Awards categories
The European Healthcare Design 2026 Awards celebrate and recognise professional and research excellence in the design of healthcare environments both in Europe and around the world
Awards Lead Partner
Design for large-scale healthcare infrastructure
Supported by
This award recognises excellence in the design, planning and delivery of major healthcare infrastructure projects that demonstrate outstanding architectural vision, clinical functionality and long-term strategic value. The category celebrates projects that advance models of care, promote sustainable and resilient estate strategies, and deliver exceptional patient, staff and community outcomes.
Eligible projects include new hospitals, major redevelopment schemes, large specialist facilities, and complex multi-phase estates programmes.
Eligibility
Built projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Kate Copeland, Chair, Australian Health Design Council, Australia | |
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Design for small to medium-scale healthcare Infrastructure
An outstanding healthcare project in a community, primary or tertiary care setting that demonstrates high levels of sustainability and urban integration, transforming the quality of care services in an accessible location, and supporting the integrated needs of staff, patients and the community.
Submissions may include but are not restricted to GP premises, primary care centres, urgent care centres, integrated health hubs, community hospitals and multi-use polyclinics.
Eligibility
Built projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Nicola Bertrand, Head of architecture and construction, Asklepios Kliniken, Germany | |
Future healthcare design (unbuilt projects)
Supported by
Recognising visionary, unbuilt healthcare infrastructure projects that explore innovative responses to emerging health, social and environmental challenges. It celebrates speculative, conceptual or planned schemes that reimagine future models of care, integrate advanced technologies, and propose resilient, adaptable and sustainable healthcare environments.
Eligible submissions may include projects in design or under construction, masterplans, prototype facilities, research-led concepts and pilot proposals that demonstrate originality, feasibility and transformative potential in shaping the next generation of healthcare infrastructure.
Eligibility
Unbuilt projects in design development or under construction
 | Lead judge: Cliff Harvey, Joint vice president redevelopment, Grand River Hospital/St. Mary’s General Hospital, Canada | |
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Mental health design
Supported by
Recognising excellence in the design, planning and delivery of environments that support mental healthcare treatment, recovery and wellbeing. It celebrates schemes that demonstrate a deep understanding of therapeutic and trauma-informed design, person-centred care and clinical safety. The category honours projects that create safe, dignified and restorative spaces, balancing clinical and security requirements with warmth, autonomy, access to nature and a sense of hope.
Eligible submissions may include acute inpatient units, psychiatric facilities, community mental health centres, crisis and safe spaces, rehabilitation environments and integrated wellbeing hubs.
Eligibility
Built projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Beatrice Fraenkel, Director, Design in Mental Health Network, UK | |
Design for health and life sciences
Recognising excellence in the design, planning and delivery of infrastructure that supports health and life sciences research, innovation and translation into clinical practice. The category honours schemes that demonstrate outstanding technical performance, flexibility and future-readiness, while fostering collaboration, discovery and the advancement of human health.
Eligible projects include biomedical research facilities, laboratories, research-integrated hospitals, innovation hubs, teaching and simulation centres, and specialist science campuses.
Eligibility
Built projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Peter Ward, Director of real estate development, King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, UK | |
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Design for neighbourhood health
This award recognises healthcare developments that actively promote population health, wellness and healthy living beyond traditional hospital settings. It celebrates schemes that provide a catalyst for healthier neighbourhoods and more equitable communities by integrating with the public realm, landscaping and green infrastructure, active travel corridors, housing and regeneration projects that embed health into daily life. The category honours design approaches that contribute to environmental quality, support healthy behaviours and early intervention and strengthen social connection.
Eligible projects may include community health precincts, integrated wellbeing campuses, neighbourhood health centres, healthcare on the high street, community diagnostic centres, outreach centres, independent living, dementia care and continuing care settings.
Eligibility
Projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: John Cooper, Director, JCA, UK | |
Design for adaptation and transformation
This award recognises excellence in the adaptation, reuse and transformation of existing healthcare infrastructure to meet changing models of care, evolving clinical needs and future system demands. It celebrates projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to refurbishment, repurposing, expansion and reconfiguration, delivering renewed value from existing assets while improving quality, efficiency and user experience.
Eligible submissions may include major upgrades, extensions, conversions, estate rationalisation initiatives and space reconfigurations that balance operational continuity with innovation, sustainability and design quality.
