing buildings, but one or two areas intended for many different concurrent activities don’t always provide the right options from a socialization (or studying) standpoint. Similarly, a student bedroom with only a desk, chair and bed can’t fully support certain social activities like playing a board game or watching a movie together.

We’ve learned that it’s important to provide spaces and furnishings that support different modes of gathering.

Every floor or wing on a student housing floor makes up a community comprised of residents supported by one resident assistant or advisor. The floor community is an extension of the more intimate roommate community, and we have learned the importance of expanding those scales of social networks and supporting them through design. 

On a current student housing project in Florida, our design connects pairs of floors with one stairwell and shared amenities.  This design strategy gives students the option to engage with a bigger social network, in addition to the suitemate and floor community. Providing more connections while still maintaining the smaller, more intimate aspects of a floor community provides a range of opportunities for socialization for students who may want different things in their housing environment. 

We have also been strategic about fostering social interactions among students who might not encounter one another daily. At TDLLN, we applied a concept of “functional inconvenience” where students gather in a central location for key amenities that they infrequently utilize, such as laundry and fitness facilities and a community kitchen. The intent is to design shared spaces at different scales and for different modes of interactivity that enhance students’ sense of belonging within their greater community.

Providing Choices for Student Comfort

Comfort is foundational in any living environment — our holistic well-being is enhanced when we feel comfortable and at ease in the places where we live. Just like with privacy and socialization, comfort is a need that looks and feels different for every student living on campus. Some students enjoy living environments that are open, where they can easily be surrounded by others and circulate to different spaces. Some students gravitate toward more private spaces where they can retreat. 

In today’s student housing, students and their families can often select from a range of options for suite and room arrangements, making choices based on comfort levels and affordability. Design strategies that support choices for comfort can be applied throughout student housing and campus environments, not just in bedrooms and suites. 

Our research has shown that providing choice and agency in a student housing environment contributes to student comfort. By designing spaces and incorporating features that provide comfort for students regardless of their activity, whether it be studying, socializing or relaxing, we provide more places where students can freely and comfortably live their lives. Even things as simple as self-operated thermostat and lighting controls can go a long way toward enhancing comfort.

Flexible common spaces at a forthcoming UT San Antonio residence hall provide choices for where students can comfortably socialize and study.

Through planning discussions with school officials and student engagement efforts for a major housing project at UT San Antonio, we learned it is important for us to provide UTSA students with choice, to contribute to their overall comfort. The design includes a variety of unit options that expand the university’s housing portfolio and balance affordability with creating a dynamic, comfortable community for students. The building’s circulation is designed with single-loaded corridors so neighbors across the hall can’t see into each other’s rooms. This strategy was an intentional move to provide students with that next level of comfort in their living space.

The project also features permeable transition zones between the outdoors and shared amenities on the ground floor that offer a variety of sensory experiences and supply students with options for respite, socialization and climatic control. With flexible lounge seating and varied furniture options throughout, students can customize their shared environments for comfort.

Housing that Prepares Students for the Future

Successful student housing design prepares young people for different living situations as they continue through their academic life. While learning to advocate for personal needs is a part of the developmental experience of on-campus living, students who have a built environment that supports them can spend more time focusing on learning and building relationships than seeking places that fulfil their needs.

HKS education designers and researchers partner with universities to create such places — places where students can feel comfortable and safe, where they can have their needs met, be themselves and find a sense of belonging. Through collaboration and outcome-driven design, we create environments that shape memories in four of the most transformative years of students’ lives.

Empowering Patients: Memorial Cancer Institute

Empowering Patients: Memorial Cancer Institute

By
  • Teresa Campbell
  • Arthur Brito

This story first appeared in the 2024 September/October Edition of Medical Construction & Design. It is reprinted here with their permission.

In Pembroke Pines, Florida, on a site where two defunct big-box stores once stood, is a new beacon of hope – Memorial Cancer Institute. The two-story luminous glass-and-precast building – highlighted by Memorial Healthcare System’s signature blue – welcomes people to the medical campus and communicates the health system’s strong presence in the area and commitment to the community it serves.

“Cancer patients can expect the best treatments, advanced clinical trials and expert physicians,” said Meredith B. Feinberg, Vice President of Oncology Services at South Florida-based Memorial Healthcare System. “But having an environment that supports their healing is also critical.”

The design gives cancer patients back a measure of control over their lives. According to Feinberg, spaces that help people feel empowered as they embark on a challenging health care journey are key to a positive cancer care experience. 

Welcoming, landmark building

The 21,000-square-foot outpatient cancer center, designed by HKS, is located next to Memorial Healthcare System’s Memorial Hospital West. The cancer institute offers advanced chemotherapy and cellular therapy treatment options, radiation therapy, surgical oncology specialties, a full array of advanced clinical trials, integrative medicine and support services that include a Center for Body, Mind and Spirit, a meditation sanctuary and a café with healthy food options. 

