10 Healthcare Design Projects That Transformed the Industry

Explore the influential hospital projects that changed patient-centered care and evidence-based design.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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Healthcare design expert Sara Marberry highlights 10 iconic hospital projects that have significantly influenced the evolution of healthcare design over the decades. The list, compiled from a survey of American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) members, includes groundbreaking designs such as the Paimio Sanatorium in Finland, Griffin Hospital in Connecticut, and Palomar Medical Center in California. These projects introduced innovative concepts like patient-centered care, energy efficiency, and flexible hospital layouts that have become standard in modern healthcare facilities.

Why it matters

The featured projects showcase how healthcare design has progressed to prioritize patient and staff outcomes through evidence-based approaches. Many of the hospitals on the list, such as Banner Estrella and Lurie Children's, participated in The Center for Health Design's Pebble Project initiative, validating the importance of using data to guide design decisions. These influential projects have set new standards for creating healing environments that improve the overall healthcare experience.

The details

The 10 projects highlighted in the article were selected based on a survey of ACHA members who were asked to list the hospital designs that most significantly influenced them. The list includes the Paimio Sanatorium in Finland, which pioneered the use of natural light and color in healthcare facilities; Griffin Hospital in Connecticut, an early example of a Planetree patient-centered care model; and Palomar Medical Center in California, praised for its integration with nature and commitment to evidence-based design. Other notable projects include Celebration Health in Florida, the first 'one-stop shopping' health campus, and the introduction of 'same-handed' patient rooms at St. Joseph's Hospital.

  • The survey of ACHA members was conducted several weeks ago at the Healthcare Design Conference and Expo in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • The Paimio Sanatorium was designed by Alvar Aalto and completed in 1933.
  • Griffin Hospital in Connecticut was designed by SLAM Collaborative and opened in 1994.
  • Celebration Health in Florida was designed by Robert AM Stern and NBBJ and opened in 1998.
  • Palomar Medical Center in California was designed by CO Architects and opened in 2012.

The players

Sara Marberry

A healthcare design expert with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and senior living design industry, who has written/edited five books and is a regular contributor to Healthcare Design magazine. Marberry is also a former Executive Vice President of the nonprofit Center for Health Design.

Don McKahan, Kirk Hamilton, and Frank Pitts

The founders of the 'Hospital ICONs' series, which reviews iconic hospital projects of the past and has informed the evolution of healthcare design.

Jennifer Aliber and Bryan Langlands

Presenters at the Healthcare Design Conference and Expo who continued the 'Hospital ICONs' legacy by presenting '10 Projects that Changed Healthcare Design'.

Alvar Aalto

The architect who designed the Paimio Sanatorium in Finland, which was groundbreaking for its incorporation of natural light and color in a healthcare facility.

SLAM Collaborative

The architecture firm that designed Griffin Hospital in Connecticut, an early example of a Planetree patient-centered care model.

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What they’re saying

“Influential projects also had to be broadly publicized and reflect the 'spirit of the age.'”

— Jennifer Aliber and Bryan Langlands, Presenters at the Healthcare Design Conference and Expo (fmlink.com)

“Four of the seven hospitals in this list (Banner Estrella, Lurie Children's, St. Joseph's, and Palomar) participated in The Center for Health Design's Pebble Project initiative during their design process. Which kinda validates why we started it in the first place — to teach and help healthcare and design professionals to use an evidence-based design process to improve patient and staff outcomes through the design of the physical environment.”

— Sara Marberry, Healthcare design expert (fmlink.com)

What’s next

The article notes that the 10 projects highlighted were selected based on a survey of ACHA members, suggesting that further research or analysis could be done to explore other influential healthcare design projects that were not included in this initial list.

The takeaway

The 10 healthcare design projects featured in this article have significantly shaped the industry, introducing groundbreaking concepts like patient-centered care, energy efficiency, and flexible hospital layouts. These influential projects have set new standards for creating healing environments that improve patient and staff outcomes, validating the importance of evidence-based design approaches in the healthcare sector.