HMC Architects is honored to be the recipient of the 2011 AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Unbuilt Award for the design of the First People’s Hospital, China. The award was given July 30, 2011, at the AIA/AAH Summer Leadership Summit in Chicago.

In 2009, HMC Architects teamed with China-based Shunde Architectural Design Institute to compete by invitation with five short-listed teams from around the world to win the design competition sponsored by the Chinese government. The team’s design integrates Eastern medicine and culture with Western innovation in healthcare planning and design. When complete, the project will total 225,000 square meters (2,420,000 square feet) on 33 acres, house 2,000 hospital beds, serve 6,000 outpatient visits per day, and accommodate 2,000 parking spaces.

The design combines a precise organization of forms linked by a dynamic spine element that forms a grand interior promenade, and ‘eco-atrium’ connecting and harmonizing the elements of the hospital. The tower marks the main plaza, and building heights step down towards the edge of the site to maximize views. The spine and tower work together to organize the site into four distinct zones. At the point where the spine passes through the main tower building, an iconic opening creates a symbolic heart for the campus.

The First People’s Hospital is currently under construction and estimated to be completed April 2012.

The Academy of Architecture for Health’s mission is to improve both the quality of healthcare design and the design of healthy communities by developing, documenting, and disseminating knowledge; educating design practitioners and other related constituencies; advancing the practice of architecture; and affiliating and advocating with others that share these priorities.