The HKS LINE (Laboratory for INtensive Exploration) innovation team helped create the building’s distinctive exterior, which features a variety of architectural precast concrete panels in assorted sizes and finishes, including some panels that are polished to provide visual interest and a subtle sheen. Timothy Logan, HKS Computational Applications Developer, formulated an algorithm to help determine the optimal layout for the panels, to avoid waste, minimize construction costs and maximize design impact. 

The project team used a 3D digital model of the building to visualize different iterations of the exterior and fine-tune the design. Once they finalized the design, the team produced drawings for custom molds the manufacturer used to form the precast concrete panels. 

Meeting community needs

The building’s bright, light-filled interior provides a patient environment that is soothing, efficient and easy to navigate. The design supports expanded services, future growth and Memorial Healthcare System’s partnerships with Florida Atlantic University and the Moffitt Cancer Center. 

The facility has 63 exam rooms designed for multidisciplinary cancer care teams, more than doubling the number of exam rooms (29) previously available for cancer care on the Memorial Hospital West campus. In addition, the building has 51 private infusion suites, up from 38. Shell space is being built out in the facility to create more infusion bays. The pharmacy and laboratory are sized to support additional patient volume. 

“We certainly had an eye toward growth,” said Feinberg. 

The master plan for the project includes a future inpatient cancer hospital that will integrate with the institute’s outpatient services, for enhanced patient support and clinical care. To support this plan, Memorial Cancer Institute is designed to expand horizontally, and the building program is arranged around a central atrium with a grand staircase that promotes physical activity, simplifies wayfinding and affords easy deconstruction for the expansion.

HKS and Memorial Healthcare System recently completed a successful vertical expansion of the health system’s Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. The project team knew well the feasibility — and complexity — of building above an operational health facility. To minimize disruption and save time and money during a future expansion project at Memorial Cancer Institute, the team positioned the institute toward one side of the site, to allow room to build an adjacent patient bed tower.

Healthy air, healthy building

Memorial Cancer Institute is designed for operational efficiency and the well-being of patients, family members and staff.

The project team took a holistic approach to protecting the health and wellness of vulnerable people, which included maintaining high standards for interior air quality and reducing the toxicity of building materials. 

HKS’ interior design team created a material palette that minimizes harmful emissions from volatile organic compounds and persistent, bioaccumulative toxins. This approach is aligned with the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for LEED certification. Memorial Cancer Institute’s LEED v4 certification is in process.

Designed for better flow

Because cancer patients can be physically and emotionally fragile, Memorial Healthcare System’s goal is to make their time spent in the building “as short as possible”.

“We spent a lot of time focused on patient flow and throughput so patients can get back to living their lives,” Feinberg said.

On the building’s first floor, centralized registration, blood draw and laboratory areas are designed to streamline processes, shorten staff walking distances and reduce waiting times for patients. A separate side canopy and entrance for the radiation oncology department helps patients whose treatment requires frequent trips to the cancer institute to get in and out quickly and feel more empowered when they visit.

The Center for Body, Mind and Spirit, also located on the first floor, offers a salon, prosthetic fittings, a boutique and massage therapy to help patients look and feel their best throughout their cancer treatment.

The institute’s 63 exam rooms are on the second floor, which also houses physician practices, a patient and family resource center and supportive services, such as palliative care, nutrition, psycho-oncology and social work.

The Breast Cancer Center, on the third floor, integrates breast medical oncology, breast-surgical oncology and breast cancer treatments in one location to provide a convenient, personalized approach to care. Breast cancer infusion bays are located within the center to improve care coordination and offer patients an extra measure of privacy. 

Infusion bays throughout the building are perhaps the best example of how the design supports individual choice and empowerment. Patients can control the lighting and temperature within each private infusion bay for increased comfort and reduced stress. All infusion bays are positioned on the building’s perimeter with views of nature and living things so patients undergoing treatment can feel a calming connection to life and the outdoors. Several infusion bays feature views of the institute’s expansive rooftop garden. 

Research shows that access to nature can improve well-being and aid in the healing process. To support this notion, the rooftop garden features meandering walking paths, lush greenery and shaded seating areas for patients, their families and cancer institute staff. Native plants and pollinators in the garden support local biodiversity and to minimize water runoff, the rooftop landscape is fortified with drought-resilient plants that can manage intense South Florida rainfall and storms.

The rooftop area also includes a café and a jewel box-like meditation sanctuary that supports multiple activities and therapies. Feinberg said she has seen patients and family members linger in the rooftop garden after a patient visit or treatment.

The institute’s grand opening was held in November 2023 and patients began receiving care at the facility in January of this year. The $125-million investment stands as a testament to Memorial Healthcare System’s dedication to advancing cancer care in South Florida for years to come.

Why Flexibility Is Key to the Future of Speculative Lab Developments

Uplift Education Luna Campus

Project

Uplift Education Luna Campus A New Campus Inspires and Celebrates the Educational Journey

Dallas, Texas, USA

The Challenge

Since 1996, Uplift Education has offered children and families a path to — and through — higher education. Uplift Luna’s pair of downtown Dallas campuses offered very little usable outdoor space for students and faculty to retreat from the conventional classroom environment.

