At the 2017 Healthcare Design Expo & Conference, held Nov. 11-14 in Orlando, Fla., we celebrated the winners of the Nightingale Awards, which recognize contributions to the healthcare built environment through product design and innovation.

The Nightingale Awards are presented by Healthcare Design and Contract magazines in partnership with The Center for Health Design and HCD Expo. Altogether, there were 27 winners across 14 product categories, each judged on criteria including contribution to a healing environment, functionality, quality and durability, aesthetics and style, pricing, and innovation.

The jurors (listed below) are healthcare architects, interior designers, and facilities managers. To evaluate the entries, they visited the exhibitors’ booths before the HCD Expo floor opened, touching, feeling, and experiencing the offerings for themselves.

So what makes a product worthy of an award named after the iconic Florence Nightingale? Oftentimes jury comments included nods to cleanability; adjustability and customization; colors, patterns, and overall aesthetics; and strength and quality. Most notable, though: solutions that answer a need.

In this special Nightingale Awards coverage, you’ll find a Q+A with Jason F. McLennan and Jackie Dettmar, who led the design of the Best of Competition-winning Lichen carpet collection from Mohawk Group, as well as a slideshow of the Gold, Silver, and Innovation award winners. Congratulations to the designers who identified challenges in the healthcare environment and worked to do something about them.

Thank you to our 2017 Nightingale Awards jury

Jennifer M. Ankerson
Senior Interior Designer
Leo A Daly

Teri Lura Bennett
Lead Interior Designer
Johns Hopkins Health System

Timothy J. Bosche
Chief Design Officer, Architect
BSA LifeStructures

Debbie Gregory
Senior Clinical Consultant
Smith Seckman Reid Inc.

Karen Glaser
Senior Interior Designer, Associate
Hawley Peterson Snyder

Tamra Green
Senior Associate
CallisonRTKL Inc.

Isaac G. Holman
Interior Design Team
ESa (Earl Swensson Associates)

Jennifer K. Kenson
Principal, Healthcare Interior Designer
Francis Cauffman

Janet Kobylka
Senior Interior Designer
Workplace Solutions Inc.

Cathy Massey
Manager, Planning and Projects, Facilities Management
Fraser Health Authority

Karen Muraoka
Principal/Senior Designer
Karen Muraoka Interior Design LLC

Fernanda Pires
Associate
Array Architects

Terri Zborowsky
Design Researcher
HGA Architects and Engineers