Nurture by Steelcase, The Center for Health Design, and HEALTHCARE DESIGN magazine are pleased to announce the winner of the 2011 Nurture Collegiate Healthcare Design Competition. Students were challenged with the theme of “waiting” and were asked to create a conceptual design that would provide opportunities for improvement in the environment and/or processes within.

WINNER

Nourish Newborns: A Place for the Comprehensive Care of Neonates and the Family Alike

Submitted by Lauren Gloriod, Sara Mae Martens, Rhaynelina Estevez, Lindsay Slavin, and Alex Jones from the University of Kansas

HONORABLE MENTION

Expanding the Waiting Experience to Reduce the Perceived Waiting Time

Submitted by Daniel Gonzales, Graham Sinclair, Niyanta Gopal, Rhett Morgan, and Sharmin Kader from the University of Kansas

Congratulations to our winner, and thanks again to all the participating students, academic advisors, and judges. The winning team will be honored in November during a special awards ceremony at the HEALTHCARE DESIGN.11 conference in Nashville; also look for further coverage of the winning project in the January 2012 issue of HEALTHCARE DESIGN.

Judges

Carolyn BaRoss, Perkins+Will

Rosalyn Cama, CAMA Inc.

Cheryl Dixon, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

Peter Grandine, HOK

Robin Guenther, Perkins+Will

Fran Hoerrmann, Cannon Design

Barbara Huelat, Huelat Parimucha Ltd.

Caroline Kelly, Nurture by Steelcase

Janet Kobylka, HOK

Kim Montague, Planetree

Brenda Smith, Perkins+Will

Lynette Tedder, Perkins+Will

Jean Young, Young + Co., Inc.

Comments from the winners

“My thoughts regarding the competition are all positive. It was wonderful to have the entire design process revolve around research. Too often, research is put on the back burner when there’s a time crunch or we’re too exhausted, so it was really nice to be able sit down and research extensively. That also led to better design ideas because everything had research and serious thought behind it instead of being completely arbitrary.”

—Lindsay Slavin

“Our experience is full of learning and realization. We understood the significance of research in a better design through this project. We also recognized the scarcity of good study and evidence in this area. As a team, we [MArch and PhD students] learned how to coordinate the designer, researcher, and clients for a better outcome.”

—Sharmin Kader

“It was definitely a group competition; without the brainstorming of the whole group, this design wouldn’t be successful. It was hard work, and a lot of productive hours were involved in the research and design.”

—Rhaynelina Estevez

Winners pictured, left to right: Alexander Jones, Lindsey Slavin, Rhaynelina Estevez, Lauren Gloriod, and Sara Mae Martens. Photo credit: Frank Zilm, FAIA, FACHE. Also pictured (back) is Sharmin Kader, a member of the KU ED design team that earned an honorable mention.