The physical school environment plays an important role in student development, and the pandemic highlighted how absence of that environment can hinder aspects of development that aren’t strictly academic.  Uplift Education sought a new campus that would bridge personal and academic aspects of development, and provide a welcoming, supportive atmosphere for all students.

The Design Solution

The HKS team started with the following questions: How can design emphasize the academic journey of Uplift scholars with the goal of college achievement? How can design mitigate the less than desirable surrounding site elements of a major freeway and metal materials warehouse? How can design promote outdoor social spaces and the health and wellness of students and staff?

The primary answer was to create an outdoor central quad, finding inspiration from a traditional college campus. The campus parking and school buildings surround the quad as a perimeter defining the outdoor space and protecting it from the noise of the neighboring highway and metals facility. Communal spaces like the cafeteria and gymnasium are disconnected from the academic building and located to encourage outdoor circulation. A system of outdoor paths, canopies, landscaping and open space create a rich quad space that is multifunctional and walkable. Space for Uplift’s signature Road to College & Career program is placed in the center of the quad as a focal point for the entire campus. All areas of the campus can view and focus on the road to college through their educational journey.

The Design Impact

A shift in focus away from the formal classroom and toward more holistic social and emotional development has resulted in higher college matriculation rates for Uplift graduates. The shift emerged as a defining thesis in this campus and points toward a future with a more intentionally fluid, adaptable educational model. 

Teachers at Uplift Luna now have more learning spaces, including outdoor areas that allow flexibility and creativity in their curriculum. Students enjoy dynamic outdoor spaces that allow for more socializing, activities and autonomy. Teachers and administrators have reported back that students are spending more time outside before and after school and during their lunch — providing meaningful opportunities for social connection and rest throughout their school day.

This project inspired a joint research project on how the design of learning environments can support social and emotional learning with the Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and Uplift, sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers. The first phase of the study is complete where the team developed a Visual Design Guide that includes findings from teacher interviews and a comprehensive literature review that identifies 18 evidence-based design strategies for learning environments. The second phase is underway, with a pre-post occupancy evaluation study in progress.

Project Features

Explore Further

Related Content

Gen Silicon Valley Hub Site

Project

Gen Silicon Valley Hub Site Bringing People Together in New Ways

Mountain View, CA, USA

The Challenge

Gen is a global leader in cyber safety. Having recently united a family of brands under the new Gen brand, they wanted their new Silicon Valley hub site to embody the spirit, values and mission of their teams, who dedicate their careers to protecting millions of people worldwide.

Gen challenged HKS to transform a dormant, unoccupied building in Mountain View, California, into a fresh, new site that would bring Gen’s people together both physically and virtually. The new site was intended to connect people, place, and brand in an amenity-rich work environment that would position Gen as a best place to work among its competitors.

The Design Solution

Gen’s core purpose of “Powering Digital Freedom” drove HKS’ design, which underscores the company’s innovative, energetic mission-driven culture. Design is a key strategy in establishing the company’s new workplace experience.

When employees and visitors step into the new workplace, the environment activates them with a welcoming atmosphere and streaming music. A concierge conveys the feeling of experiencing an exclusive club. The workplace experience connects people — both employees and guests — to the Gen brand, while also conveying a sense of importance.

Throughout the natural light-filled workplace, the flow between spaces is seamless. Diverse places to gather, from the concierge at entry to an adjacent cafe, to a multi-function space for public events, and informal kitchens interspersed throughout all convey a sense of hospitality. An open floor plan with hoteling spaces and quiet nooks provides choice for different modes of work and small group collaboration.

To minimize the site’s carbon footprint, designers re-used base building architecture, concrete, plumbing, and perhaps most surprisingly: furnishings. In Gen’s new space, 95% of the furniture is re-used. Designers compared the process of furnishing the new headquarters to “shopping in your own closet to achieve quality and authenticity.” That story resonated with Gen for myriad reasons, including the notion of that it had a familial sense.

The Design Impact

Experiencing this office through its design, environmental branding and energy, provides a one-of-a-kind Gen experience and changes how the company brings people together. Through a hybrid, people-first solution, the new hub site can flex to meet the daily demands of its workforce with adaptable spaces that flex to accommodate peak occupancy for special events. That’s key, because Gen not only hosts its own workforce but also holds frequent events where leaders including CEO Vincent Pilette, who “loves spending time in that office,” invite other CEOs to the workplace for informal, engaging conversations.

Project Features

Explore Further

Related Content

HKS’ Brad Robichaux and Dr. Renae Mantooth Discuss the Science Behind Environmental Wellness and How Colleges Are Adapting To Serve Their Students

Judy Neil

Related Content

Community Transformation in the Northeast U.S. and Mid-Atlantic Region Drives Creative Responses from Designers

Community Transformation in the Northeast U.S. and Mid-Atlantic Region Drives Creative Responses from Designers

By Kathleen M. O’Donnell

Metro areas throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region of the United States are transforming. They might not be experiencing explosive population growth like those in the Southeast or Southwest, but a new era for innovation, development and design in New York, Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, is dawning.

