Gensler Research Institute, BR+A and Thornton Tomasetti Collaborate on Mass Timber Prototype Hospital

The Gensler Research Institute, in collaboration with BR+A and Thornton Tomasetti, are collaborating on Horizon, a prototype hospital designed to align environmental, financial and experiential goals to better support community health. Horizon addresses the health sector’s significant climate impact and goes beyond typical sustainable hospital design by rethinking service delivery and infrastructure to mitigate climate change and enhance community health outcomes.

The prototype was conceptualized as a ‘proof of concept’ for the measurable impact research that Gensler undertook exploring the question: “What if, by designing to address the healthcare industry’s top challenges, we were able to redesign the healthcare system to improve community health?”

“As we envision the future of healthcare, it’s clear that sustainability and community health go hand in hand,” said Bonny Slater, global healthcare practice area leader at Gensler. “Horizon represents a bold step toward creating hospitals that not only provide critical care, but also integrate into the fabric of the community, promoting health and well-being in a sustainable manner.”

Key insights garnered while developing the prototype include:

1. Compounding impacts of climate change on health: The correlation between environmental health and human well-being is increasingly evident. Rising temperatures and air pollution are linked to increased emergency department visits and heat-related deaths, disproportionately affecting older adults and black communities. Addressing these environmental factors can reduce the healthcare burden and improve public health outcomes.
2. Upstream solutions: Emphasizing preventive care and addressing socioeconomic and environmental factors can reduce the reliance on resource-intensive hospital care. Investments in housing, transportation and access to healthy food are showing promise in improving community health.
3. Reimagining hospital design: Horizon proposes a shift from traditional hospital designs to smaller, more specialized facilities focused on critical and high-risk care. This approach not only reduces the environmental footprint, but also enhances community integration and adaptability.

Horizon hospital prototype features:

• Right-size: Horizon includes fewer beds and procedure rooms, shifting most procedures to advanced ambulatory care centers that utilize existing buildings to minimize climate impact.
• Optimize: The U-shaped design allows for long-term adaptability, enabling inpatient wings to be converted for other uses as healthcare needs evolve.
• Customize: The site accommodates additional community elements, such as health hubs or housing, and includes modular roof inserts for shading, rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic panels.
• Humanize: The low-rise, biophilic design integrates seamlessly with the community, transforming the hospital into a welcoming neighbor with civic spaces for fitness, education and social needs.
• Decarbonize: Mass timber construction, offering a 50% reduction in embodied carbon compared to conventional materials, is employed to meet the strict requirements of hospital structures.
• Energize: Horizon’s reduced size and increased efficiency result in a 40% lower energy use than conventional hospitals of the same size, achieving operational carbon neutrality.