The finale of Healthcare Design’s biennial conceptual design competition, Breaking Through, was held on Day 2 of the 2026 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo in New Orleans, with EwingCole taking home the top prize for Natalium: Reimagining the Architecture of Birth.
Four finalist teams presented their concepts in a keynote session at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Audience members then voted for the concept they found most innovative via live polling.
The winning concept
Natalium: Reimagining the Architecture of Birth positions maternal care as a flexible, community-centered experience rather than a purely clinical hospital event. Its model includes public spaces for prenatal care, education, and support services; adaptable birth suites designed for movement and family participation; quiet areas for extended recovery; and remembrance gardens to address pregnancy loss.
“Birth doesn’t always happen the way a room is designed for it,” said Suzy Genzler, healthcare design research specialist at EwingCole (New York City), during the presentation. “The room has to be able to respond to each experience.”
Genzler presented alongside EwingCole’s Adrienne Erdman, director of design research, and Richard Shim, associate.
Learn more about the Breaking Through finalists
In addition to EwingCole’s Natalium concept, the finalists included:
- The Conscious Hospital, submitted by SmithGroup
- The Last Room, submitted by Perkins&Will
- SAGE: Somatic Adaptive Guidance Environment – An Intelligent System for Hospital Settings and Beyond, submitted by STV, Inc.
Additional coverage of the winning and finalist concepts will be featured in the November/December issue of Healthcare Design magazine and on hcdmagazine.com. Find more coverage of the 2026 HCD Conference here.