Why? In part, because they’re among the most populous and oldest developed places in the country, and in part because people are living and working differently than before.

“There is a convergence of forces requiring cities to adapt to the changing needs of the people they serve,” said HKS Regional Director Shannon Kraus.  “Aged infrastructure, population growth, hybrid work and artificial intelligence are all driving a fundamental shift in how people live and work in a post-pandemic society.”

These factors — in addition to pendulating economic conditions — are causing challenges and presenting opportunities for city governments, real estate developers and building owners. HKS is working with these entities to contribute creative solutions for existing and future buildings, so people who live in, work in, and visit the region can thrive.

Unlocking the Potential of Older Infrastructure

While the historic buildings in well-established Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities are central to their charm, many aren’t adequately serving people who need safe, comfortable places to live, learn and receive health care services.

“Most of these cities have old hospitals, schools, and housing stock that they need to reinvest in, or they have to build new, better buildings that support people in a changing post-COVID world,” Kraus said.

Designers from HKS’ Cities & Communities practice, Kraus noted, are working across sectors to revitalize communities and infrastructure with the deep understanding that where people live dramatically impacts their health and well-being.

Individual building repositioning and renovation projects, while a necessity in older cities, can be expensive and labor intensive. Kraus and HKS New York office director Eric Thomas both said that architects and developers are currently engaged with officials in conversations to advocate for better tax incentives that spur development.

They are also having parallel discussions about sustainability, acknowledging that reducing embodied carbon and carbon emissions through design interventions will help unlock the potential of existing buildings.

“There’s a big push for more electric, more sustainable buildings, but our grid is struggling, and it relies a lot on fossil fuels,” Thomas said about New York. “There needs to be a bigger investment in alternative fuel sources, so that as we design and retrofit existing buildings, our electrical grid can handle it.”

As larger repositioning efforts unfurl industry-wide, HKS architects and designers are working to adapt existing buildings for new uses, improve energy efficiency and make enhancements to exceed current building code standards — all tactics that better serve building users and help clients recoup costs of the property investments they’ve already made.

“We’re making sure they’re looking at the big picture. We can have a big impact on the cost related to building systems upgrades, and we partner with engineers who share that philosophy,” Thomas said. “Our clients appreciate that holistic approach.”

Supporting New Modes of Working and Living

In Northeast and Mid-Atlantic business and government centers, the amount of vacant office space has skyrocketed since the pandemic began in 2020. As a result, commercial owners, lessees and developers are seeking to reimagine office environments and office-anchored developments. Designers from HKS Interiors and Mixed-Use practices are helping companies navigate the shift by bringing insights and ideas to office design that aid collaboration in addition to attracting tenants and talent.

“Our teams are helping commercial clients pivot during this challenging time, providing solutions that help them diversify their amenities and offerings,” said Shantee Blain, HKS Washington, D.C.’s office director. Blain added that the commercial downturn has enabled HKS teams to leverage their multidisciplinary experience to bring new ideas to different building types and sectors.

The commercial office downturn is coinciding with an urgent need for more multifamily housing in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region — a need that stems from a variety of factors including the large, densely located populations and residents’ changing needs in the era of hybrid work.

“As the demand for office has cooled, the demand for residential and multifamily has increased. More people want to work from home and are looking for different things,” Kraus said.

New residential construction is taking place in the Washington, D.C. and New York metro areas, where government-led initiatives to generate tens of thousands of housing units in recent and upcoming years are in full swing. The region is also a prime location for new mixed-use destinations and transit-oriented developments with dining, public space, local retail, entertainment and varied housing options.

Such mixed-use multifamily properties and larger developments are integral to the future of design and development, according to HKS leaders.

“In the industry, I hope we’re going toward doing more of what I call ‘hybrid buildings,’ where a place we design doesn’t have just one typology and ‘mixed-use’ is how you describe all buildings,” Blain said. “These types of places invigorate communities and give back to their residents.”

New Technologies Demand New Spaces

The pandemic changed what people need from the places where they live and work. And there is yet another force drastically impacting work modes and development in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: cloud-based technology.

With advances in cloud computing and remote networks making it easier for people to work remotely or in hybrid settings, the demand for highly equipped offices — at home and in corporate spaces — is surging. Cloud computing and widescale adoption of artificial intelligence are also leading to astronomical increases in the need for high-performing data centers worldwide.

HKS leaders said that with the recent Mission Critical practice expansion, the firm is further establishing itself at the vanguard of data center design. HKS is creating new campuses to handle large server and computing loads in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and beyond. Introducing new talent and skills into the firm’s global base is helping design teams provide more services and develop inventive solutions for these vital facilities.

“We are developing new ways of designing data centers in the region, uniting the skills of talented mission critical designers with professionals that have experience designing a broader range of building types,” Blain said.

HKS designers work swiftly and smartly to design and deliver data centers and operations facilities, in order to set trends in sustainability, building performance and innovation.