Eligibility
Built projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Visiting Professor Jim Chapman, Manchester School of Architecture, UK | |
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Design for sustainable development
This award recognises exemplary leadership in embedding sustainability at the heart of healthcare infrastructure development. It honours projects that demonstrate outstanding achievement in reducing environmental impact, advancing low-carbon and net-zero strategies, enhancing resilience, and promoting long-term ecological, social and economic value. The category celebrates schemes that set new benchmarks for responsible, future-ready healthcare environments that improve human and planetary health.
Eligible projects include new builds, refurbishments and estate-wide programmes that integrate sustainable materials, energy-efficient systems, modern methods of construction, circular design principles, nature-based solutions and whole-life performance thinking.
Eligibility
Projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Jonathan Erskine, Director, European Health Property Network, UK | |
Interior design and the arts
This award recognises excellence in the integration of interior design and the arts within healthcare environments to enhance wellbeing, support healing and enrich the human experience of care. It celebrates projects that demonstrate how thoughtful materiality, colour, lighting, furniture, artwork, cultural expression and sensory design can create welcoming, inclusive and restorative spaces for patients, staff and visitors.
Eligible submissions may include hospitals, clinics, community settings, mental health environments and specialist care facilities that use interior design and the arts as a meaningful and evidence-informed component of health, wellbeing and dignity.
Eligibility
Projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Ruth Charity, Arts co-ordinator, artlink, Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT, UK | |
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Excellence in healthcare planning
This award recognises outstanding healthcare planning that enables more effective, efficient, and accessible clinical service delivery. It celebrates projects and strategic plans that introduce new models of care, leverage technology, and improve access, capacity, flow, and flexibility across healthcare systems.
Submissions should demonstrate integrated, future-focused planning that strengthens patient outcomes, enhances staff experience, and supports resilient, adaptable healthcare environments across any setting.
Eligibility
Planning strategies completed between 1 January 2020-31 December 2025
 | Lead judge: Rhonda Kerr, Director, Guidelines and Economists Network International, Australia | |
Digital and technology transformation
Recognising excellence in the integration of digital innovation and technology-enabled transformation within the design and planning of healthcare environments. It celebrates projects that demonstrate how digital tools, intelligent systems, data-driven insights and emerging technologies converge and interact with the design of the built environment to enhance clinical workflows, improve patient and staff experience, and create more responsive, efficient and future-ready care settings.
Eligible submissions may include use case examples of architectural design of digitally enabled facilities, smart building systems, virtual and augmented reality environments and simulation, AI-supported operations, integrated digital care pathways, and convergence of digital and medical technologies in clinical environments.
Eligibility
Projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Nirit Pilosof, Head of research in innovation and transformation, Sheba Medical Center; Faculty member, Tel Aviv University, Israel | |
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Innovation in healthcare construction technologies
Recognising outstanding innovation in construction technologies that advance the quality, speed, safety and sustainability of healthcare infrastructure delivery. It celebrates pioneering approaches—including modern methods of construction, digital fabrication, advanced off-site and modular systems, robotics, smart materials, and data-driven construction processes—that enable more efficient, adaptable and resilient healthcare environments.
Eligible submissions should demonstrate how technological innovation has improved project outcomes, enhanced value, reduced environmental impact, and supported the delivery of high-performance, future-ready healthcare facilities.
Eligibility
Projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2026
 | Lead judge: Grant Mills, Professor of healthcare infrastructure delivery and Bartlett faculty lead for health, University College London, UK | |
Healthcare interiors product
Recognising excellence in the design and innovation of healthcare interior products, including fixtures and furnishings created specifically for clinical and care environments. It celebrates products that enhance safety, comfort, dignity, functionality, and wellbeing for patients, residents, visitors, and staff, while meeting the complex demands of infection control, durability, sustainability, and inclusive design. Submissions should demonstrate thoughtful problem-solving, high-quality design, and measurable value in improving healthcare spaces across any setting.
Eligibility
Products that came to market between completed between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2025
 | Lead judge: Lara Kaiser, Healthcare design leader, operations director and principal, Perkins&Will, Brazil | |
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Healthcare design research
Supported by
This award recognises outstanding research that advances knowledge, innovation, and evidence-based practice in healthcare design and infrastructure. It celebrates studies that deepen understanding of how the built environment, technology, spatial planning, and user-centred design can improve health outcomes, enhance patient and staff experience, support wellbeing, and increase operational efficiency across all healthcare settings.
Submissions may include academic, applied, or practice-based research that demonstrates originality, rigour, and clear relevance to real-world healthcare challenges.
Eligibility
Research projects completed between 1 January 2025 and 31 January 2026
 | Lead judge: Göran Lindahl, Associate professor/head of division building design, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University, Sweden | |
