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Healthcare Interior Design 2.0

Healthcare Interior Design 2.0

Written by: Porcelanosa
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 Healthcare design is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. How can we create healing environments that embrace innovation, celebrate human diversity, and serve everyone in our communities? From reimagining cancer care delivery to integrating infection-resistant materials and sustainable product solutions, how can thoughtful design enhance the experience of patients, families, caregivers and clinical staff? With compassion and curiosity, host Cheryl Janis interviews the world's top wellness leaders and healthcare design professionals who are challenging conventional thinking and creating spaces that heal, nurture, and welcome all. Join us as we explore groundbreaking innovations and human-centered approaches that are reshaping the future of healthcare design. Tune in and be part of the conversation that's transforming how we experience healthcare. #DesignHeals #InclusiveHealthcare Art Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Episode 76, Elizabeth Sullivan, Principal, Regional Co-Leader of Healthcare, Northeast HOK

    Episode 76, Elizabeth Sullivan, Principal, Regional Co-Leader of Healthcare, Northeast HOK
    May 5 2026
    "Everything is shifting at once — our care models, technology, AI, capital pressures, workforce dynamics." — Elizabeth Sullivan on HID2.0 In this episode of Healthcare Interior Design 2.0, Cheryl Janis sits down with Elizabeth Sullivan, Principal and Regional Co-Leader of Healthcare Northeast at HOK and adjunct professor at The New York School of Interior Design for a deeply thoughtful conversation about healthcare architecture, lived experience, mentorship, and the future of humane healthcare environments. Elizabeth shares how she went from thinking healthcare architecture sounded "boring" to discovering that it is one of the most meaningful, complex, and human-centered areas of design. With experience spanning architectural practice, the owner side, teaching, and her own personal experiences as a patient, Elizabeth brings a rare and powerful lens to what healthcare spaces are — and what they still need to become. Together, Cheryl and Elizabeth explore the next wave of healthcare design, the importance of flexibility and adaptability, the emotional weight of hospitals, the role of respite spaces, and why small details — even the chair in a patient room — can have an enormous impact. In This Episode, Cheryl and Elizabeth Discuss Elizabeth's unexpected path into healthcare architecture Why healthcare design is far more creative, emotional, and complex than she first imagined How her experiences as a patient shaped the way she thinks about space The idea that healthcare architecture is on the edge of a major transformation Why future healthcare environments must be more adaptable and resilient How care models, AI, capital pressures, workforce dynamics, and sustainability are influencing design The importance of respite spaces for patients, families, and staff Why mentorship and apprenticeship still matter deeply in architecture What designers often misunderstand about the owner side of healthcare How curiosity can help young professionals find their place in healthcare design Why empathy is not abstract — it shows up in the questions designers ask The surprising importance of the chair in a patient room KEY TAKEAWAYS Healthcare design is deeply human. Elizabeth's early assumption that healthcare architecture would be overly technical changed when she realized the work is centered around people in some of life's most vulnerable moments. We are not waiting for transformation — we are already inside it. Elizabeth describes healthcare architecture as being on the cusp of a major shift, driven by care models, technology, AI, capital pressures, workforce dynamics, sustainability, infrastructure, and community health. Future healthcare environments need to behave less like static buildings and more like adaptable systems. One of Elizabeth's strongest points is that designers are no longer simply "building buildings." They are designing systems that must flex, evolve, and respond over time. Long-term healthcare planning has to become more flexible and realistic. Elizabeth challenges the idea of rigid 20-year master plans, pointing instead toward shorter planning horizons, modular thinking, strategic adaptability, and future-ready infrastructure. The owner's perspective changes everything. Her experience working on the owner side gave her a deeper understanding of capital constraints, operating budgets, shifting priorities, stakeholders, schedules, and why even strong projects can change direction. Mentorship is not extra — it is part of the profession. Elizabeth speaks beautifully about the mentors who shaped her and why she now feels called to teach what students and young professionals cannot always learn from books alone. Empathy shows up in the questions designers ask. For Elizabeth, empathetic design is not just a feeling; it is a process of listening carefully, asking people to walk through their day, understanding their pain points, and translating those insights into better environments. Healthcare design has many entry points. For people drawn to the field, Elizabeth emphasizes that healthcare design can include planning, research, furniture design, workplace strategy, operations, management, and more — not only traditional architecture. The most humane healthcare environments create comfort, safety, and emotional relief. Elizabeth imagines future healthcare spaces that help take people's minds away from the stress of being somewhere they may not have chosen to be. Small details carry enormous weight. Her reflection on "the chair" is a perfect example: a seemingly minor design choice can affect patients, family members, caregivers, clinicians, and staff for hours at a time. RESOURCES MENTIONED New York School of Interior Design — Master of Professional Studies in Design of Healthcare Environments A graduate program focused on healthcare interiors, including research methods, healthcare history and theory, environmental and behavioral studies, applied ...
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    50 mins
  • Episode 75, Brea E. Elles, Healthcare Design & Construction Leader, Owner of Plyhaus