“It doesn’t have to be data centers for miles,” said Mike Drye, HKS Richmond’s office director. “We’re in this next generation of thinking, and we don’t just have to repeat what’s been done. We can think creatively about it.”

Synergistic Relationships and Growth

Regional HKS leaders said their teams are coupling that kind of creative energy with local experience in health, government, sports and commercial design to build connections and meet the needs of communities throughout the region as they evolve.

“When I think about the types of work our firm and office does in academic health and collegiate sports and the opportunities around our region, I see tremendous potential for us to leverage all that HKS does more broadly,” Drye said.

The area’s abundance of academic health, research, and education institutions — many of which are connected to major universities — are consolidating and growing. These institutions need state-of-the-art facilities for medical services, teaching and learning, housing, research and athletics. The natural connections and design overlaps among these building types mean that HKS designers can provide top-tier services based on deep knowledge of a variety of practice areas. They can translate their experience to new and innovative designs.

“The conversation we like to have with clients starts with the question: how else can we serve you?” Thomas said. “We have subject matter experts and talented folks who can assist with student housing, classroom buildings, sports facilities and laboratories, including teaching and research space.”

In addition to growing its Education and Life Science practices, HKS is also expanding other practices in the region including Hospitality, Culture and Senior Living. Projects stemming from these practices will attract new people and provide more vital community resources.

Innovating Globally, Designing Locally

As Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities simultaneously grapple with their history and future, HKS leaders said that their teams will draw on the firm’s global talent base and local relationships to design spaces and places that uniquely suit their surroundings.

Thomas said that in New York, multidisciplinary design teams are leading community resilience efforts and partnering with institutions to enrich the city’s cultural offerings. Blain said she and other D.C. staff members are inspired by the District’s historic buildings and human scale, which helps them create welcoming destinations. And in Richmond, Drye said colleagues are building relationships with organizations to tap into the local artistic and entrepreneurial spirit so they can help the growing city develop authentically.

These HKS teams are transforming homes, offices, learning and healing environments, and places for connection so they can weather current and future economic, environmental and technological conditions. Working nimbly and collaboratively, designers will contribute to a resilient future for people throughout the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

“We lean into our design expertise and bring forward innovative ideas, and a lot of cities in our market require that,” Kraus said. “The collision of old and new here is exciting, and we’re leading change in the built environment that supports our communities’ long-term well-being and growth.”

How HKS and Perkins&Will Are Partnering to Design the Country’s Largest Greenfield Pediatric Hospital

UAB Health Medical West Hospital

Project

UAB Health Medical West Hospital A Transformative Environment with a Touch of Southern Hospitality

Bessemer, Alabama

The Challenge

UAB Health Medical West replaces a 1960s hospital with a modern, experience-centered facility that serves rural communities. The project goal was to design a warm, inviting and technologically advanced care environment within a tight budget and enable new ways of operating and delivering care.

HKS’ collaborated with local design partner, KPS, who had previous experience with UAB, to build trust with the tight-knit staff and develop an approach for designing a warm, comforting environment that exuded the southern hospitality they are known for.

The Design Solution

The design team embraced the unique natural qualities of the site’s pond, trees and steep terrain. Trails for walking and running around the pond and throughout the campus help connect the greater community to a health and wellness destination. The building’s fully glazed exterior reflects the 125-foot pine trees and natural wetlands surrounding it, eliciting a sense of oneness with nature.

The southern hospitality-inspired interior design includes a front porch atmosphere in the lobby, complete with rocking chairs and views outside. Warm wood tones and stonework serve as a base, and each floor features distinct botanical elements of native plant species and complementary color palettes.

The Cahaba lily — a rare species of spider lily that blooms for only two weeks each May and grows in running water — is featured throughout the ground floor and lobby. The team hired a plant life photographer to take pictures of the blooms and other native plant species to correspond with each floor’s theme. The budget only allowed for one image per floor, so the team selected the perfect photo that could be cropped in various ways for printed glass, wall graphics and artwork.

The lobby’s ceiling features petal-shaped lights and long curved panels that mimic the Cahaba lily. The shape is then reflected onto the floor pattern just as it would reflect onto the running water where they grow. The botanical graphics that distinguish each floor offer warming pops of color that can lift a person’s mood — a crucial outcome of biophilic design strategies in often stressful health care settings.

“When you walk into this hospital it’s really jaw-dropping but in this really welcoming and warm way.”

Dr. Cynthia Brown, OBGYN, UAB Medical West

The Design Impact

The staff family is extremely proud of the new facility and are actively putting in place new ways of working and delivering patient care for the rural communities surrounding Bessemer, Alabama.

Project Features

Explore Further

Related Content

Hillary DeGroff

Related Content

Heather Spinks

Stories

Projects

Related Content

HKS Expands Mission Critical Team to Lead Market Transformation

HKS Expands Mission Critical Team to Lead Market Transformation

By HKS

Global design firm HKS is expanding its Mission Critical practice to strengthen its position as a leader in designing resilient, critical facilities that operate 24/7, 365 days a year – an escalating market that has grown to include every economic sector. The firm hired industry veteran Mark Nakatani to head the practice and successfully acquired Reston, Virginia-based AXO Architects, specialists in technically complex buildings. 

