Healthcare Design is pleased to announce the Finalists and Semifinalists of the 2026 Breaking Through Competition.
The Breaking Through program encourages healthcare design innovation by asking participants to present concepts that address anticipated challenges in the future delivery of care.
Participants were advised to forget the usual project restrictions tied to budget, schedule, codes, etc., to create solutions that imagine what they’d design for healthcare if the rules didn’t apply.
In total, 55 teams submitted initial ideas for review by the jury of industry experts. From there, 21 were selected to advance to the second round, where ideas were fleshed out in robust, visually rich presentations that covered the challenges their concepts address and the details of those solutions.
Recently, the jury met to review those semifinalist concepts, choosing four to advance to the final phase. The finalist teams will present their concepts in a keynote session at the 2026 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo (Oct. 17-20, New Orleans). Audience members will choose the winner, and that team will receive $10,000.
The finalists are:
The Conscious Hospital, submitted by SmithGroup
The Last Room, submitted by Perkins&Will
Natalium: Reimagining the Architecture of Birth, submitted by EwingCole
SAGE: Somatic Adaptive Guidance Environment – An Intelligent System for Hospital Settings and Beyond, submitted by STV, Inc.
The semifinalists of the 2026 Breaking Through conceptual design competition are:
B.I.O.M.E. (Biologically Integrated Operational Medical Ecosystem), submitted by Grace Design Studios
DANDELION, submitted by CannonDesign
Destination Health, submitted by Hord Coplan Macht
Focus on Care, submitted by HDR
The Greenhouse, submitted by Bond North Consulting
Guardian, submitted by HDR
Humanity Reclaimed, submitted by RS&H
LINC – Localized Integrated Nomadic Care, submitted by Boulder Associates
Microbiome as Public Infrastructure, submitted by STV Inc.
PATH to Wellness, submitted by architecture+
Pulse Architectonics, submitted by RS&H
ReGenesis, submitted by HDR
Re-imagining the Margins, submitted by GBBN
Second Nature, submitted by HGA
TECHNOLATTICE, submitted by CannonDesign
Thresholds of Care: Interstitial Spaces for Oncology Staff Well-Being, submitted by TPG Architecture, LLP
VEIL as a Functional Façade for Child Development, submitted by HOK
Concepts from all Semifinalists will be featured in HCD’s October issue.
The finalists and the winner will be featured in HCD’s November/December issue.
Meet the jury of industry experts
Maureen Carley -Vallejo
Associate Principal/Director of Interior Design, New York, Array Architects + Advisors
Todd M. Cohen
Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate, Adventist HealthCare
Natalie Miovski Hagerty
AVP, Facilities Planning, Design and Integration, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Margi Kaminski
Principal, Health Interiors Practice Leader, CannonDesign
Julie Kent
Principal/Director of Planning, Albert Kahn Associates
Michael McKay
Healthcare Market Sector Leader, Erdman
Chris Powers
Healthcare Practice Leader, Wold Architects & Engineers
Suraj Soudagar
Senior Principal | Client Executive, IMEG Corp.
Joshua Theodore
Founder and Managing Principal, Gaotharra
Tamryn Thompson
President, Institute for Patient-Centered Design, Inc.
Terms and Conditions: Each entry must be original and have been created solely by the entrant(s). In addition, each entry must comply with the following guidelines: (a) the entry must not exhibit or otherwise promote any illegal, violent, dangerous or discriminatory behavior or contain any material that is political, threatening, indecent, violent, obscene or offensive; (b) the entrant must own the copyright in the entry; (c) the entry must not contain any material that violates or infringes upon the rights of any third party, including without limitation any copyright, trademark or right of privacy or publicity, or that defames any person, or that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to any applicable law or regulation. By making an entry, the entrant represents and warrants that he or she has complied with all of the foregoing requirements. Where permitted by law, the winner grants (and agrees to confirm said grant in writing upon the request of the Sponsor) to Sponsor, and those acting pursuant to Sponsor’s direction or control, the right to print, publish, broadcast and use, worldwide in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to the Internet, at any time or times, the winner’s name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness and biographical information for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without additional consideration and without notice, review or approval, except where prohibited by law. Further, winner will be required to complete, sign, and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, a Publicity Release (where lawful), and provide evidence of identity and age with a social security number and a valid state or federally issued identification (i.e. driver’s license or passport), all within fourteen (14) days of prize notification. If said documents are not returned timely, or if a winner is found not to have complied with these Official Rules, declines the prize for any reason, or is ineligible for any reason, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, to an alternate winner. WINNER WILL BE ISSUED A FORM 1099 (OR FORM 1042 IF A NON-U.S. CITIZEN) FOR TAX PURPOSES IN THE AMOUNT OF THE ACTUAL RETAIL VALUE OF THE PRIZE AND MUST SUBMIT HIS OR HER SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AS REQUIRED BY LAW. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES IMPOSED ON THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRIZE ARE SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER. By participating, participants release and agree to hold harmless Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies and all of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any and all liability for any injury, loss or damage of any kind to persons (including, without limitation, death) or property, arising directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from or in connection with the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, participation in this Competition, or any Competition-related activity, including any wrongful, negligent, or unauthorized act or omission on the part of any of the Released Parties. Without limiting the foregoing, everything regarding this Competition, including the prize, is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, IN THE EVENT THAT THE PRECEDING RELEASE IS DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO BE INVALID OR VOID FOR ANY REASON, THE PARTICIPANT AGREES THAT, BY ENTERING THE COMPETITION, (I) ANY CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS AND AWARDS SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED, BUT IN NO EVENT ATTORNEYS’ FEES; AND (II) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANY PARTICIPANT BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN ANY AWARD FOR, AND PARTICIPANT HEREBY WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM, ANY OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