    Episode 75, Brea E. Elles, Healthcare Design & Construction Leader, Owner of Plyhaus
    Apr 8 2026
    "Flexibility became our currency during COVID." –Brea E. Elles on HID2.0 In today's episode, Cheryl sits down virtually with Brea E. Elles, Healthcare Design & Construction Leader. Together they pull back the curtain on what owner-side leadership really looks like when capital planning meets real-world constraints: staffing shortages, reimbursement uncertainty, supply chain, and the relentless need to keep care moving. You'll hear her practical frameworks for designing "for flow," why standardization can reduce cognitive stress for clinicians, and how teams can protect performance when budgets tighten. And if you love the details, Brea goes delightfully nerdy on the behind-the-scenes decisions that make healthcare millwork and furniture succeed (or fail) over time — from seams and water intrusion to integrated sinks, chemical resistance, and specs written for performance. In this episode, we cover: What it actually means to sit at the intersection of finance + operations + design + construction—and why alignment is the job. The teaching mindset that carries into project leadership: if you can't explain why, you don't fully understand the decision. Lean healthcare design in one phrase: design for flow—patient flow, staff flow, equipment flow, information flow. A blunt truth: "Every unnecessary step is a cost"… and inefficient adjacencies compound into burnout. How policy/funding uncertainty (including the "Big Beautiful Bill") shows up as more disciplined revenue assumptions, phasing, and scope restraint. Why patient experience isn't just the lobby: staff experience drives patient experience through workflow and physical demands. The post-COVID shift that won't go away: conversion speed + flexibility as core performance. "Standardization is resilience": how standards reduce cognitive load and keep clinicians focused on care. Rural vs urban: durability, simplified infrastructure, and designing for a community asset that carries generational weight. Plyhouse and the millwork "nerd-out": infection prevention through seam minimization, integral sinks, edge protection, chemical resistance—and specs written for performance. Memorable quotes from Brea "I sit at the intersection of finance, operations, design, and construction." "I align people who think differently." "If you can't explain why a decision matters, you don't fully understand it." "Every unnecessary step is a cost. Every inefficient adjacency becomes burnout over time." "You're designing for the person that's moving through the space, not the person photographing it." "Standardization is resilience." "In urban systems, you manage complexity. In rural systems, you're managing vulnerability." "I saw a disconnect between specification and reality." "Specs should be designed for performance, not just by material type." "When you think about surfaces, you want to minimize your seams." "In order to have patient experience… it's also staff experience." "Design for flow… not just patient flow, but staff flow, equipment flow, information flow." Links & ways to connect Email: brea@plyhaus.com Plyhouse: https://plyhaus.com Brea on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brea-e-elles-58776aa1/ If you liked this episode… Please share it with a nurse, designer, architect, engineer, or administrator who cares about building healthcare environments that feel more human—and more kind. Our Industry Partners The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org. Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners: The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/. Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/ ------------ The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org FEATURED PRODUCT Porcelanosa are at the forefront of sustainable manufacturing – clients not only expect this of their suppliers but are increasingly asking to see the receipts. Let's unpack this, did you know that...
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    48 mins
  • Episode 74, Susan Suhar, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Amb, Design Principal – Interiors, Associate Vice President at HDR Architecture