Nakatani will serve as HKS’ Global Practice Director, Mission Critical. He brings more than 30 years of experience in developing technology-centric design practices and delivery teams to the role.

Kirk Teske, HKS Partner and Global Sector Director, Place, oversees the firm’s Mission Critical practice. With Nakatani joining HKS, Teske envisions opportunities to build on and diversify the firm’s market share.

“HKS is very experienced in the design of mission critical programs. We also have a portfolio of advanced manufacturing facilities, life sciences and operations centers,” Teske said. “We believe Mark can grow our market share in these building types and partner with HKS practice leaders to meet the demand in technology-based solutions across all our markets.” 

Nakatani said that as a multidisciplinary firm, HKS can bring added value to clients in a wide array of markets that have surging technology needs.

“Hospitality, sports, health care – all of these markets are going through a transformation, whether it’s electrification, AI or data management,” said Nakatani.

“These are the crossroads where I think HKS can be the center point. I’m excited about what that could mean.”

AXO served clients for decades in “data center alley,” a region of Virginia that has the highest concentration of data centers in the world – more than 25 million square feet, with more planned or in development. 

Arizton market research states that the U.S. data center market is projected to expand to $149 billion by 2029, up from $102 billion in 2023, a compound annual growth rate of 6.5%. The global data center and cloud service market, which was valued at $200 billion in 2021, is expected to zoom to $450 billion by 2027, according to estimates by market research and consulting firm Ken Research.

“We are in a technological era in which one of the primary resources is data – the capture, processing, and transmission of which takes place primarily in the data center,” said David Sassano, AXO’s former owner, who now serves as Regional Practice leader, Mission Critical, at HKS. “This building type plays a vital role in how we function as a global society.”

As data management needs increase, energy efficiency becomes more paramount and devices get smaller and require less of a building footprint, data center design is “at the cusp of some really phenomenal innovation over the next few years,” Sassano said.

HKS is well-equipped to lead this market transformation and help clients achieve environmental, financial and operational resilience.

“In addition to our ability to lead and deliver projects, HKS has some of the best talent in the industry for design innovation,” Teske said. 

“With the trend toward more integration of robotic manufacturing and laboratory research with corporate office space, we believe we can create environments that spark innovation within our clients’ organizations.”

Cura Day Surgery at Camden Medical Center

Project

Cura Day Surgery at Camden Medical Center Creating a Nature-Inspired, Patient-Centric Surgery Center on Iconic Orchard Road

Singapore

The Challenge

HKS was challenged to design an outpatient surgery center within an existing medical office building that has a unique round footprint. The client wanted a seamless blend of cutting-edge medical facilities, comfortable patient spaces, and efficient operational flow. The design team needed to develop a creative solution to accommodate the exterior curved wall with a medical-grade infrastructure and strict regulatory compliance requirements to create a safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing environment.

The Design Solution

The design inspiration for Cura Day Surgery was focused on the patient journey. Starting at the warm and welcoming reception and waiting area, the patient is guided through curved hallways to their private suite. All patient and visitor zones are infused with natural light, promoting a soothing ambiance.

Camden Medical Center has an incredible view of the Singapore Botanic Gardens nearby. Inspired by the heritage and diversity of these gardens, the design seeks to create a natural connection to enhance the well-being of those who visit the surgery center. A neutral color palette gives the brand identity a sophisticated and refined look, with natural materials like marble and wood to help ground the spaces. A collection of abstract art in calming colors acts as distinct markers for wayfinding.

The surgery suites were designed to accommodate the curved exterior wall while allowing enough space for the latest technology and medical equipment. Each operating room features soothing colors and a floor-to-ceiling wall graphic to create a calming environment.

Sustainable materials and energy-efficient systems minimize the center’s ecological footprint. Incorporating biophilic design principles into interior spaces enhances patient and staff well-being, while the natural rhythms within the design create spaces that are in harmony with the natural world, creating a soothing and calming atmosphere.

The Design Impact

The project achieved its primary aim of successful performance by positively impacting the patient’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, thus facilitating the patient’s recovery process. This accomplishment was made possible through outstanding collaboration, effective implementation of the design vision, and philosophy formulated during the project’s concept phase.

This patient-centric and nature-based approach has the potential to redefine the way health care services are delivered and provide a unique and healing experience for patients. As this journey evolves, it can inspire and shape other day surgery centers to focus on a patient-centric experience and recovery process.

Project Features

Explore Further

Related Content

Newmark Dallas

Project

Newmark Dallas Dallas Company’s Open, Collaborative Office Space Sets New Mark

Dallas, TX, USA

The Challenge

As pandemic-induced restrictions began to lift, Newmark sought to consolidate its Dallas-Fort Worth offices into a single location in Uptown Dallas to improve and elevate the employee experience. To help show Newark what the Future of Work could be, the HKS design team was challenged to create a space where a new culture could be born and nurtured by uniting different groups in a single, highly collaborative and client-facing office.

The Design Solution

The HKS design team integrated end user feedback before construction began by presenting the project company-wide to future users to assist management efforts. In addition, the team used HKS’ Future of Work research to inform much of the planning of spaces.

Newmark also wanted to incorporate a Wellness program by providing wellness room / focus rooms, and connection to the surrounding areas near the building. The Link was specifically chosen as the location for this project because it provides easy access to all commuters by car or public transit. The building is in a walkable part of Uptown where biking and walking throughout the day is commonplace. In planning the layout of the floorplan, we used intuitive wayfinding to make it easy for employees and visitors to find their way around and understand when they are transitioning from a communal open space to a more focused working environment.  

Additionally, there are multiple locations throughout the office with access to water and nutritional snacks. A requirement of the program called for many private offices to be located on the exterior walls of the building, however all private offices and meeting rooms have glass storefronts, allowing natural light and connecting views to the outdoors to spill farther into the space, giving access to all employees. The HKS team was also strategic in locating smaller open collaboration areas in the building with direct views to downtown Dallas and other city landmarks.

Because The Link is a first-generation space, meaning that no one had occupied the space previously, this created a unique opportunity to utilize and highlight the existing structure on ceilings and flooring pathways. It also reduced resource use and showcases the space’s architecture in an elegant way.  Additionally, the HKS team specified materials and vendors with a transparency and commitment to sustainability measures.  

The Design Impact

At a time when the physical workplace and returning to the office was in question, the HKS design team’s approach was highly collaborative, based in research, and backed by a thorough discovery process that consisted of multiple interviews and visioning sessions.  The goal was to foster a vibrant culture that would speak to Newmark’s brand and values, by presenting to both its employees and clients with a high-performance space that welcomes all and is a catalyst for change.

Project Features

Awards

Explore Further

Related Content

Key Design Takeaways from NeoCon 2024

Key Design Takeaways from NeoCon 2024

By HKS

An estimated 50,000 people met in Chicago June 10-12 to attend NeoCon, an exposition billed as the world’s leading platform for commercial interior design.

During the event, HKS interior designers and researchers joined industry thought leaders to present ideas about the role of design in creating innovative, inclusive spaces where people can be healthy, productive and thrive.

Read on for significant moments from the HKS team at NeoCon 2024.

1. Critical Actions Interior Designers Can Take Now to Reduce Global Carbon Emissions

HKS’ Director of Citizen HKS and Sustainable Design Leader, Lisa Adams, participated in two events hosted by METROPOLIS. Lisa joined a panel discussion on Circular Design and Positive Impact, and she contributed to the Sustainability Lab Leadership Summit, where designers came together to discuss how the industry and large global firms like Google are integrating sustainability into their business models.

At the summit, Lisa summarized the key actions interior designers can take now to reduce global carbon emissions:

2. The Design Challenge of our Time is the Design of Time.

In a featured session entitled IIDA Collective Design LIVE: The Future of Experience, HKS’ Global Sector Director of Innovation, Dr. Upali Nanda, said, “The design challenge of our time is the design of time. Experience is the value proposition for designers. We must ask ourselves: what is the return on experience for our clients?”

To illustrate this concept, Dr. Nanda told a story she dubbed the “Applesauce Moment.” The story begins with the process of researching the lived experience of nurses at ProMedica Toledo Hospital, as HKS prepared to design the new Generations of Care Tower. Until we researched a day in the life of the hospital’s nurses, we did not realize how much time nurses were spending walking from one place to another to get key supplies. Our “Aha!” moment came when we watched a single nurse walk 1.2 miles to deliver meds, and then a patient asked her for applesauce. To get it, she had to walk another twenty minutes–both ways. Until we researched her lived experience, we had no idea that this problem existed. We were able to design a new hospital with nurses’ walking time front of mind, and we reduced their walking time by half.

For nurses and patients at ProMedica, the return on design means more time for care and less time walking to retrieve supplies.

3. Why Interior Design Matters Now More Than Ever

The International Interior Design Association, IIDA, hosts its annual meeting during NeoCon. This year, one of our esteemed new colleagues, Ronnie Belizaire, an HKS Principal, delivered her final speech as President of IIDA’s International Board of Directors. She said:
Interior Design continues to solve some of society’s biggest challenges through the built environment, while creating beautiful and contextual spaces that make people feel seen, heard, celebrated and included as it tries to answer the “WHY” of it all.

As I end my tenure as the President of IIDA’s International Board of Directors, my great hope is that this association continues to make space for all its members and designers everywhere. I hope that IIDA’s members can proudly boast the mantra of “I am IIDA” because the truth of the matter is IIDA wouldn’t exist without YOU…YOU ARE IIDA!

4, Why Go to the Office?