    Episode 74, Susan Suhar, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Amb, Design Principal – Interiors, Associate Vice President at HDR Architecture
    Mar 3 2026
    "The best way to think of it is like a do not use ingredient list, similar to checking a food label — but for buildings." — Susan Suhar on HID2.0 Today on the podcast, Cheryl sits down with Susan Suhar — Design Principal- Interiors and Associate Vice President at HDR Architecture in Los Angeles — to talk about what's changing (and what's timeless) in healthcare design. With 25+ years designing award-winning environments across healthcare, workplace, and life science, Susan brings a rare mix of creative vision and real-world rigor — designing for the whole ecosystem: patients and families, yes, but also the staff doing the caring every single day. Susan helps lead the vision and growth of HDR's LA interiors practice, and she's been deeply involved in major healthcare work including Cedars-Sinai's Marina del Rey Hospital and the UCSF Helen Diller Hospital project in San Francisco (part of a collaborative design team). In this conversation, Susan and Cheryl dig into the shifts shaping healthcare interiors right now — from behavioral health and outpatient growth, to sustainability, staff respite spaces, and why empathy still belongs at the center of every healing environment. WHAT WE COVER Why healthcare interiors serve "one of the broadest ranges of humans in human emotion" — all at onceSusan's origin story: how universal design shaped her purpose as a designerWhat's unique about designing healthcare in California (and specifically Los Angeles)Key shifts shaping healthcare design today: -behavioral health -the evolving patient + staff experience -outpatient growth and the rise of same-day proceduresHow shorter schedules are changing design + documentation — and where AI fits (supporting, not replacing)Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital: designing a community hospital that feels sophisticated, elegant, and not like a hospitalThe "sea change for healing" concept: waves, journey, light-on-water (and an unforgettable chapel + meditation patio)UCSF Helen Diller Hospital: iconic architecture, fog-response interiors, and major investments in respite, sustainability, and health"Red list free" in plain language — and why it matters in a hospitalWhy staff spaces are not optional: sleep rooms, respite, and protecting caregiver wellbeingSusan's guiding principle: empathy, and the questions that make design better KEY TAKEAWAYS Design empathy isn't a vibe — it's a practice. It shows up in how we listen, what we prioritize, and what we protect in the program.Staff experience is patient experience. If we don't design for caregiver wellbeing, we quietly erode care quality.Sustainability + health transparency are converging. Materials aren't just about durability and aesthetics anymore — they're about human impact, too.The pace is changing. Faster schedules are pressuring teams to get more efficient without losing the design story or the details. RESOURCED MENTIONED PROJECTS + IMAGES • HDR – Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital (project page) https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/cedars-sinai-marina-del-rey-hospital • HDR – UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital (project page) https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/ucsf-health-helen-diller-hospital • UCSF Real Estate – Helen Diller Hospital project overview https://realestate.ucsf.edu/projects/ucsf-health-helen-diller-hospital-hdh • Herzog & de Meuron – UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital (project page) https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/projects/547-ucsf-helen-diller-medical-center-2/ CEDARS-SINAI UPDATES • Cedars-Sinai Newsroom – "New Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital Rises" (includes video/update) https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/new-cedars-sinai-marina-del-rey-hospital-rises/ • Cedars-Sinai Newsroom – "Construction Begins for New Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital" https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/construction-begins-for-new-cedars-sinai-marina-del-rey-hospital/ • Cedars-Sinai – "An Upgrade to Medicine in the Marina" (construction progress story) https://www.cedars-sinai.org/stories-and-insights/advancing-our-mission/an-upgrade-to-medicine-in-the-marina HDR SITE / PORTFOLIO SEARCH (as mentioned on the episode) • HDR homepage https://www.hdrinc.com/ • HDR portfolio (search/browse) https://go.hdrinc.com/portfolio SUSTAINABILITY + MATERIAL HEALTH TERMS (RED LIST / EPD / HPD) • ILFI – Red List (Living Building Challenge) https://living-future.org/red-list/ • ILFI – Living Building Challenge overview https://living-future.org/lbc/ • EPD International – International EPD System (what an EPD is / program info) https://www.environdec.com/about-us/international-epd-system • HPD Collaborative (what an HPD is / material health disclosure) https://www.hpd-collaborative.org/ CALIFORNIA HEALTHCARE FACILITY OVERSIGHT (OSHPD / now HCAI) • HCAI – OSHPD became HCAI (official announcement) https://hcai.ca.gov/oshpd-becomes-the-department-of-health-care-access-and-information/ • HCAI – Building Safety (...
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    44 mins
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