One of the more startling statistics shared at NeoCon 2024 came from Sarah Silva, Vice President of Tenant Representation at JLL, who noted that in 2024, only one commercial office building opened in Chicago: Salesforce Tower. The big question now is: what makes going to the office worth it? Today’s office has to offer an experience that employees just can’t get anywhere else.

In Offices for the New Work Reality, HKS’ Director of Commercial Interiors Kate Davis argued that people today don’t have to go to the office to work. So why should they? Mandates are one option, but they aren’t the best option for employers hoping to engage top talent.

A key problem in the design of today’s offices? Davis singled out a surprising and controversial culprit: workstations. She argued that by default, today’s office workers spend most of their days at them, and it’s not helping either productivity or engagement.

Designers should think about how to create places that encourage employees to design the time that they choose to spend at the office. She argued that we know it’s possible, because it happens intuitively—yet also by design—for college students. College campuses encourage students to do different things in different places throughout the course of a day. How can offices do the same? How can we design offices that help people choose places where they can work smarter and better?

As workers ask themselves, “why go to the office?” designers must amplify the value that people get from spending time in the office. It’s the key to designing workplaces that realize value for employees and corporate leaders alike. To learn about an office designed for the future of work, read more.

5. We’re HiP! Or at least one of us is: Meena Krenek.

Interior Design magazine honored Meena Krenek, HKS Global Practice Director, Venues Interiors, as the 2024 HiP Experiential Design Leader. The magazine’s annual HiP awards celebrate the most innovative products and people in commercial design. To learn how Meena brings storytelling and emotion to interior spaces, read more.

In addition to this honor, Interior Design also included Ana Pinto-Alexander, FIIDA, HKS Partner and Global Director of Interiors, in two exclusive roundtable discussions led by Cindy Allen, Chief Design Officer of Sandow Design Group: one focused on wellness, and another on the importance of connection with the design community. 

6. Sad you missed NeoCon? You can view more events online.

In addition to the in-person events highlighted above, two virtual sessions led by HKS experts – on the design of workspace and health care environments – are available through September 13 via the NeoCon website. Register online by September 11 to view these sessions and receive continuing education unit (CEU) credit.

Designing Spaces for Aging Populations

Designing Spaces for Aging Populations

By Jen McDermott

In the past, senior living facilities had more of an institutional or health care ambience. With the growth in our aging population, senior living facility design has changed. Now, some of the most popular senior living communities look more like gracious homes or luxury resorts. Striking the balance between beauty, comfort, safety, and practicality is the challenge today’s senior living interior designers face. 

This evolution in design is one of the reasons I love this field. We are always looking forward and thinking about how we can improve the lives of the people we serve. Sometimes the elements we want to introduce don’t exist in a way that works for this population, so we work with manufacturers to develop materials that meet residents’ preferences and lifestyle. Lighting that can be easily adjusted, fabrics that are more luxurious and tactile, floor coverings and flooring transitions that are all in one plane and shared spaces that can be easily adapted to individual preferences are all part of our design thinking.

Empathetic design considers lighting, floor covering, and furniture that can be aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for people that may have diminished sight, hearing or mobility. Acoustics in public spaces can support more intimate conversations without being drowned out by ambient noise. Contact with nature through indoor plants, water features, and views of the outdoors can be introduced as well as artwork–both elements can be mentally stimulating.

Legacy Midtown Park, Dallas, TX

I have been active in senior living interior design for more than 20 years. I love working with clients on new communities, but often the most meaningful work is renovation of existing spaces. One of my favorite projects fell in the renovation category. 

We worked with our client to listen to residents and keep them informed about the work we were doing. One lady was particularly interested in our progress, following us around to see all the changes. One of my proudest moments was the day we finished the job, and she pulled me aside to thank me for making her home so beautiful, telling me she could now have pride in sharing her home with friends and family.

In addition to aesthetic considerations, with the advent of COVID, we can design senior living environments for infection control with a multifaceted approach that incorporates advanced materials, technology, and thoughtful spatial planning. By prioritizing hygiene, air quality, and physical distancing, these communities can better protect residents and staff from infectious diseases, ensuring a safer and healthier living environment.

An exciting facet of our practice is the collaboration with multiple teams at HKS representing different disciplines from hospitality and sports to healthcare and residential/mixed use and more. By combining interior design and architecture under one comprehensive offering, we provide our clients with a seamless and integrated approach to their projects. This synergy allows for greater cohesion between the architectural vision and interior design concept, resulting in spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional. With this interdisciplinary expertise, we can ensure that every aspect of the design, from the exterior elements to the smallest interior details, works harmoniously together to create exceptional environments. 

Our design philosophy embraces storytelling and embodies the rich tapestry of local culture and community. We believe in creating more than just spaces; our aim is to weave narratives that resonate deeply with residents, fostering a sense of belonging and connection. With a keen focus on thoughtful design, we strive to craft environments that evoke wonder and delight, while nurturing emotional connections that enrich the lives of those who inhabit them.

Cookies on the HKS website We use cookies on our website. By continuing to use this site, without changing your settings, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy.